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The secure tenure theme work focuses on the issue of how rights over land are progressively realised, by raising awareness around informal markets and by addressing tenure processes in the upgrading of informal settlements. The work drives towards greater recognition and enhancement of informal land markets.
New small-scale rental strategy promises to improve supply of affordable housing
A project undertaken by the Social Housing Foundation (SHF) and Urban LandMark aims to provide greater understanding of, and exposure to, the small private dwelling rental (or small-scale rental) market within South Africa's human settlements framework. The official launch of the final strategy document took place on 11 February 2010 in Johannesburg. The study involved a range of representatives from provincial government and civil society and is the most comprehensive attempt yet to engage with the small-scale rental sector in South Africa. The project incorporated the following outputs:
- Booklet outlining a proposed strategy to harness the power of small-scale private landlords in order to increase the rate and scale of delivery of affordable, acceptable rental accommodation in South Africa's existing suburbs and townships, written by David Gardner [2.18MB]
- Strategy for increasing supply of small-scale private dwelling rental – report by David Gardner [203KB]
- A strategic assessment of local and international literature relating to small-scale dwelling rental, undertaken by Vanessa Watson [369KB]
- A report on the proliferation of low-income private rental housing supply, and the development of recommendations concerning appropriate interventions, compiled by Susan Carey [218KB]
- Presentation delivered at the launch of the strategy [420KB]
LANDfirst campaign strategy and funding review
The LANDfirst concept aims to provide people with access to land (and basic services, basic tenure, etc) as a first step to incrementally and progressively improving the lives of people living in slum conditions. Urban LandMark has commissioned VEDA Associates to develop a LANDfirst campaign strategy and a funding review in support of LANDfirst. These documents aim to help Afesis-Corplan, Urban LandMark and other role players to promote and support a LANDfirst settlement development strategy.
Workshop proceedings: incrementally securing tenure - 29 January 2009
Urban LandMark is developing an approach for the recognition of informal settlements and tenure security in South Africa, with potential regional applicability. 'Special zones' and 'local land offices', among other mechanisms, will be explored and their applicability tested. This inception workshop provided participants with background and context on the project, and gave delegates the opportunity to provide feedback on the development of the approach.
How the poor access, hold and trade land: findings revisited
A 2007 project commissioned by Urban Landmark investigated how the poor access, hold and trade land in different types of settlements in three metropolitan areas in South Africa (Cape Town, Ekurheleni and eThekwini). As a follow-up to this project, additional qualitative and quantitative analyses of the original project data were carried out to increase understanding of the issues, particularly in respect of the way in which the poor transact, trade and develop land and the costs thereof.
Land Biographies Project
This report by Colin Marx and Margot Rubin explores how urban land is divided and re-divided within the context of the interaction between formal and informal land use management systems. It investigates the processes, practices, techniques and power required to make it possible to divide spaces into smaller or larger parcels. The three case study precincts are Diepkloof, Thokoza and Doornfontein
Land Access Manuals - by Afesis Corplan
The target group for this series is the leadership of organised groups of homeless in need of land for housing development. The following titles are available:
- Land Access Manual A - An Overview [511KB]
Provides a short and simple introduction to the process of getting land for a house. The manual starts with an introduction to the land access process, followed by an outline of the five stages involved in land access.
- Land Access Manual B - The Steps [733KB]
Offers more details on each of the steps involved in the five main stages of land access.
- Land Access Manual C - Options [410KB]
Outlines the various options for how and when land can be accessed. The report also looks at other strategies that could be followed to make land more affordable, and offers general advice on the process of accessing land.
Access to Urban Land: a handbook for community organisations
During 2007, Urban LandMark organised a series of workshops across the country to document the experiences and views of community organisations with regard to urban land issues. This booklet consists partly of an overview of the outcomes of these workshops and other research undertaken by Urban LandMark, and partly of information prepared in response to the information gaps identified in the workshops. The booklet examines the causes of the urban land problem in South Africa, and the human rights that are of relevance to accessing land. Practical steps that could potentially be used by community organisations to make these rights real are then discussed. Finally, policy solutions for addressing the urban land problem are suggested.
Local Land Registration Practices in South Africa
This report by Margot Rubin and Lauren Royston is the result of an initial scoping study to provide documented evidence of local practices in registering land claims and rights. It is intended to inform the work in Urban Landmark's tenure theme area on securing and managing land rights in informal settlement upgrading processes in ways that build on existing practices. The report describes and characterises local registration practices in selected cases, and identifies common elements in these practices, as a basis further work in the theme area.
Voices of the Poor: community perspectives on accessing urban land
The aim of this 2007 initiative by Urban Landmark was to analyse the perspectives and experiences of civil society organisations about access to urban land by the poor. The study was based on a series of workshops undertaken during May and June 2007. Workshops were held in Port Elizabeth, Cape Town, Pietermaritzburg and Johannesburg and hosted by urban development NGOs active in the region. In all, 105 participants from more than 30 different civil society organisations participated.
How the poor access, hold and trade land
This research project investigated the extra-legal ways in which poor people access, trade and
hold urban land in different types of settlements in the three South African metropolitan areas of Cape Town, Ekurhuleni and eThekwini. The types of settlements examined through a case study approach were informal settlements, recently allocated Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) housing projects, backyard shacks, an area under a traditional authority and an area of local council housing.
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