Evaluating the accomplishment of social sustainability as a planning principle: the case of Cornubia housing project.

Abstract

Global urban growth trends place significant pressure on cities to accommodate the increasing urban populace and ensure housing opportunities with sufficient access to basic services and economic opportunities. This challenge is further compounded by the need to reduce unemployment and inequality while minimizing the negative environmental consequences of development. Past experience shows that the social needs of new communities are often overlooked in the drive to deliver housing on a large scale. Housing is prioritised over local facilities and often residents move into settlements with few facilities to support local social life. This dissertation rests on the argument that the conditions faced by the beneficiaries of low income housing projects are as a result of the manner in which these project are delivered. The main aim of the study is to evaluate the applicability of the mass housing project approach in the eThekwini Municipality context, specifically the Cornubia Housing Project and determine its impact and sustainability through the use of social sustainability. The main research question is: to what degree has the Cornubia Housing Project been able to accomplish social sustainability? This study employed the qualitative research approach which revealed that to date, the Cornubia Housing Project has been unsuccessful in delivering a socially sustainable settlement as it lacks the necessary economic opportunities, social infrastructure, amenities and services required to ensure social sustainability. With regards to the provision of housing opportunities for the poor, the study recommends government interventions that ensure the delivery of places of employment, social infrastructure, services and amenities simultaneously as the houses. Literature revealed that in projects where social infrastructure is provided concurrently with the houses, the social sustainability of those settlements and communities is ensured.Housing is a basic componentof the built environment and social development and directly affects the quality of life.