Literature has shown that South Africa has a wide array of policies linked to urban renewal. However, these policies are not explicit and succinct in speaking to urban renewal. It also emerged that there is no standalone policy that comprehensively speaks or informs Urban Renewal initiatives. The main guiding document is the National Urban Renewal Implementation Framework. This guiding document, has an implementation framework which is divided into Policy and Strategic Framework, Funding and Financial Framework, Organisational and Institutional Framework, Management Systems and Procedures and Human Resources and Capacities (Department of Provincial and Local Government, 2006). This section will just focus on the Policy and Strategic Framework and how it informs the policy around urban renewal in South Africa.
4.6.1 Policy and Strategic Framework
The Urban Renewal Programme (URP) began in 2001 as a programme of action rather than as a policy framework (Department of Provincial and Local Government, 2006). In that regard, the statement of intent floated in a void without a policy framework to inform and guide. The policy and strategic framework which was crafted in 2006 was therefore, an attempt to make the current urban development policies clear and coherent with regards to urban renewal in South Africa. Prior to this the policy aspects relevant to
87 urban renewal were scattered across different policies and programmes. One key informant summed up URP when he said that:
It [HURP] was a political response to identified challenges. Key Informant 2
South Africa has been described as having two separate economies; the first economy is advanced, sophisticated, and based on skilled labour, which is becoming more globally competitive and the second economy is mainly informal, marginalised, unskilled, and populated by the unemployed and those unemployable in the formal sector (Department of Provincial and Local Government, 2006). The majority of South Africa, particularly the black population is still trapped in the latter. Addressing this divide and attending to issues around social injustice is a high priority for the state as the current situation has created a huge rift between the so called ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’. URP is one such programme that seeks to address the socio-economic and historical inequities which continue to oppress the black community.
URP also builds on initiatives like Local Economic Development (LED). LED is a programme that seeks to reduce poverty. In South Africa, it does so by encouraging local people to work together to achieve sustainable economic growth and development, thereby bringing economic benefits and improving the quality of life of residents in a local municipal area (Department of Provincial and Local Government, 2006).
Considering the first and second economy policy thrust and based on other policies communicated by the Department of Provincial and Local Government (2006), the URP must be located in, and draw content from the National Spatial Development Perspective (1995) and the Department of Housing National Urban Framework (1997). The National Spatial Development Perspective seeks to facilitate economic growth and job creation by promoting investment in South Africa’s internationally competitive industries. It involves strategies to fast-track private sector investment, to stimulate the growth of SMMEs and to enhance the empowerment of local communities (Department of Provincial and Local Government, 2006). These strategies have, in part, been employed in the URP nodes. According to the Department of Provincial and Local Government (2006), while these policy documents are the most important of the urban national policy frameworks, none of them explicitly address urban renewal in any detail.
88 The Department of Housing National Urban Framework spells out the need to overcome the separation between spatial and economic planning in South African cities and ensuring that integrated planning underpins urban development projects. The framework also notes the alienation and exclusion experienced by townships and informal settlements and stresses the need to connect them to places of opportunity. This is well expressed in the theory of exclusion, which is, one of the theories underpinning urban renewal and relevant to the targeted nodes in South Africa. This aspect therefore informs the URP policy and implementation strategies. Furthermore, the urban development framework stresses on local economic development (LED) which is pivotal to urban renewal processes.
The Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) also paved way for urban renewal in South Africa through its Special Integrated Presidential Projects (SIPPs). According to the Department of Provincial and Local Government (2006), SIPPs was rolled out to improve the living conditions of the poor in an integrated manner as the country began its democratic transition from the apartheid era. A total of thirteen projects were implemented which were all considered as success stories upon evaluation. In this regard, URP took up a few lessons from SIPPs which include, assigning presidential status to the initiative; focusing on distinct, geographical priority areas; undertaking integration and the horizontal and vertical alignment of government activities and having pilot projects to test policy and change government practices (Department of Provincial and Local Government, 2006).
URP was born out of the need to address urban poverty and underdevelopment. The South African Cities Network (2003) classified urban renewal areas in South Africa into three distinct typologies.
(i) Urban centre upgrades - inner city areas that have experienced capital
flight and decline.
(ii) Informal centre upgrades- large freestanding informal settlements often near the
urban periphery.
(iii) Exclusion area upgrades - areas characterised by high levels of economic, social
89 subdivided into areas that have been excluded by design and areas that have been excluded by decline.
URP focuses on exclusion area upgrades and more specifically areas that have been excluded by design. In essence, the guiding instruments exist for use by the urban renewal initiatives in South Africa. This has allowed the programme to be operationalised in all the nine pilot sites.
4.7 Chapter Summary
By and large, the Helenvale Urban Renewal Project (HURP), has been a success story in the community. The Helenvale community members attest to the social and economic impact of the project on their personal lives and on the community at large. As discussed in this chapter, although the project has had notable success, a myriad of challenges still exist in the study area of Helenvale and other parts of South Africa where similar interventions were implemented. Having said that, like many development projects, such an initiative cannot be viewed as an end in itself, but rather a vehicle to realise better social and economic transformation in the once marginalised townships. It is noteworthy that Helenvale alone cannot reflect all the challenges that are experienced in all the nine nodes. Furthermore, the socio-economic impact of HURP cannot be perceived as reflective of the impact experienced in all urban renewal sites. However, this study still gives an informed perspective of the challenges in townships and impacts of urban renewal that can be applied to the other sites.
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CHAPTER 5
STUDY LIMITATIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION
5. Introduction
This study evaluated the social and economic impact of Urban Renewal initiatives in South Africa’s townships with a particular focus on the Helenvale Urban Renewal Project (HURP) in Port Elizabeth. This chapter outlines the limitations of this particular research and proposes ways in which similar studies can be conducted to yield the best possible outcome. A set of recommendations is also provided that seek to inform Urban Renewal Initiatives in South Africa going forward.