Abstract
This study delves into the ongoing deterioration and neglect of public infrastructure,
focusing on informal settlements previously upgraded to rectify past inequalities. The
study suggests leveraging fundamental systems engineering approaches to address
this challenge.
Through a thorough literature review, the paper seeks to uncover existing upgrade
approaches in South Africa and explore the reasons behind the gap between the
upgrade process, its implementation and achieving sustainability. It also explores how
South Africa aligns with sustainability through the NDP and how systems engineering
approaches can be used to upgrade informal settlements into sustainable human
settlements.
The study captures the perspective of professionals experienced in infrastructure
upgrades for human settlements through a qualitative descriptive approach consisting
of open-ended survey questions. The responses are analysed using thematic analysis
methods.
The findings indicate that while professionals in the built environment are familiar with
sustainability, they do not consistently integrate it into their service offerings, as they
do not view it as part of their responsibilities. Additionally, the analysis highlights the
need for systems engineering to be included in the training of built infrastructure
professionals from the undergraduate level.