Understanding Low-Income Residents' Sense of Community in Post-Apartheid Housing Developments in South Africa.

South Africa;sense of community;housing;African Studies;Urban Planning;Social Sciences;Urban and Regional Planning

Williams, JenniferThomas, June Manning ;

University of Michigan

关键词: South Africa;    sense of community;    housing;    African Studies;    Urban Planning;    Social Sciences;    Urban and Regional Planning;   

Others  :  https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/135840/jwillia_1.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

瑞士|英语

来源: The Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship

【 摘 要 】

South Africa’s Department of Human Settlements has sought to rectify apartheid-era injustices through the mass construction of low-income housing. Housing allocation efforts have led to the demolition of informal settlements and relocation of low-income residents to new developments. The drive to eliminate informal settlements rests within a global call to achieve ;;slum”-free cities. Many residents in South Africa come from informal settlements, where they have developed networks of trust, participation, and livelihoods. A concern with relocation efforts is that new housing developments disrupt pre-existing sense of community, which refers to an individual’s feeling of belonging to a group with a shared connection and attachment to place.My dissertation investigates the influence of different housing approaches on residents’ sense of community, as indicated in social trust, community participation, and place attachment. This dissertation asks: How do different approaches to housing low-income residents influence sense of community? In order to answer this research question, I conducted field work in four sites: Cosmo City (a state-driven private developer project in Johannesburg); Diepsloot (a vast informal settlement in Johannesburg); Freedom Park (a self-help community in western Cape Town); Springfield Terrace (medium density apartments near the Cape Town CBD). With the support of a research team, I took a mixed-method approach through several data collection activities: 190 door-to-door surveys, 82 semi-structured resident interviews, 11 communitymapping focus group sessions, and 15 semi-structured interviews with community leaders and non-governmental organizations.During my research, I discovered that arriving to new housing resulted in feeling uprooted for some residents who no longer lived near their former neighbors. Smaller scale housing developments, located close to the city center, and on land that has historical meaning for residents mitigate feelings of estrangement. The limited capacity to form neighborhood watch or street cleanup groups stems from lack of will or ability, infrastructure, funding, and training. Residents are more likely to report attachment to place if they demonstrate feelings of belonging, safety, pride, and plans to stay in their housing in the future. This study revealed that medium density housing developments, rather than mega housing projects, support a greater sense of community.