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.
