Abstract
M.A.
Many national, provincial and local governmental programmes initiated to promote greater economic growth as well as alleviating poverty and unemployment includes, among others, Urban Renewal Projects. The Alexandra Urban Renewal Project (AURP) which is the focus of this study typically concentrates on the elimination of inadequate housing (informal dwellings, backyard shacks, hostels and formal housing in poor conditions) located in critical, life threatening or badly situated locations. It further contributes to the reconstruction and upgrading of the Alexandra Township through building affordable housing, delivering health services, restructuring welfare services, improving safety and security, providing arts, sports and recreational facilities, and preserving heritage precincts.
It is evident that the need to address urban renewal has been firmly placed at the centre of the Gauteng Provincial Housing Department. The Urban Renewal Strategy that is implemented in the Gauteng Housing Department is a locally driven process by which the public, business and local government work collectively together to create better conditions for urban renewal in order to sustain livelihood and to improve future housing and economic prospects.
The central problem this research addresses is to establish if the Gauteng Housing Department’s Alexandra Urban Renewal Project constitutes a form of participatory decision-making, especially through the participation of the citizens of Alexandra. This study explored the phenomenon of citizen participation in a developmental local governmental context as understood globally and investigated the perspectives in urban renewal context. The research is furthermore applied, as it seeks to improve the application and existing practice around the participation of the Alexandra citizens in this project. The research proposes the extension of the use citizen participation in the Alexandra Urban Renewal Project beyond that of merely participatory tool, into the realm of the decision-making process.
The objectives of this dissertation were to provide an overview of the history of Urban Renewal Projects in general as well as the specific Urban Renewal Projects that took place in Alexandra Township from 1980 to 2008. It discusses specific issues pertaining to the participation of the citizens of Alexandra Township. These included groups such as the business community, civic associations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and the youth and women – all were stakeholders in the proceedings, planning and implementation of the AURP. Furthermore, it explores the role of community representatives, structures or forums and their role and the influence in the Urban Renewal Project – particularly in the decision–making process.
The study also provided a strong case for the tangible success of the Gauteng Housing Department in embracing a totally new approach in urban renewal by incorporating the citizens of Alexandra.