Landmark Decision for Housing in Cape Town

South Africa has a critical shortage of decent, affordable housing, and its cities continue to reflect apartheid planning, according to GroundUp. Social housing is the only of South Africa's housing programmes that directly and explicitly targets spatial transformation.

In light of this, the Cape Town City Council approved the release of land in Salt River for the Pickwick Road social housing project in what has been noted as a major step in providing affordable homes to thousands of Cape Town families. While the decision was wlcomed, it was also ciricised over it the slow pace of it reaching resolution in the face of a housing crisis.

Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis noted the importance of the decision, saying: "This site comprises 3.2 hectares of very well-located land, just minutes away from the work opportunities of the CBD, and the many major access roads and public transport routes that service the area."

According to GroundUp, social housing is the key to moving beyond apartheid urban planning, but it faces multiple challenges including rising costs, small and insufficient grant funding, and slow land release.