Abstract
Due to increase of urbanisation, housing needs have also increased in cities and towns. This has caused high increase in housing backlog. Many people worldwide are now living in cities putting pressure on existing facilities and infrastructure. Due to housing challenges being experienced globally many people are now living in informal settlements and slum conditions, where they are awful and devastating conditions due to lack of proper housing. This has been perpetuated by incapability by responsible institutions ensure that everyone have access to adequate housing. South Africa is one of the countries that have been heavily affected by urbanisation, resulting in severe housing shortages. Millions of South Africans are living in unplanned settlements. Despite the effort by government of South Africa of putting forward various programmes and policies to enhance adequate housing to everyone, housing challenges and housing backlog still continue to increase, leaving many people to resort to unplanned settlements and slum areas where there are unwelcoming conditions. Urbanisation in South Africa is also impacting on the ability of responsible local authorities to provide infrastructures such as water and sewer networks that adds to the totality of communities. Various scholars have written about shortage of housing in South Africa, however little have been written on urbanisation challenges to housing backlog and housing service provisioning. The purpose of this research project is to discuss the impacts of urbanisation to housing backlog in South Africa and to propose way to reduce urbanisation and housing backlog. Data for this study was gathered using both primary and secondary methods such as questionnaires, key interviews, key informants, field observations, journals, books, articles and reports. The results indicate that, there is severe housing backlog in Johannesburg due urbanisation which is also being perpetuated by inadequate resources, poor planning and poor governance by City of Johannesburg.
M.A. (Sustainable Urban Planning and Development)