Urban Homelessness in Tshwane, South Africa: A Cultural Sustainability Perspective

While South Africa is currently developing a national homelessness policy to address the problem of urban homelessness, the latter is largely viewed as a socio-economic rather than a cultural issue. Diverse socio-cultural contexts and their strong influence on experiences of homelessness are often overlooked. This article explores innovative policy initiatives to address urban homelessness through cultural sustainability and heritage preservation. A qualitative literature review and empirical evidence from a research project on child homelessness in the City of Tshwane guided the study through three research questions: 1) To what extent does the current traditional shelter-based policy approach to addressing urban homelessness in South Africa uphold the country’s cultural identity and heritage preservation? 2) To what extent can cultural considerations and the need for heritage preservation inform homelessness interventions and be integrated into the national homelessness policy framework that is under development? 3) What innovative urban design practices hold potential to simultaneously support cultural sustainability, heritage preservation and homelessness prevention in Tshwane, South Africa? By framing urban homelessness as a cultural issue, the article identifies and promotes best policy practices that incorporate cultural sustainability principles for lasting solutions. With the ongoing policymaking process, we seek to stimulate stakeholder policy dialogue about innovative solutions to alleviate homelessness and enhance the cultural fabric and heritage preservation within South African cities. The article provides a comprehensive understanding of cultural sustainability, where “social well-being” and “culture” are not only subjects of sustainability but are also integrated into interventions aimed at addressing urban homelessness.