Affordable urban housing: regulatory barriers and other obstacles

This report offers reflections on government efforts to absorb the pressures of urbanisation in ways that lay the basis for more liveable, productive and sustainable cities. At its heart is the question: why are there so few examples of housing projects that illustrate how to integrate cities, despite the existence of many national, provincial and municipal policies and plans advocating urban transformation and residential densification around economic nodes and transport corridors? It identifies several state regulations and policy frameworks that warrant further attention if the objectives of urban consolidation and connectivity are to be pursued more vigorously. It is a modest exercise considering the vast scope and complexity of the questions addressed. It should not be regarded as an evaluation of municipal performance.