Reports by Andreas Scheba
SHLC, 2023
1. Neighbourhood Matters in Cape Town 2. Five neighbourhood types 2.1 Highest income-Cluster 1 2.... more 1. Neighbourhood Matters in Cape Town 2. Five neighbourhood types 2.1 Highest income-Cluster 1 2.2 High income-Cluster 2 2.3 Middle-income-Cluster 6 2.4 Low income-Cluster 8 2.5 Lowest income-Cluster 10
Development Action Group, 2022
Small-scale Rental Housing ~ 01 GLOSSARY OF TERMS Backyard rental housing Rental housing located ... more Small-scale Rental Housing ~ 01 GLOSSARY OF TERMS Backyard rental housing Rental housing located on another property, usually government subsidised house or council housing, and typically lower-quality, semipermanent dwellings made of timber and iron/zinc sheets. Debt-financed homeowner developer Similar to incremental developers except that they obtain formal funding from a bank or micro-finance institution (MFI) that is tied to the property asset in some way. The MFI is often actively involved in the planning, construction and management of the rental units. Formalisation Under formalisation we refer to public and private efforts to promote full regulatory compliance for rental housing. Incremental homeowner developer Owner of property who typically constructs between one and six rental units on their property, or that of a close family member, using a mix of informal and formal financing, none of which is formally tied to the property. Their main motivation is to supplement their household income. Land value capture Land value capture refers to a concept that describes several land-based finance tools. The concept is rooted in the premise that public actions drive up real estate values, which are usually accrued by private landowners through no efforts of their own. Land value capture offers an array of policy tools and instruments that recover the publicly generated value increases. Micro-developers Micro-developers usually build multiple rental units in the form of medium-density apartment blocks, often on properties bought specifically for this purpose where the previous structures are demolished. Compared to homeowner developers, they invest larger amounts of funding, drawn together from various sources, as part of a growing property development portfolio. They are more entrepreneurial and driven more by the pursuit of profit and wealth. Overlay zone A zoning, in addition to the base zoning, stipulating the purposes for which land may be used and the development rules which may be more or less restrictive than the base zoning. Regularisation Under broad-based regularisation we refer to public and private awareness raising, training, skills development, knowledge sharing and local support to improve basic conditions within rental units, specifically regarding health and safety, structural integrity, encroachments and landlordtenant relations. Regulatory regime Regulatory regime refers to system of rules in which homeowners and developers operate. We use the term regulatory regime in a holistic sense to refer to formal (local) government regulations, procedures and frameworks but also bureaucratic norms, practices and capacities that influence small-scale rental housing. It includes the legislation and regulations governing small-scale rental flats, specifically land-use management and building regulations, but also the administrative systems and processes required to obtain regulatory approvals, the capacity of district offices and front-line officials to implement the regulations, their values, mindsets and the internal incentives that influence their everyday practices. Small-scale rental housing Backyard rental housing but specifically single and multi-storey brick and mortar rental units or flats .
SHLC Research Summary 01, 2020
This research analyses how the urban form and internal structure of the city of Cape Town, South ... more This research analyses how the urban form and internal structure of the city of Cape Town, South Africa, has changed in recent decades. Using satellite imagery and census data, it examines overall disparities in growth, internal socioeconomic dynamics and infrastructure within the city. An innovative, data-driven method is used to identify and compare distinct neighbourhood types that make up the city's physical, social and economic fabric.
Research Papers, 2020
More could be done to improve the chances of upward mobility for tenants of social housing in Sou... more More could be done to improve the chances of upward mobility for tenants of social housing in South Africa. The social housing policy makes no mention of upward mobility for tenants, even though this is implicit within the objectives of reducing socio-economic and spatial inequalities. We evaluate evidence of tenant level outcomes from a sample of 1,636 households living in 10 social housing projects in
Johannesburg, Tshwane, eThekwini and Cape Town. The findings present a very mixed picture of the impact of social housing on such outcomes, including racial integration and upward income mobility.
Failure to demonstrate household success risks jeopardising the credibility of the programme. A clear recommendation for policymakers is to update the national monitoring and evaluation framework to
include regular collection of socio-economic information on tenants in order to assess the extent to which their circumstances improve over time.
Research Papers, 2021
Social housing is a powerful tool to integrate divided cities by providing decent rental accommod... more Social housing is a powerful tool to integrate divided cities by providing decent rental accommodation for low- and moderate-income working
families. It can bring communities together in dense urban areas with plentiful opportunities, and revitalise rundown inner cities. Success
depends on several enabling conditions: capable social housing agencies, viable subsidy levels, well-located land, support across government, private sector involvement and determined implementation.
The paper maps the spatial distribution of all social housing projects built in South Africa’s seven largest cities since the 1990s. It reveals a steady ‘spatial drift’ of new projects from inner urban areas towards outlying areas. This contradicts the objectives of urban restructuring and
social integration. The dispersal trend has been driven by the high cost of private land and the failure to make surplus public land available.
Recommendations are offered to steer social housing schemes back towards well located areas.
HSRC Research Report, 2019
Stark spatial divides have persisted post-Apartheid, despite government efforts to undo the damag... more Stark spatial divides have persisted post-Apartheid, despite government efforts to undo the damage of the past by creating a unified, national regulatory framework. This report discusses two of the many dimensions of spatial inequality: (i) the physical separation of people from productive activity, and (ii) the under-development of informal settlements and enterprises. It identifies key legislation that appears to inhibit more equitable and integrated development. This includes rules and procedures related to land-use planning, housing, environment, business licencing, building regulations and public procurement. They create difficulties through their complexity, rigidity, poor alignment and associated costs. These are not the only obstacles to shared prosperity, and they do not operate in isolation. They are compounded by other economic, social and institutional processes. Therefore, simple deregulation is unlikely to be the solution. Better regulation is more important, i.e. rules and procedures that are more consistent, less burdensome, more responsive to socio-economic realities and more developmental in orientation. The balance of emphasis should be tilted from bureaucratic mechanisms designed to restrict and control social and economic actors, towards more flexible, problem-solving systems to enable balanced and inclusive development.
Report for the Policy and Research Directorate Department of Human Settlements Western Cape Government, 2018
Papers by Andreas Scheba
African Studies Review, Mar 22, 2023
Informality is growing with Africa's rapid urbanization. Much like residents of other types of in... more Informality is growing with Africa's rapid urbanization. Much like residents of other types of informal housing, backyard dwellers face overall poor living conditions and political marginalization. However, backyard residents are in an ambiguous legal area and have been far less politically active and organized to pursue their rights to adequate housing. Using a qualitative case study of backyard residents in three Cape Town neighborhoods, Harris, Scheba, and Rice bridge theories of infrastructural citizenship and collective action to shed light on how informality may undermine collective action, and they identify four factors influencing collective action. Résumé : L'informalité s'est développée avec l'urbanisation rapide de l'Afrique. Tout comme les résidents d'autres types de logements informels, les « sans domicile fixe »
The Journal of Modern African Studies
In South Africa, informal rental accommodation constructed in the backyards of formal houses is t... more In South Africa, informal rental accommodation constructed in the backyards of formal houses is the fastest growing housing segment. These backyard dwellings (BDs) are makeshift structures made from timber frames, metal sheets or wooden planks. Despite the proliferation of BDs, national and local governments have done little to improve the living standards of backyard dwellers. The research uses focus groups, interviews and building surveys to examine the current state of backyard dwellings and identify opportunities and barriers for government interventions. We analyse the barriers to home improvements, highlighting the important role of tenant dignity and landlord-tenant relations. Furthermore, the research discusses the challenges of potential government-led interventions, which could easily fail in the context of resistance, mistrust and anxiety over housing. We present four key considerations that any intervention to upgrade BDs in South Africa or similar rental units in other ...
African Studies Review
Informality is growing with Africa’s rapid urbanization. Much like residents of other types of in... more Informality is growing with Africa’s rapid urbanization. Much like residents of other types of informal housing, backyard dwellers face overall poor living conditions and political marginalization. However, backyard residents are in an ambiguous legal area and have been far less politically active and organized to pursue their rights to adequate housing. Using a qualitative case study of backyard residents in three Cape Town neighborhoods, Harris, Scheba, and Rice bridge theories of infrastructural citizenship and collective action to shed light on how informality may undermine collective action, and they identify four factors influencing collective action.
Financializing Africa’s urban peripheries: the rise of housing microfinance
Urban Geography
Can social housing help to integrate divided cities?
Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, 2021
Social housing has the potential to contribute to economic inclusion and urban integration if it ... more Social housing has the potential to contribute to economic inclusion and urban integration if it is well-located. However, this is complicated by economic forces that shape land and property markets and constrain the ability of social housing organisations to afford suitable sites for development on the open market. The paper shows how South Africa’s transformative vision for social housing has been diluted by the gradual spatial drift of projects from the accessible urban core towards outlying areas. Poor coordination has meant that social housing organisations have operated in relative isolation without the consistent government support required to obtain surplus public land in well-situated areas.
Developing neighbourhood typologies and understanding urban inequality: a data-driven approach
Regional Studies, Regional Science
Is REDD+ finance really put to work in the right places?
Are conservation policies a driver of deforestation in Tanzania?
Social housing and spatial inequality in South African cities
The role of social housing in reducing inequality in South African cities
AFD Research Papers, 2021
Social housing is a powerful tool to integrate divided cities by providing decent rental accommod... more Social housing is a powerful tool to integrate divided cities by providing decent rental accommodation for low- and moderate-income working families. It can bring communities together in dense urban areas with plentiful opportunities, and revitalise rundown inner cities. Success depends on several enabling conditions: capable social housing agencies, viable subsidy levels, well-located land, support across government, private sector involvement and determined implementation. The paper maps the spatial distribution of all social housing projects built in South Africa’s seven largest cities since the 1990s. It reveals a steady ‘spatial drift’ of new projects from inner urban areas towards outlying areas. This contradicts the objectives of urban restructuring and social integration. The dispersal trend has been driven by the high cost of private land and the failure to make surplus public land available. Recommendations are offered to steer social housing schemes back towards well located areas.
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Reports by Andreas Scheba
Johannesburg, Tshwane, eThekwini and Cape Town. The findings present a very mixed picture of the impact of social housing on such outcomes, including racial integration and upward income mobility.
Failure to demonstrate household success risks jeopardising the credibility of the programme. A clear recommendation for policymakers is to update the national monitoring and evaluation framework to
include regular collection of socio-economic information on tenants in order to assess the extent to which their circumstances improve over time.
families. It can bring communities together in dense urban areas with plentiful opportunities, and revitalise rundown inner cities. Success
depends on several enabling conditions: capable social housing agencies, viable subsidy levels, well-located land, support across government, private sector involvement and determined implementation.
The paper maps the spatial distribution of all social housing projects built in South Africa’s seven largest cities since the 1990s. It reveals a steady ‘spatial drift’ of new projects from inner urban areas towards outlying areas. This contradicts the objectives of urban restructuring and
social integration. The dispersal trend has been driven by the high cost of private land and the failure to make surplus public land available.
Recommendations are offered to steer social housing schemes back towards well located areas.
Papers by Andreas Scheba