Subsidised housing has been the exclusive metier of engineers and town planners for long enough to prove that low-density settlements laid out exclusively around minimal service provisions and rendered lifeless through rigid zoning by-laws are not addressing the housing and socio-economic crisis in South Africa.

The conceptual shift from the Department of Housing to the Department of Human Settlements should be the incentive to think more holistically about the quality of future urban residential environments rather than just the quantity of houses. Rethinking the design of housing units, urban layouts and viable settlements requires that professionals, politicians and policy makers take a closer look at the solutions already constructed by ordinary people.

The prototypes proposed here are not meant to provide resolved solutions ready for roll-out.  By incorporating lessons learnt from both the informal city and the subsidy system a shift can be made towards a more enabling housing fabric.

Yet whilst new avenues in housing need to be explored the Reception Area remains in crisis with failing services providing the most immediate threat to health and safety. The existing communal sanitation system, resulting in 7.2km of daylight sewerage is about to be re-instated without modification. A First Fix addressing infrastructure would alleviate the pressure and offer an opportunity for constructive community engagement leading up to the upgrading of the area. Engagement will be key in presenting the inhabitants of Reception Area with informed housing choices. For this to be effective both the benefits and short-comings of existing approaches need to be made clear in order to move beyond the RDP / BNG stalemate and towards a more sustainable future urbanity.




MINDMAP FOR GIFA MASTERCLASS 
BY 26’10 SOUTH ARCHITECTS & PROF LONE POULSEN, 2009



FIRST FIX



FIRST FIX WINNING COMPETITION ENTRY BY 26’10 SOUTH ARCHITECTS, 2009



FIRST FIX WINNING COMPETITION ENTRY BY 26’10 SOUTH ARCHITECTS, 2009
2010
RECEPTION AREA AT 300 ROOMS/HA, ESTABLISHING A COMMUNITY FORUM & FRAMEWORK FOR DEVELOPMENT
2011
IMPLEMENTING INFRASTRUCTURAL FIRST FIX – MATRIX OF TEMPORARY 

SERVICE POINTS
2012
IDENTIFYING AND PROGRAMMING COMMUNITY SERVICES AND OPEN SPACE
2014
BLOCK BY BLOCK UPGRADE OF AN ACTIVITY STREET INCORPORATING EXISTING TRADE AND BUSINESS FUNCTIONS
2016
EXTENDING UPGRADE TO OTHER RESIDENTIAL BLOCKS WORKING THROUGH COMMUNITY FORUM AND BLOCK COMMITTEES, PHASING OUT OF SERVICE POINTS
2018
PHASED ROLLING OUT OF NEW TYPOLOGIES ON BLOCK BY BLOCK BASIS, PHASING OUT OF SERVICE POINTS
2020
FUTURE URBANITY AT APPROX. 500 + ROOMS/HA CONTAINING SOCIAL FUNCTIONS A MIX OF INCOME AND FUNCTIONS WITH COMBINATIONS OF SMALL SCALE LANDLORDS, TENANTS AND FAMILIES, MAIN SERVICE POINTS MAY REMAIN.