Page 11 - UKZN Proceedings of the Conference Report

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Lack of urban regeneration strategies and policy frameworks
South Africa currently lacks a comprehensive and robust policy framework specifically dedicated to guiding urban regeneration across the country. This gap is evident despite the foundation laid by the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP), which inspired policies and programmes aimed at addressing the spatial, social, and economic legacies of apartheid. Policies such as the National Development Plan (NDP), Urban Development Framework (UDF), Development Facilitation Act (DFA), Integrated Urban Development Framework (IUDF), and Integrated Development Plans (IDP) at the municipal level were developed to tackle these challenges. However, the study found that the Free State province does not have a policy framework that specifically targets urban regeneration.
Cities like Johannesburg and Cape Town have implemented strategies such as the Urban Renewal Strategy and the Resilience Strategy, which focus exclusively on urban regeneration within their boundaries. In contrast, the Free State province relies primarily on the IDP and Spatial Development Framework (SDF) to guide urbanisation efforts. This reliance on broader frameworks rather than dedicated urban regeneration strategies has created a significant gap between national urban planning and local government planning. When asked about urban regeneration policy frameworks, respondents offered varying levels of awareness:
respondent 1: They do have [policies] in some parts of the country, but I don’t know about Free State.
respondent 2: Urban regeneration policies in South African municipalities do not have concrete plans to make these strategies sustainable.
While not providing much detail on urban regeneration policies, Respondent 3 was familiar with inner-city regeneration, specifically referencing Tshwane:
respondent 3: I am familiar with inner city regeneration.
These responses highlight a general awareness of urban regeneration policies in South Africa but also underscore a lack of specific knowledge and concrete frameworks within the Free State province. The findings indicate that there is a significant gap in the development and implementation of urban regeneration policies at both national and local levels.
According to Ruhiiga (2014), effective planning for urbanisation requires a deep understanding of the
demographic changes occurring within cities and the regional context of rural-urban migration. An urban policy that facilitates orderly development along a predetermined spatial trajectory should inform the actual practice of growth. However, the lack of such targeted policies in the Free State suggests that urban regeneration efforts may not be aligned with the broader national strategies, leaving a gap that needs to be addressed.
Policy implementation
The provision of social housing holds substantial potential to drive urban regeneration, particularly in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 agenda, specifically SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). However, the effectiveness of this potential is undermined by the challenges in policy implementation. The connection between sustainability policies and urban planning is crucial, as highlighted by the United Nations report (2018), yet the existence of innovative approaches, strategies, and policies remains futile without effective implementation. Respondents in the study expressed concerns about the implementation of social housing initiatives:
respondent 1: Social housing initiatives are being poorly implemented. I have no faith in these initiatives because the majority of our people are still living in shacks.
respondent 2: It is not being implemented effectively.
The challenges associated with the implementation of
social housing policies were attributed to various factors:
respondent 3: There is a struggle to find a balance between social development and economic development in the province.
respondent 4: Contractors also let us down.
respondent 5: The municipality has strained relationships,
especially with private entities.
The difference between the targets set for social housing units and the actual number of units delivered in the Free State province further highlights the implementation crisis. The inability to meet these targets reflects deeper systemic issues within the policy implementation process, including strained relationships with private entities and a lack of effective coordination between social and economic development goals.
Increasing demand for social housing
According to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the Free State’s population is projected to increase by 270,000 by 2050, with 43% of this growth
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