Integrating Poor Populations in South African Cities - Agence ...

9. Toward Greater Integration of Public Policy
developing urban development initiatives that are integrated in all meanings of the
word. Here are some of these initiatives, 54 presented according to the level of government
concerned.
9.1. An Increasingly Favourable National Framework
When apartheid ended, the government of South Africa wished to set up relatively
ambitious programmes to favour populations that had suffered during apartheid and
be able to completely modify the way cities developed. Fourteen years after the end
of apartheid, development schemas have not lived up to expectations in regard to the
integration of low-income populations in cities. As soon as the major public policy
decisions were made, criticisms emerged from university researchers, think tanks,
and NGOs. It is interesting to see that in South Africa the world of research and the
government interact heavily, and that governments often call on academia to evaluate
and improve their public policies. 55 For several years now, the first results of public policies
have been visible and can be analyzed. For this reason, we are now seeing a new
dynamic within the government authorities who are seeking to learn the lessons from
past years.
9.1.1. Breaking New Ground
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Despite the lack of a national urban policy, urban stakes can clearly be seen in
intellectual debate and show through in other policies. One must first mention, yet again,
Breaking New Ground (BNG), a Department of Housing initiative that aims to produce
living spaces and not merely housing. BNG insists on the importance of developing rental
solutions, creating more social facilities, and densifying human settlements. In some
provinces, BNG has been transposed on the provincial level in the form of more
operational documents. Western Cape Province has drafted Isidama, a document
applying the principles in BNG to Western Cape Province. Isidama proposes eight
54. See Appendices 3, 4 and 5 for the location of the various projects.
55. Either to conduct studies and propose possible improvements, or as direct hires. For instance, the city of
Johannesburg recently recruited Philip Harisson, a reputed researcher in the field of urban planning.
Integrating Poor Populations in South African Cities © AFD 2009