Indlovu Project Redevelopment Seed

The goal of building the first Indlovu Project “redevelopment seed,” including community centre, water and sanitation centre, and between 12-16 new housing units, is to provide a means for testing the viability of an assisted self-help approach to sustainable community redevelopment. All elements of this first redevelopment seed are in many ways experimental, and residents participating in initial “experimental housing” are being invited to do so explicitly as a learning process, from which ultimately better, more refined plans for expansion elsewhere in Monwabisi Park. The redevelopment seed concept is also designed to catalyze interest and cooperative planning among stakeholders, and stimulate interest among external researchers and potential supporters of gradually extending the program through Monwabisi Park.

1. Capital Funding: Obtained by the Shaster Foundation for the first, experimental redevelopment seed. Future funding of public infrastructure is likely under the City’s new informal settlement upgrading program (ISUP), headed by the VPUU in Monwabisi Park. Funding for housing is undetermined at this point.
2. Tenure: In Monwabisi Park generally, land is presently city owned and not designated for development, but a process for permitting more formal development in the area is likely to be discussed under the ISUP. Informal tenure arrangements within the experimental housing project will be by rental agreement between the Shaster Foundation and householders. Householders presently living on the site have agreed to transfer their title deed to Shaster Foundation in exchange for rights to occupy new housing. Householders will have the option at any time to vacate the new housing and to be reimbursed for the estimated cost, agreed beforehand, of their original shack and plot.
3. Household Participants: all established householders in the target area immediately adjacent to the Indlovu Project community centre wishing to participate, as agreed through community engagement processes. If additional unit are available, they will be used for demonstration purposes and/or allocated via through stakeholder consultation.
4. Ownership Structure: A Social Housing Institution (SHI) Section 21 Company will be formed to own and manage the housing. Shaster will transfer housing assets to the SHI following a period of capacity building with residents and management.
5. Management: Management shall be via the SHI, with householder participation.
6. Rent: Householders will pay rent to cover ongoing costs of housing (utilities, maintenance, repairs, sanitation services, etc.), but not to recover capital costs.
7. Wider Community Representation: The Indlovu Project proposes two levels of wider community involvement in future housing planning, one a Monwabisi Park-wide Forum and the other at the level of street committees. These bodies would guide future decision-making on housing essentials (location, participants, mutual responsibilities, etc.). Should the city in the future choose to become formally involved in housing in the area, then these representative structures are likely to be modified. Until such time, the Indlovu Project welcomes informal city participation in these developments.

Draft documents embodying many of these features have been drafted by Dinny Laurence for the IP and are available on request at ctpc@wpi.edu.

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Author: Professor Scott Jiusto