Community participation in housing development : the Boystown informal settlement project
Date
2005-03
Authors
Xali, Nomawethu
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch
Abstract
One of the problems with development planning is a lack of community
participation. This is due to the top-down approach that dominates development
planning. To improve chances of sustainable development there is a need to
shift from a top-down approach towards a bottom-up approach. The bottom-up
approach promotes people-centred development. People-centred development
focuses on people and enhances their capacity to influence the direction and
implementation of the development process. Communities can only influence the
development process through their participation.
International bodies such as the United Nations and the World Bank support the
concept of community participation in development planning. The South African
policy framework also provides for community participation. The change agents
should utilise this opportunity by sharing knowledge and by learning from the
indigenous knowledge of the community. This knowledge exchange between the
community and the change agents creates a platform for social learning, capacity
building and empowerment. It is through this platform that sustainable
development could be achieved. This kind of development process
accommodates the building blocks of development.
This study examines the level of community participation in a housing
development project at the Boystown informal settlement. It was found that there
is a lack of community participation in this project and that the project could be a
success if there is a higher level of participation by the beneficiaries.
Description
Thesis (MPA (School of Public Management and Planning))--University of Stellenbosch, 2005.
Keywords
Housing development -- South Africa -- Citizen participation, Community development -- South Africa, Dissertations -- Public management and planning, Theses -- Public management and planning