This research study assesses the extent of community participation in informal settlement upgrading using a case study of the Joe Slovo settlement in Lamontville, KwaZulu-Natal. The study found that the Joe Slovo community was partially involved in project management during the implementation phase.
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
These roles will be discussed to determine whether or not community participation was effective in the selected case study. Establishing a link between participation and empowerment to participate in decision-making would build a shared understanding of community participation in upgrading informal settlements.
RESEARCH PROBLEM
3 Community participation in upgrading informal settlements can be increased by addressing barriers to participation, while at the same time taking the necessary steps to promote sustainable participation. The study also aims to examine community participation with a view to learning lessons as well as making suggestions to improve the level of participation in future informal settlement improvement projects.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
Aim of the Study
The Housing Code further notes that community involvement is of great importance in all aspects of settlement improvement processes, because the community has deep knowledge of its development needs and preferences (National Housing Code, 2009:30) . This research study uses a selected case study to establish whether community participation has occurred at a level where community members are involved in decision-making during the planning and execution of the improvement of an informal settlement.
Research Objectives
RESEARCH QUESTION
Subsidiary Questions
This research study seeks to determine the level and effectiveness of community participation in upgrading informal settlements. What were the experiences of community participation in the project of upgrading informal settlements in the selected case study.
HYPOTHESIS
To what extent has the community participated in the Joe Slovo informal settlement upgrading project. What were the benefits after the completion of the Joe Slovo informal settlement upgrading project.
DEFINITIONS OF TERMS
- Community Participation
- Full Participation
- Partial Participation
- No Involvement
- Informal Settlements
- Informal Settlements Upgrading
According to Shatkin (2004), informal settlement is a crisis of crisis as the number of people who cannot afford legal housing and as a result settle illegally in informal settlements has increased in both absolute and percentage terms. In the South African context, the KwaZulu-Natal Elimination and Prevention of Re-Emergence of Slums Bill (2006:5) defines informal settlements as areas of unplanned and unapproved informal settlements of predominantly poor or poor people with poor or non-existent infrastructure or sanitation .
MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY
STUDY AREA
The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Housing Department, which administers housing development funding, has established a slum clearance program and made funds available for the development of informal settlements. The eThekwini Municipality's Informal Settlements Program involves the upgrading of existing settlements through the provision of services and land and the development of new 'Greenfield' land that will provide resettlement options for those who will have to relocate from settlements deemed technically unfeasible for upgrading.
OUTLINE OF THE STUDY
INTRODUCTION
Africa has the largest number of people in the world living in urban informal settlements. Mulama (2009) estimated that 62% of the population in sub-Saharan Africa lives in informal settlements without basic services.
COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION APPROACH
In Mumbai, informal settlements are spread all over the city; while in São Paulo they are concentrated in seemingly predetermined locations. In addition, the quality of housing in informal settlements in Sao Paulo is better than that found in Mumba i (Cities Alliance, 2008).
UPGRADING APPROACH
At the same time, international agencies increased but then decreased support for upgrading informal settlements. Lessons learned during this period include that the improvement of informal settlements is a process and that the beneficiaries of such projects should be involved in decision-making based on the fact that they know their communities and the issues they face (Gulyani, 2002).
BOTTOM-UP APPROACH
The bottom-up approach is the opposite of the top-down approach, where decisions are made from the top without consulting the beneficiaries. Gonzalo and Massyn add that, in South Africa, the bottom-up approach has taken the form of the People's Housing Process (PHP).
THE JOHN TURNER APPROACH TO SELF-HELP HOUSING
This study on community participation in the modernization of the Joe Slovo informal settlement in Lamontville also assesses the monitoring and evaluation mechanisms used. In the current study, it facilitates an evaluation of the level of community participation in the Joe Slovo Informal. Thirty-seven percent of respondents indicated that the community was partially involved in the Joe Slovo informal settlements improvement project.
The Joe Slovo community only participated in the implementation of the upgrading project at a rate of 52%. This research study aimed to evaluate the extent of community participation in the upgrading of the Joe Slovo informal settlement in Lamontville, KwaZulu-Natal. This research study investigated the extent of community participation in the upgrading of the Joe Slovo informal settlement.
EXPERIENCES OF PARTICIPATION IN UPGRADING INFORMALSETTLEMENTS
THEORIES OF COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
- Introduction
- Dependency Theory
- Radical Theory
- Marxist Theory
Some theories that build this study have been put forward to understand community participation practices in the upgrading of informal settlements. Therefore, the low income people need not fear to take decisions in the development process.
CONCLUSION
Above all, community participation in the upgrading of informal settlements can be considered an essential element to empower the communities to be self-reliant and make the upgrading process more effective. The key to achieving meaningful community participation in upgrading informal settlements lies in an understanding of the interaction between the activity and the involvement of people in that activity.
INTRODUCTION
QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE METHODS
On the other hand, the quantitative method enabled the researcher to quantify and evaluate the extent of community participation in the Joe Slovo informal settlements improvement project. The combination of qualitative and quantitative methods provided an in-depth understanding of the successes and challenges of community participation in the selected case study.
SAMPLING TECHNIQUES
The selected population is representative of the population of the Joe Slovo study area as the total number of households is approximately two hundred (200). In addition, a questionnaire was administered to the team of managers represented by the Project Manager of Development Interface; in an in-depth interview to gauge their perception of the extent to which the Joe Slovo community participated in the informal settlement upgrading project.
DATA SOURCES
Purposive sampling can then be conducted based on one's own judgment and purpose of the study. All these methods made it possible to evaluate the extent to which the community participated in upgrading the informal settlement.
INTERVIEWS
DATA COLLECTION
The ultimate goal is to provide recommendations for improving community participation in informal settlement upgrading projects. This study used both types of questions to evaluate the extent to which the community participated in the Joe Slovo informal settlement upgrading project based on the project's components.
DATA ANALYSIS
In this regard, a number of questions arose, including: Did the implementation of the Joe Slovo upgrade project achieve its objectives in terms of community participation. This evaluation facilitates an understanding of the extent to which the activities of the informal settlement upgrading project have reached the poor and the extent of its effects on people's lives.
LIMITATIONS
SUMMARY OF THE CHAPTER
INTRODUCTION
The descriptive statistics present the data on basic services and utilities provided to households in Joe Slovo informal settlement. As noted in the previous chapter, the data in this section is organized by themes and is analyzed to determine the level of community participation in the Joe Slovo Informal Settlement Improvement Project.
COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
- Level of Community Participation
- Basic Services
- Successes and Challenges
- Capacity Building and Community Empowerment
Since only 44% of the respondents indicated that the community participated in the execution of the project. Furthermore, only 10% of the respondents said that the community participated in the management of the project.
ASSESSMENT OF JOE SLOVO INFORMAL SETTLEMENT UPGRADING PROJECT . 76
This is a simple form of participation that reveals weaknesses in the participatory approach adopted in the Joe Slovo informal settlement upgrading project and therefore suggests a low level of community empowerment to take ownership of the project. However, when it comes to utilities, 71% of the community has no access to basic services.
SUMMARY OF THE CHAPTER
INTRODUCTION
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
What were the experiences of community participation in the case study of the selected informal settlement upgrading project. The results presented in this section are again grouped according to the level of community participation in the informal settlement upgrading project and the level of the community managing the informal settlement project.
CONCLUSION
82 The survey also found that with regard to the participation of the local community in the management of the informal settlement upgrading project in the implementation of the project, 44 (44%) of the respondents were of the opinion that the community had participated in the implementation of the project. while 32 (32%) indicated that members of the local community had participated in the preparation or design of the project; ten (10%) indicated that the community was involved in the management of the project, and only two (2%) indicated that the community was involved in decision-making. The study also identified that the purpose of the project was defined as a failure around the issues of improving living conditions and expanding employment opportunities for the community in the Joe Slovo settlements.
RECOMMENDATIONS
LIMITATIONS
90 Gonzalo Lizarralde, Mark Massyn (2008) Unexpected negative outcomes of community participation in affordable housing projects in South Africa Habitat International 32, 1-14. 2008).'Unexpected negative outcomes of community participation in low-cost housing projects in South Africa: Habitat International 32: 1-14.
QUESTIONNAIRE FOR THE COMMUNITY OF JOE-SLOVO
Why is it important for society to participate in the upgrading process? Based on your experiences, do you think that community participation has been achieved in this project.
QUESTIONNAIRE FOR THE PROJECT MANAGER / DEVELOPER
Who were the stakeholders of the project other than the beneficiaries (eg NGOs, CBOs, Community Leaders etc. In your opinion do you think the community has continued to use the skills gained in this project.
