South Africa’s Informal Backyard Rental
Sector: Linkages With Smart Growth And
Sustainability Concepts
Author(s)
L. G. Lategan & E. J. Cilliers
Abstract
Low-cost housing development in South African’s post-Apartheid era is
overwhelming; dealing with a fragmented and segregated urban inheritance and a
housing demand which exceeds delivery capacity. In response to insufficient
delivery, the destitute have turned to informal backyard renting. Backyard
dwellings can accommodate a multitude of tenants in one or two roomed wood,
or corrugated iron structures, constructed by tenants in the backyards of homes
provided by government housing schemes. The backyard rental sector is widely
described as unsustainable; however, this paper argues that the sector may, in
principle, be one of the most sustainable aspects of South Africa's housing
development culture. This paper analyses the benefits and disadvantages related
to the continued growth of the informal backyard sector and explores the value
of the sector as a supporter of Smart Growth through infill development,
increased densities and as a countermeasure to urban sprawl. In an attempt to
evaluate the sustainability of backyard living, the living conditions and
additional pressures placed on infrastructure and transport networks, as a result
of backyard rentals, are examined. The main research question to answer is: Is
Smart Growth supported by the informal backyard rental sector and what
sustainability pressures are exerted as a result thereof? The research for this
paper includes surveys conducted in the case study area of Oudtshoorn in South
Africa’s Western Cape Province, interviews with relevant stakeholders and an
evaluation of existing literature. The conclusions drawn may provide evidence
for the need to regulate and develop the backyard rental sector in order to
improve the lives of backyarders and the efficiency of the South African city.
Keywords: Smart Growth, backyard rentals, low-income housing, sustainability.
Keywords
Keywords: Smart Growth, backyard rentals, low-income housing, sustainability.
Related Book
Other papers in this volume
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