Paper presented at the XXXIII IAHS World Congress on Housing, 27-30 September 2005,"Transforming Housing Environments through Design", University of Pretoria.
ABSTRACT: Current housing patterns in South Africa are unquestionably contributing towards unsustainable environments. Strictly zoned single-use dormitory suburbs, “security estates” and so-called townships are not only causing urban sprawl, but also spatial, social and economic fragmentation. This paper offers seven tentative and conceptual patterns aimed at restructuring such areas into good, sustainable neighbourhoods. In Mandela Park, a rapidly growing shantytown in Mamelodi, adjacent to Pretoria, we found clear evidence that the urban structure and setting were compounding the prevalence of poverty, making it eminently suitable as a case study.
