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The rise or fall of the ‘community’? Post-apartheid housing policy in Diepsloot, Johannesburg

The rise or fall of the ‘community’? Post-apartheid housing policy in Diepsloot, Johannesburg THE RISE OR FALL OF THE 'COMMUNITY'? POST-APARTHEID HOUSING POLICY IN DIEPSLOOT, JOHANNESBURG CLAIRE Bl~NIT I come from Alex. I was staying there with my family, and I needed more space. Now, I have three tenants. They pay 100 rands each [for the rent] .... Sure, I'm glad I have my own house .... Hey, do you have a job for me? There's no job here. (Johanna, home-owner, Diepsloot West, July 1999) In the relationship between the public authorities and informal settlements, housing is a major issue in contemporary Johannesburg. Housing delivery to the poor--and mainly to informal settlers who appear to be the most distressed urban dwellers--is at the core of the new South African urban policy. This is implemented either through the consolidation of informal housing or through the allocation of subsidised houses (hereafter called RDP houses) to its dwellers. In the new democratic context, this policy in- volves discussions--consultation or negotiation--between the local authori- ties and the informal settlement dwellers, who are often considered a priori as a 'community'. Discussing local housing solutions and access to public subsidies gives the residents the opportunity to have a collective voice within the public realm. This collective, political expression http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Urban Forum Springer Journals

The rise or fall of the ‘community’? Post-apartheid housing policy in Diepsloot, Johannesburg

Urban Forum , Volume 13 (2) – Jul 21, 2002

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References (17)

Publisher
Springer Journals
Copyright
Copyright © 2002 by Springer SBM
Subject
Geography; Landscape/Regional and Urban Planning; Human Geography; Sociology; Political Science; Population Economics
ISSN
1015-3802
eISSN
1874-6330
DOI
10.1007/s12132-002-0013-2
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

THE RISE OR FALL OF THE 'COMMUNITY'? POST-APARTHEID HOUSING POLICY IN DIEPSLOOT, JOHANNESBURG CLAIRE Bl~NIT I come from Alex. I was staying there with my family, and I needed more space. Now, I have three tenants. They pay 100 rands each [for the rent] .... Sure, I'm glad I have my own house .... Hey, do you have a job for me? There's no job here. (Johanna, home-owner, Diepsloot West, July 1999) In the relationship between the public authorities and informal settlements, housing is a major issue in contemporary Johannesburg. Housing delivery to the poor--and mainly to informal settlers who appear to be the most distressed urban dwellers--is at the core of the new South African urban policy. This is implemented either through the consolidation of informal housing or through the allocation of subsidised houses (hereafter called RDP houses) to its dwellers. In the new democratic context, this policy in- volves discussions--consultation or negotiation--between the local authori- ties and the informal settlement dwellers, who are often considered a priori as a 'community'. Discussing local housing solutions and access to public subsidies gives the residents the opportunity to have a collective voice within the public realm. This collective, political expression

Journal

Urban ForumSpringer Journals

Published: Jul 21, 2002

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