THE USE OF CONCRETE BLOCK PAVING IN RESIDENTIAL ROADS

1

• THE USE OF CONCRETE BLOCK PAVING IN RESIDENTIAL
  ROADS

2
Background

• Dualistic nature of the SA economy
• People more economically marginalised in the 90s
• due to a change in the production, output and
  cost structures
• increasing global competition
• need new initiatives to combat process of
  marginalisation
• Need to apply local (participative) economic
  development models
• based on a people-centred development paradigm
• could be utilised constructively for development
  as a whole
• to enhance the growth rate and,
• to reduce the gap between rich and poor

3
Principles

• Investment and employment in one economic sector
  creates jobs and generates income in other
  sectors
• The construction sector is relatively labour
  intensive and has substantial multiplier effects
• Segmented paving construction process is much
  less skills intensive
• Unemployment problem is manifested mainly in the
  market for unskilled labour
• The segmented paving process can alleviate the
  unemployment problem
• Has a higher labour to capital ratio
• makes use of less imported machinery and
  vehicles,
• use of more unskilled labour
• Positive effect on any small local economy with a
  high level of unemployment

4
Introduction

• Some studies - highlighted the positive impact
  that cbp has on the socio-economic level
• highly labour-intensive nature
• when used as a vehicle for community based
  residential road construction.

5
An example of current conditions
6
Current conditions in the rainy season
7
Maintenance! An ongoing process?
8
Paved roads lead to residents upgrading the
sidewalks themselves (pride in the area)
9
Secondary Roads
10
Major Roads
11
Two Aspects

• A Multiplier Effect of the revenue retained in a
  community has extreme value when considering the
  impact on the socio-economic circumstances of
  previously disadvantaged communities.
• A decision-making tool incorporating this
  Multiplier Effect should be adopted at
  feasibility stage to demonstrate the advantages
  to communities.

12

• Improved braking conditions of up to 5 in dry
  weather and 20 in wet weather
• Favourable construction costs
• 12 to 15 higher, depending on layerworks

13

• Long-term maintenance costs greatly reduced
• Little or no specialized skills and equipment
  required to maintain roads
• No waste of construction material

14

• Easier for the installation of underground
  services at a later stage
• Installation of these services (Telkom,
  electrical, water and sewer, etc) is done with
  labour intensive methods which again creates jobs
  in the local community

15
The softer issues

• Job and skills creation locally
• Increased community involvement
• Labour intensive and lifelong skills created
• Creating of employment opportunities for the
  communities resulting from the multiplier effect.

16
The Multiplier Effect

• One of the most important factors for the success
  of using cbp for township roads is that the
  amount of money retained in the community has a
  Multiplier Effect in the community.
• each Rand that is retained by a construction
  worker in the community, is spent again in that
  same community for food, security, education etc,
  and they in turn are again spent on other
  services
• Thus a multiplier effect of spending is generated
  within that community
• stimulating growth,
• and generating a positive socio economic impact.
  

17

• Usually the positive result of this factor is
  totally underestimated when the installation of
  engineering services are planned for a township
• Dr Andre Jordaan (of the Department of Economics,
  Faculty of Economics and Business Management,
  University of Pretoria), established - Multiplier
  Effect ranges from 1,52 to 2,35

18
Community members employed on a cbp roads contract
19
Food Stalls
20
Spazas
21
Local Hardware Store
22
Sand Suppliers Transporters
23
School Children
24
Taverns
25
THE PROJECT INDEX (PI)

• A decision-making tool called the Project Index
  (PI) has been developed, based on extensive
  labour intensive projects, (by Watermeyer)
• Evaluates the following
• The multiplier in employment opportunities
• Expenditure per unit of employment generated
• The amount of construction cost retained by the
  community
• The cost of the construction compared with that
  of conventional construction practices
• The quality of the end product compared with
  that produced using conventional construction
  techniques
• Watermeyer, RB Labour-based construction, the
  development of emerging contractors and the RDP
  several publications on the same subject

26
THE PROJECT INDEX (PI)

• PI 60/AxF 1,75xB/100 C/D
• where
• PI Project Index
• A Estimated unskilled labour daily rate with
  base month
• January 2002
• F Escalation factor (1 x) ?(Ct 1)/Co?
• x Portion of the value of the work which is
  not subject to escalation,
• normally a figure of 0,15
• Ct , Co Consumer price index in town closest to
  the project.
• B Percentage of construction cost retained by
  the community
• C Estimated cost for conventional
  construction methods
• D Estimated project construction costs by
  using labour
• intensive methods
• and
• C/D 1,0

27
Using the PI

• Evaluate whether it is worthwhile regarding a
  project to be labour intensive, where factors
  other than only the conventional lowest tender
  amount for the most cost effective construction
  method, are taken into consideration
• This index is a combination of three ratios which
  relate to expenditure per unit of employment
  generated, construction cost retained by the
  community and cost of construction.
• Index employment opportunities, community
  opportunities and cost premiums i.e. job
  creation, economic empowerment and cost
  efficiency

28

• PI may be used to evaluate a project's
  contribution in respect of employment
  opportunities and,
• to compare one project against another, (whether
  LIC or not)
• Projects which have a high Project Index present
  more development opportunities to a targeted
  community than those having low ones
• If PI gt 2,3 , project could be considered as a
  viable project for the targeted community.

29
CONCLUSIONS

• In any residential road, block paving should be
  seriously considered as an alternative to other
  construction methods
• Should not only be done by comparing conventional
  lowest tender prices of the most cost
  effective construction methods but the social
  impact should also be taken into account
• The application of the Project Index (PI) is a
  useful method of comparing various construction
  methods
• Client bodies and other decision makers should be
  encouraged to consider the evaluation of each
  project in terms of softer issues
• calculation of the PI (Project Index) - mistakes
  will be limited and a better choice of
  construction methods and materials should result
  in each individual project.

30
CONCLUSIONS (contd )

• The Multiplier Effect, of the money paid to
  community residents, means that the positive
  socio-economic impact and growth within
  communities, which is effected by retaining
  revenue wherever practicable, should be the
  deciding factor in the methods adopted.
• Because of this Multiplier Effect, the use of
  cbp should be a viable alternative for the
  wearing course of residential roads where the use
  of community labour is involved.

31

• Thanks from