BNG has attributed a huge demand in government-assisted housing to increased urban populations, caused by urbanisation and increased population growth. It is estimated that one fifth of urban residents are new comers to cities (DoH, 2004). In South Africa the housing backlog as of 2016, was estimated to be around 2.1 million, which needed to clear the backlog but the numbers are gradually slowing down. Therefore, urbanisation has to be dealt with in order to meet the demand for housing in cities. Although it is not possible to stop the migrating of people to urban areas, planning instruments can be used in order to predict these numbers (www.engineeringnews.co.za).
Figure 4.1: New subsidised houses constructed
Source: www.durban.gov.za
The above diagram shows the housing backlog in the eThekwini Municipality. It shows an increased backlog from 2014 to 2017 (IDP, 2016/2017). As such, the IDP indicates that the municipality has embarked on a number of strategies to address the housing backlog including upgrading of informal settlements and relocations to Greenfields such as Cornubia. The challenge however, has been the increasing number of people migrating to the city, as this puts more pressure on the limited resources. The municipality has indicated that it will take a year
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to reduce the backlog, but that interim measures have been put in place to ensure that the quality of life of communities is improved. To this effect, the municipality has prioritised access to basic services for the low-income subsidised houses (IDP, 2016/17).
In ensuring the quality of life for community’s access to services such as health, community halls, safety, education, and recreation centres, which complete the integration of human settlements, has been prioritised. For instance, the municipality has, in its plan, prioritised the delivery of these services to communities that were relocated to Greenfields, as access to such services is important as it improves the quality of life of the people. This is line with creating and sustaining human settlements that promote the overall wellbeing of community members (IDP, 2015/16).
4.7. CORNUBIA HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
The main aim of the Cornubia project, initiated by the eThekwini Municipality, was to address housing and housing development needs in their totality for identified communities. This community was identified from particular informal settlements. This was done to ensure that individual and community quality living environment is achieved. Scholars such as Charlton (2009), Sutherland, Robbins, Scott and Sim (2013), as well as the DoH (2004) attest to the fact that housing delivery in South Africa post-1994 was guided by the Housing Policy and Strategy, and that the programme has been able to provide state-subsidised, large-scale housing for the majority of disadvantaged people. The critical part is that the strategy integrated sustainable human settlements (Sutherland et al., 2015).
Critical to this is the fact that houses built did not reconstruct the displacements created by policies of apartheid. As a result, the municipality had to ensure that the Cornubia project as a national priority was facilitated in accordance with guidelines from the NDHS. Initially, particular settlements were identified, as the aim was to address the housing backlog that the municipality was faced with at that particular time. The informal settlements, which were to be prioritised, were those within close proximity. The Municipality was to ensure that communities were housed in habitable, cost-effective and sustainable housing. This in turn, would contribute to urban renewal, regeneration, and the social and economic growth of the city (eThekwini, 2015). The BNG was employed as a tool to drive the new human settlements vision of the Department of Housing. The vision has been to achieve a non-racial, integrated
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society, which was to be realised through the development of sustainable human settlements and quality housing (BNG, 2004: 7)
4.7.1. Reasons for Cornubia development
Establishing Cornubia as a mixed-used development was to assist in integrating the City with the aim of addressing the imbalances of the past created by poor spatial planning from the previous government. The development aimed at providing new job opportunities for residents in identified areas in the IDP. The following reasons are provided for the foundation of Cornubia project:
• ‘‘to address the integration of the City and the imbalances of historical planning, consolidating and integrating the currently dispersed and dislocated points of urban development in the area.
• Strategic location of Cornubia amongst existing settlements and the introduction of the Integrated Rapid Public Transport Network (IRPTN) incorporating the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) opens up the affluent areas to those previously marginalised through efficient public transport.
• The area in which Cornubia is located is identified in the IDP as part of a major economic investment node
• The development will create substantial new job and employment opportunities, particularly for residents of areas such as Phoenix, Verulam and Waterloo where work opportunities close to places of residence, because of historical planning, are currently lacking.
• It represents an important opportunity for substantial new residential development, significantly addressing demand for affordable housing and integrated residential developments that are well located in terms of access to employment opportunities, urban amenities and social facilities.
• The development will provide a benchmark for mixed-income, mixed use development in line with the policy objectives of National Government's new housing policy, Breaking New Ground’’ (Environmental Impact Assessment, 2011)
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