The Impact of Densification by Means of Informal Shacks in the Backyards of Low-Cost Houses on the Environment and Service Delivery in Cape Town, South Africa

This paper investigates the state-sponsored low cost housing provided to previously disadvantaged communities in the City of Cape Town, South Africa. The design of state-subsidised houses and the construction of unplanned housing in the backyard added enormous pressure on the existing municipal infrastructure and the environment. Municipal water, sewerage systems and solid waste disposal cannot cope with the increased population density combined with the poor sanitation behaviour of the inhabitants of these settlements. The low-cost housing program in South Africa requires improved management and prudent policies to cope with the densification of state-funded low-cost housing settlements.

GOVENDER, T. BARNES, J.M. PIEPER, C.H. (2011): The Impact of Densification by Means of Informal Shacks in the Backyards of Low-Cost Houses on the Environment and Service Delivery in Cape Town, South Africa. Auckland: Libertas Academica URL [Accessed: 29.05.2019]