to a quality urban environment

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to a quality urban environment
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Breaking New Ground Strategy marked the shift to
QUALITY in housing and aims at utilising housing
as AN instrument for the development of
SUSTAINABLE human settlements.
City/Town Local context Neighbourhood Urban
design Housing development Site
planning Dwelling Unit planning Maintenance
Materials Sustainability Technology
Promoting density and integration Supporting
urban renewal and regeneration Developing social
and economic infrastructure Sustainability
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SHiFT formed around the same time as BNG with a
mandate to capacitate built environment
professionals engaging in the social housing
sector to deliver quality social housing. SHiFT
continues its advocacy role through a number of
capacity building activities/projects and
the building and dissemination of knowledge
through commentaries known as the PRS on social
housing projects over the last three years,
partnering with SHF in that initiative. SHiFT
also recognises that housing is one component in
the toolbox of creating sustainable human
settlements and that quality in social housing is
defined not only by hard tangible objectives but
encompassed in soft intangible outcomes.
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s
VISION manifests itself in the BUILT FORMS of
our living environments as are the principles of
BNG ie. what we build embodies the legacy of our
times
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IMAGINING QUALITY SOCIAL HOUSING
POLICY Breaking New Ground Restructuring Zones
Policy
PROCUREMENT Financial Land Acquisition
PLANNING Sustainability alternative
technology Maintenance Materials City/Town
Local context Neighbourhood Urban
design Housing development Site
planning Dwelling Unit planning
MANAGEMENT Sustainability Maintenance Operation
s Allocation of units to match families
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BUILDING QUALITY URBAN ENVIROMENTS HAS ALREADY
BEGUN Through innovation in spatial planning at
all levels in the affordable housing environment
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1 Density and integration promoted HIGHER
DENSITIES (at least 60-65 of land used for
residential purposes) MORE SMALLER HOUSING
DEVELOPMENTS (200 units maximum per social
houisng project) dispersed more evenly through
our urban environments CHANGE OF
STANDARDS/REGUALATIONS to accommodate innovative
interventions ie. road widths, parking criteria
etc.
PORT VIEW, DURBAN (SOCHO)
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• Supporting urban renewal and regeneration
• LOCALITY
• In close proximity (3-5 minutes walking distance)
  to public facilities, public transport work and
  retail opportunities (all encompassed in the
  Restructuring Zones Strategy)
• SHARING OF COMMON AND PUBLIC
• . giving them life over a 24/7
• ACTIVE OPEN SPACE
• More value on parks due to increased densities

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3 Developing social and economic
infrastructure EMPOWERING ENVIROMENTS (through
social services support as JHC carries out),
offering links into networks the first economy
take for granted APPROPRIATE FIT between family
and unit (size and accommodation) allocation
process through management CROSS-SUBSIDISATION
of units through innovative spatial planning
(live/work units, mixed tenure, sharing
facilities on small scale) DIVERSITY A ladder of
housing that caters for turnover in social housing
ELANGENI, JOHANNESBURG (JHC)
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4 Sustainability Social housing can create urban
environments that facilitate a shift in paradigm
from energy consumers to energy producers though
thoughtful design for MAINTENANCE from the
outset ALTERNATIVES in MATERIALS and
TECHNOLOGY and spatial arrangements eg. Use of
solar and wind as power generators, Collection,
storage and reuse of grey water, Generation of
methane gas from solid wastes for
cooking, Childrens play equipment as a pump
generators. Specification of materials and
technologies at unit planning stages
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ELANGENI, JOHANNESBURG (JHC) By Savage and Dodd
Architects
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HOPE CITY, MIDDELBURG (MHA) By Anca Szalavicz
Architects
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HOPE CITY, MIDDELBURG (MHA) By Anca Szalavicz
Architects
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VALLEY VIEW, HILLARY (SOHOCO) By Lees and Short
Architects
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MORE RATIONAL HOUSING TYPOLOGY A MOVE AWAY FROM
HOUSY HOUSY AESTHETIC (upmarket sectional
title housing development)
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WITH A FOCUS ON DELIVERY OF MORE THAN 100 000
UNITS . WE RISK LOOSING SIGHT OF QUALITY
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WE BORROW THE FUTURE FROM OUR CHILDREN, WHAT WE
BUILD NOW IS THE ENVIROMENT THEY WILL LIVE THEIR
LIVES IN LET THAT THOUGHT HAUNT US Join the
to quality urban
environments www.shifthousing.org.za