Pro-poor homes in all new projects

THE City of Johannesburg is set to introduce a housing policy that proposes that every new development of 10 dwelling units or more must include 20% pro-poor housing.

Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba said the city was set to introduce the policy‚ which was in draft form and out for public comment.

“I am all too aware of the fact that for us to stand a chance of providing dignified housing to our residents‚ we must strike a balance between our objective and incentivising business to buy into our plan‚” Mashaba said.

He said the city’s vision for inclusive housing‚ when managed privately‚ should cater for households with an income of R7 000 or less a month.

“Ultimately‚ we must all ask ourselves‚ irrespective of our views on how to do business‚ what kind of city do we want? “Do we want to further entrench apartheid spatial planning or do we want an inclusive city whose development will foster economic and racial integration?”

Mashaba said the people of Johannesburg wanted an inclusive city‚ that no longer reflected the painful memory of a segregated past.

The city believed that the private sector had a role to play in the provision of affordable housing‚ and that the role stemmed not only from social responsibility‚ but also from the value provided to developers by the city in terms of land use rights and bulk infrastructure.

Mashaba said one way of addressing the housing crisis was to “rid ourselves of the mistaken belief that there is no good business to be done in the affordable or low-cost rental housing market”. – BusinessLIVE