CHAPTER 7: PRESENTATION OF DATA AND ANALYSIS
7.2 ANALYSIS OF RESEARCH FINDINGS
7.2.7 Conversations With Municipality Officials
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In closing, the residents do not feel as though they are getting their money’s worth in terms of the places in which they reside. While they are central to amenities, the area itself is in a state of disre pair and the high rental figure does not assist in easing there burdens.
7.2.7 Conversations With Municipality Officials
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In summary, the lack of proper public transport and supporting infrastructure adds to the difficulty of travel and by considering improvements, the public needs are considered (Moodley,L 2017).
Discussions over Social Housing considerations within the Umgeni Road Precinct:
Mr. Ismail Vawda, one of the planners dealing with Affordable Social housing in the Human Settlements department, was the next participant in the research interview.
In his opinion the existing infrastructure within the area is quiet capable of potentially being revitalised.
There is approximately 70 000 people at the moment residing within the inner city. This spans from the Suncoast area all the way down to Albert park and down toward Windermere and Umgeni roads.
Experts state that for approximately 450 000 people to reside here, a number which the city is capable of holding, there needs to be proper urban planning. The infrastructure thus needs to be updated, areas cleared or resolved in terms of uses and so forth. There needs to be an order but this could be
problematic as this is dependable on the sections being upgraded . The provision of future plans relating to the precinct are underway. However, approval is not granted as yet for public view and therefore the research cannot obtain these as yet (Vawda,I. 2017).
As with Mr Moodley, Mr Vawda agrees that there are no buildings which use any sustainable methods in the Umgeni Road precinct.
However, the proposals always look to low maintenance materials and fixtures and more
environmentally inclined items such as solar geysers, low flush cisterns and so forth. This sounds good on paper, however occupations such as plumbers need to be knowledgeable on the installation of these items. If not, there is more cost bared in having to fix, re install or maintain as a response to damage done or improper installation (Vawda,I. 2017).
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Mr Vawda feels that urban management, in terms of social housing, is lacking within the area. The exterior needs to be improved and be maintained such as street furniture, greenery/ trees, etc. The architecture can be good and aesthetically pleasing. However, the area needs to work as well. The architecture acting as a catalyst for urban regeneration needs to work in hand with the exterior context.
In his opinion, mixed use is generally a good idea. However, this is tricky in just one building. There needs to be more of a development rather than one building that caters for all income brackets residentially.
On speaking of potential site areas, as well as housing in general, the following was discussed.
There are a few sites within the Umgeni Road district, which have social housing schemes in mind, in a mixed use setting.
The first site, of the Storage roads department, has a portion being used for the storage of concrete.
There has been a lot of discussion over the site especially since one side is occupied by bowling greens which is frequently used. This is ultimately a work in progress but the idea is to essentially look to a mixed use development with the inclusion of minor roads. This site area looks at accommodating approximately 1500 units of social housing with more separate mixed use. The gap housing that is proposed is solely for a specific income and separated from other areas and buildings such as the commercial buildings. Roads will also need to be introduced to counteract the large site area.
The second site is owned by Telkom, and houses the Capitec building with vacant land behind used as informal parking.
The 3rd area spoken off but been dealt with by Prasa, Block AK, is more dense than the first.
The fourth site is 2 Epsom road which has been in discussion due to the derelict condition. Was informed that trees and roots have been growing through within the building as well. However one needs to look at the pros and cons of such a site. The one negative aspect is road frontages on all
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sides.This site would perfectly suit occupants and tenants who do not have cars and rely on public transport as the realistic point of view is the site would be difficult to provide access entry to parking spaces due to the position and surrounding context.150 units could be proposed in this area (Vawda,I.
2017).
There are now more than half a dozen social housing offices where one can visit to apply for housing.
The city will package and tender these areas and inform one of where these are.
Although a mixed use typology is a good concept, some developers are against this idea, as the single function buildings are easier to handle in terms of example, rentals or cumbersome evictions. What is more possible is sub divisions and mixed use developments rather, in their opinion. This is also due to many people not being able to afford the rental in such areas, especially the traders. A better idea in this regard would be more government controlled low cost housing as there is never a good return on affordable housing.
In terms of reusing sites and buildings, buildings are first inspected and examined to see if reuse can be done. One needs to consider if the building is worth preserving and the cost effectiveness of this.
The trend by some companies is to reuse bigger buildings and convert them into other functions. The city of Joburg has good examples of this, such as those mentioned in the research case studies.
If refurbishing is not feasible, the better option would be to knock down the building / buildings and start over.
For most areas the feasible amount for affordable housing is a minimum of 300 units whilst a figure of 53 units is more for a private developer to consider rather than for social housing (Vawda,I. 2017).
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