The rabid market for housing has spread from upper- and middle-class neighborhoods to the shacks of impoverished slum townships, with tens of prospective buyers for every property.
South African real estate companies have moved into a territory virtually untouched: shantytowns. Built by apartheid leaders in the '60s and '70s to push aside the country's black and mixed-race people, these slums have been slowly evolving into vibrant economies, with increasing amounts of local retail and infrastructure improvements. Shacks no bigger than a common bathroom are drawing in tens of purchase offers and netting anywhere from $20,000 to $100,000. Facing high unemployment and an even higher housing demand, the South Africa government has kicked up efforts and shone new light on an all-but ignored housing market.
"Spurred by government pressure â€" and the profit motive â€" South Africa's four big banks are entering the low-income market in earnest, offering home-loan packages for poor households and financing malls and other retail ventures in long-ignored areas."
"The national government has also weighed in. After building thousands of free one- and two-room corrugated-roof homes for the homeless, it has arranged to free up billions in low-cost home loans to the three citizens in four who earn less than about $500 a month."
FULL STORY: Shacks in South Africa Can Garner Fancy Prices
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.
Can We Please Give Communities the Design They Deserve?
Often an afterthought, graphic design impacts everything from how we navigate a city to how we feel about it. One designer argues: the people deserve better.
Engineers Gave America's Roads an Almost Failing Grade — Why Aren't We Fixing Them?
With over a trillion dollars spent on roads that are still falling apart, advocates propose a new “fix it first” framework.
The European Cities That Love E-Scooters — And Those That Don’t
Where they're working, where they're banned, and where they're just as annoying the tourists that use them.
Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands
For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Borough of Carlisle
Smith Gee Studio
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)