Human Settlements Review - Parliamentary Monitoring Group

Human Settlements Review, Volume 1, Number 1, 2010
components; DfD means designing buildings
that can be disassembled and reassembled
part per part (Durmisevic, 2006); it assures
that connections can be undone. “Design
for Compatibility” (DfC), on the other hand,
ensures that elements can be connected to
each other, because their measurements are
all based on the same sequence (Osman &
Herthogs, 2010).
Some design and construction methods
integrate both DfD and DfC into a combined
design strategy that presents a set of
guidelines to design multiple adaptable and
reusable constructional components which are
compatible with each other (Debacker, 2006).
Thus, these components can be used to design
a variety of sub‐assemblies. The result is a
“generating system”, i.e. a limited number of
basic elements and a set of combination rules
that allows for more complex entities to be
“generated”; in other words, the focus is more
on the life cycle of the components (Osman
and Herthogs, 2010). Currently, most design
strategies either focus on the adaptability of
a building (based on the building’s life cycle)
or on the ability to dismantle a building in
such a way that different materials can be
salvaged easily (based on the cycle of material
resources).
3.2 The spatial implications of
“disentanglement”
South African cities are still highly segregated,
or hyper-segregated as emphasised by
Christopher (2001). Research also indicates
that the rate of integration has also declined
after the initial rush of the 1990’s. New divides
are emerging in South African cities. Tomlinson
(2001) explains that previous divisions were
based on race, now they are based on socioeconomic
status.
The current apparent support of sub-urban,
peripheral growth is resulting in spatial and
social fragmentation creating a geography
of exclusion. It is no doubt also contributing
to environmental degradation. Re-directing
policy to combat this trend would require a
shift in the way we think about the morphology
of human settlements as well as the processes
by which they are created.
The extent to which people are living together
in an integrated manner is measured by;
race, socio-economic status, age and gender.
Physical de-segregation has been measured
quantitatively using census data. Social desegregation
can be measured qualitatively
using indicators such as friendship, common
local identity, sharing local facilities and
involvement in local institutions (Lemanski,
2006). Thus social de-segregation is less
visible than physical de-segregation. Physical
de-segregation, however, must still be
achieved, through city restructuring, as it
might offer more opportunities for social desegregation.
3.2.1 Open Building as a restructuring
tool
Open Building applied at the building level, as
well as at neighbourhood and city levels; may
have an impact in terms of inclusionary housing,
participation and enabling the poor to access
the city in legitimate ways. The differentiation
between levels of the environment allows for
the accommodation of informal processes,
the involvement of small scale builders
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