An evaluation of alternatives to conventional addressing in two informal settlements of South Africa

Abstract

An address is used to provide identifiable information to describe a physical object’s location unambiguously. Addresses are vital, not just for navigation but also for service delivery and city management. Conventional addresses are dependent on relative features, such as roads, and are structured in a manner that is easily recognisable by people. They also have significant meaning for a person’s sense of belonging. With the growth of the population in South African cities, as well as in-migration, urban settlements continue to expand and become denser. These cities need to implement effective ways of assigning addresses to settlements, as existing addresses are not always assigned to dwellings in newer or informal areas. Due to rapid urbanisation, there is an increased demand for services and infrastructure brought on by the sudden growth. Therefore, address assignment in these rapidly growing settlements is not always effectively implemented due to the inability to manage the sudden increase in dwellings. The aim of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of alternative addresses in two informal settlements in South Africa. What3Words, Mapcode and datum-based addresses were selected as alternatives because they are examples of addresses assigned based on location only; they are not relative to other features, such as roads or administrative areas. Alternative addresses were assigned to each dwelling in two informal settlements located in Mamelodi and Khayelitsha, respectively. The assigned addresses were evaluated based on a set of evaluation criteria, aimed to provide insight into the effectiveness of alternative addresses in lieu of conventional addresses in informal settlements. The results of the evaluation of these addresses can guide local government planning efforts regarding what would be the most effective choices for address assignment in informal settlements.