Abstract
Informal settlements upgrading is a challenge especially in the developing nations. The research examines the case for challenges of upgrading informal settlements. A huge majority of the informal dwellers live in exceedingly underprivileged situations. Rapid proliferation in the urban population and the limited capacity of the government to meet the high demand for building plots has led to mushrooming of the informal settlements in the city of Johannesburg. The housing delivery process as provided by housing policy has been slow all across the country hence why there are so many informal settlement all over the countries especially in the metros (Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg). The main objective of the study is to understand the challenges of eradicating informal settlement through upgrading taking into account social, economic and environmental issues as well as governance. Primary and secondary sources of data were used in this research for data collection. The research confirmed that Denver informal settlement need proper houses with basic services as the people are living in shacks and cupboards houses. There are no roads and the residents walk in between shacks to access their sites which is very inconveniencing. Living condition of people in this informal settlement does not reflect what is proposed in the Breaking New Ground policy initiative by the national government, which indicates that everyone should have access to sustainable human settlement with basic services such as water, electricity and sanitation this is explained by the constitution and put into effect by the national government through municipalities. There are other stakeholders assisting the community with socio-economic activities and contributed in the development of the settlement by providing affordable houses and land to the government for benefit of the communities. The post-apartheid the urban poor household still face some of the challenges what were there before democratic government. In order to respond to the housing problems and poverty, settlement upgrading is mostly appreciated as the necessary mechanism to intergrade the fragmented housing sector for the betterment of the resident across the country particularly of Denver informal settlement.
M.A. (Sustainable Urban Planning and Development)