Abstract
Purpose: The metropolitan cities of Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane plays an important role in the economy of the Gauteng province in South Africa. The region constitutes to 22.4 percent of the total population of South Africa and has a strong presence and contributes in areas of manufacturing sector, financial and business services, retail and wholesale trade, etc. The rapid urban population, increase in the informal settlements and socio-economic opportunities has resulted to considerable urban sprawl in and around the urban fringe areas of these metropolitan cities. The urban fringe areas of these metros often come under the influence of rapid urbanization process and pressures. Coupled with the economical and potential land dynamics and lack of priority of spatial development guidelines, these areas attract rapid and haphazard development from communities and developers.
Research Design/ Methodology: This research is based on a qualitative approach through a comprehensive literature review that included content analysis of key documents on housing sector such as Integrated Development Plans (IDPs), Municipal Annual Reports, Growth Development Strategies, and among other sectoral documents on housing sector. Some of the key priority issues considered in the housing sector included: eradication of housing backlogs, spatial restructuring of housing, provision of choice in terms of location, tenure and housing typology.
Findings: The current paper discusses the approaches of metropolitan housing development processes in three metropolitan cities of South Africa from Gauteng region, namely: Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane. The paper discuss the existing housing sectoral scenario along with the fringe areas in three cities with focus on: formal and informal settlements, housing segregation and the backlogs, current institutional arrangements, role of public private participation, and scope for alternate mechanisms. The paper concludes in discussion on sustainable development options for housing development in urban fringe areas.