Community-led Upgrading for Self-Reliance in South Africa: Integrated Construction and Environmental Management Systems in Informal Settlements

该项目侧重于南非的“非正式住区”，其特点往往是缺乏基本的服务和基础设施(如安全的卫生设施、可靠的电力)，建筑材料(如木材、纸板、金属板、泥浆)性能差，没有批准任何建筑计划，而且往往是在非法进入和危险的土地上。国际发展界经常讨论非正式住区的社区应参与改善其家园和邻里的想法。然而，人们对确保成功升级环境和建设管理所需的工具和程序知之甚少，中央和地方政府在南澳使用的自上而下的政策迄今尚未成功。如果社区能够通过参与性技术、提高建筑技能和使用现有材料来改善社区，那么就可能产生地方、区域和国家的环境、社会和经济利益。这项研究试图探索社区升级其在南澳的非正式住区的基础障碍和驱动因素。这项研究的中心问题是如何在环境和建筑管理战略中利用参与性办法，以实现德班非正式住区的自力更生。这个问题将分六个不同的项目阶段进行调查。第一阶段：当地情况和差距分析(UKZN)--审查帮助德班社区升级其住房和社区的因素，以及升级的障碍。第二阶段：通过社区参与绘制城市过渡图(威斯敏斯特)通过参与性行动研究方法，项目组将在纳米比亚第八站(NS8)的社区参与下，得出关于自下而上的建设和环境管理的调查结果。NS8是德班伊南达的一个很好的实践案例研究。阶段3：综合闭环环境管理系统(UCL和UKZN)-探索闭环系统的潜力，在该系统中，NS8产生的废水可以重复用于农业。-调查确保提供有弹性的基础设施所需的流程、伙伴关系模式和商业模式。阶段4：建筑技能增强(威斯敏斯特)-绘制通过NS8采用的“自建”方法发展和增强的技能。-借鉴英国政府建设2025战略的经验教训。阶段5：开发和测试集成协作工具包(Westminster和UKZN)-该工具包汇集了各个阶段1至4的关键结果，将采取动态决策模型的形式，为社区、企业和政策制定者绘制潜在的协作方式。它还将确定为动员私营部门参与和经济增长所需的资源、发展的技能和创建的商业模式。阶段6：项目管理、沟通和传播(威斯敏斯特与英国)--拨出赠款总成本的约10%，用于向不同受众传达和传播研究成果。传播战略将包括：项目网站、品牌、社交媒体、传播材料和传播活动(英国和南非)。研究结果旨在以英国的最佳实践为基础，影响南非政府在可持续城市转型领域的政策和实践。然而，这并不否定将知识从SA转移回英国或其他地方的可能性。目标受众包括寻求提高其生活质量和福祉的地方社区以及加强规划的地方当局。国际机构(如联合国)、政策制定者和从事方案、计划和政策升级工作的从业人员也可以利用研究成果，特别是在可持续发展目标2015年后发展议程下。

This project focuses on 'informal settlements' in South Africa (SA), which are often characterised by the lack of basic services and infrastructure (eg safe sanitation, reliable electricity), poorly performing building materials (eg wood, cardboard, metal sheets, mud) without any building plans approved and often on illegally-accessed and hazardous land. The idea that the communities in informal settlements should be involved in improving their homes and neighbourhoods is often discussed in the international development community. However, the tools and processes needed to ensure a successful upgrade of environmental and construction management are poorly understood, and top-down policies used by central and local government in SA have not been successful to date. If communities can improve their neighbourhoods through participatory techniques, enhancing construction skills and using available materials, then there could be local, regional and national environmental, social and economic benefits. The research seeks to explore the underpinning barriers and enabling drivers for communities to upgrade their informal settlements in SA. The central question for this research is how can participatory approaches be utilised in an environmental and construction management strategy to achieve self-reliance in informal settlements in Durban. This question will be investigated under six discrete project phases.Phase 1: Local Context and Gap Analysis (UKZN)-Examining factors that have helped communities in Durban upgrade their housing and communities, and barriers to upgrading.Phase 2: Mapping Urban Transitions through Community Participation (Westminster)Through a participatory action-research methodology, the project team will produce findings on bottom-up construction and environmental management in Namibia Stop 8 (NS8) with the involvement of the community living there. NS8 is a good practice case study in Inanda, Durban. Phase 3: Integrated Closed-Loop Environmental Management Systems (UCL with UKZN)- Exploring the potential of closed-loop systems where wastewater generated from NS8 can be reused for agriculture. - Investigating the processes, partnership models and business models required to ensure resilient infrastructure is provided.Phase 4: Skills Enhancement in Construction (Westminster)- Mapping the skills developed and enhanced through the 'self-build' approach adopted in NS8. - Transferring lessons from the UK Government Construction 2025 Strategy.Phase 5: Developing and Testing an Integrated Collaborative Toolkit (Westminster and UKZN)- Bringing together the key findings of individual Phases 1 to 4, this toolkit will take the form of a dynamic decision-making model, which will map potential ways for communities, businesses, and policymakers to collaborate. It will also identify the resources required, skills developed, and the business models created for mobilising private sector involvement and economic growth. Phase 6: Project Management, Communication and Dissemination (Westminster with UKZN)- Allocating around 10% of the total cost of grant to communicate and disseminate findings to a varied audience. The dissemination strategy will include: project website, branding, social media, dissemination material, and dissemination events (UK and SA).The research findings are intended to impact on SA government policy and practice in the field of sustainable urban transitions, building on best practice from the UK. However, this does not negate the potential to transfer knowledge from SA back to the UK or elsewhere. The intended target audience includes local communities seeking to enhance their quality of life and well-being and local authorities enhancing their planning. The research outputs can be also utilised by international agencies (eg UN), policy-makers and practitioners working on upgrading programmes, plans and policies, particularly under the SDG post-2015 development agenda.