Urbanisation and Mixed-Income Residential Development in South African Townships: A Case Study of Olievenhoutbosch

Mataha, Boke Elliot and Phosho, Mueletshedzi Helen and Gumbo, Trynos and Makoni, Eric (2025) Urbanisation and Mixed-Income Residential Development in South African Townships: A Case Study of Olievenhoutbosch. URBAN INNOVATION: TO BOLDLY GO WHERE NO CITIES HAVE GONE BEFORE. Medium sized cities and towns as a major arena of global urbanisation. Proceedings of REAL CORP 2025, 30th Intl. Conference on Urban Development, Regional Planning and Information Society. pp. 989-995. ISSN 2521-3938

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Abstract

The legacy of the poor apartheid planning system still prevails in South African cities, with people of colour mostly being placed on the outskirts of the cities in townships where there is a lack of economic opportunities. Despite the policies that have been implemented in post-Apartheid South Africa to address inequalities and social, environmental, political, and economic challenges, there is still much that needs to be done to achieve a South Africa that is inclusive. Currently, citizens can democratically choose to reside wherever they want, but the ability to afford always determines where one will reside. To promote inclusivity, mixed-income residential development approaches have been applied both locally and internationally to ensure that access to resources and services is shared equally among people of different economic classes. This paper examined the impact of rapid and high levels of urbanisation on mixed-income residential development in South African townships, focusing on the township of Olievenhoutbosch. It also investigated how urbanisation rates have impacted access to and availability of mixed housing. The paper reviewed literature on the impact of urbanisation on the development of mixed communities in the context of South African townships. Data was collected through in-depth interviews with twenty-six residents of Olievenhoutbosch township in Johannesburg. The results highlight inadequate housing units to accommodate everyone thus leading to the invasion of new government-assisted housing projects before their completion and the illegal occupation of land that is not suitable for residential developments mainly attributed to high rates of urbanisation. Thus, to address the housing shortages, homeowners have resulted in building structurally inadequate backyard rooms for rentals to increase accessibility and availability, This study recommends that policymakers and urban planners prioritise the implementation of sustainable mixed-income residential developmental strategies. This will help to address the housing backlog, promote inclusivity, and integrate economically disadvantaged communities into urban centres while ensuring proper planning and infrastructure development.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Olievenhoutbosch, Inclusivity, Mixed-income housing, Urbanisation, Planning
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor H Social Sciences > HM Sociology H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform
Depositing User:	REAL CORP Administrator
Date Deposited:	16 May 2025 09:42
Last Modified:	16 May 2025 09:42
URI:	http://repository.corp.at/id/eprint/1175

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