The role of community participation and community empowerment in the planning and delivery of low-income housing : an evaluation of housing project 59 in Paarl

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In the past, the policy for the provision of low-cost housing was, by and large, ineffective because apartheid planning spatially and economically marginalised the majority. The disenfranchisement of the majority and social engineering denied this majority any access and voice in shaping, or influencing the shape, of their living environment. Today, there are various pieces of legislation that emphasise and highlight the importance of community participation in development planning. The concept of community participation has repeatedly appeared in the literature as an approach that empowers people to take control over their own lives. The involvement of people in all aspects of planning and development programmes that affect them is a fundamental requirement for sustainable development. Satisfying basic human needs in participatory, empowering and sustainable formats is the essence of development. The study is descriptive and issue-orientated, limiting itself to the understanding of the process of community participation and empowerment in low-cost housing. Interviews were conducted with 75 respondents from male- and female-headed households, using a semi-structured questionnaire. The study records how respondents participated in the shaping of their living environments, and the extent to which they were/felt empowered by the housing delivery process. The findings suggest that participation contributed to empowerment, and an overwhelming 91% of the sample were satisfied with their level of involvement in the project. The findings of the study further indicates that, although there had been some effort to involve the community as a whole, as well as individual members in the project, the level of involvement, particularly of individuals, was not satisfactory. Beneficiaries were given information regarding the housing development and were offered opportunities to participate, but their views were not taken into account during the design and implementation phases. The recommendations provide some insights on how low-income housing delivery can be made more participatory, empowering and sustainable.