Inclusionary housing is in the interests of social cohesion and justice. It's even in the interests of businesses on Cape Town's Atlantic Seaboard, offering a diverse, perennial customer base as opposed to a seasonal Airbnb population in otherwise-empty micro apartments.

Listen to this article 8 min Listen to this article 8 min In the last three years, 645 apartment units have been built on Cape Town's Atlantic Seaboard, with 283 in the pipeline. Some of these units are just 21m2 in size, and sell for well over R1-million - none are affordable to an average person in the city.

The City of Cape Town has the power to transform housing on the Atlantic Seaboard, which sees an influx of thousands of workers, carers and learners every day. Instead, it's giving free reign to developers.

Inclusionary housing is one tool the City has that can begin to address affordable housing shortages and spatial injustices. It involves requiring private developers to set aside a portion of the units in a new building for affordable housing - available for rental or purchase for less than the market would allow.

The Western Cape Provincial Government has approved an Inclusionary Housing Policy, but the City of Cape Town has neglected to develop one of its own (Stellenbosch, by way of example, has implemented a policy, based largely on the province's).

Despite a real need to address historical spatial injustices, as well as present-day concerns...