Isandla Institute

13/01/2026

At the start of this new year, our hope is that our collective efforts will bring about safer, dignified, resilient and sustainable neighbourhoods, towns and cities.

This is from our archive. While the context at the time was shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic, the analysis offered and aspirations expressed still hold true.

; SaferSpaces; VPUU- Violence Prevention Through Urban Upgrading; South African Local Government Association (SALGA)

This animation is part 1 of a 3 part series that unpacks the importance of Violence Prevention Initiatives - or VPI - when promoting safety and resilience in...

22/09/2025

The persistent reality of informal settlements, coupled with their disproportionate vulnerability to climate impacts, should be understood as a national crisis, requiring extraordinary measures and targeted investment. Using a just urban transition frame, this crisis can become a vital opportunity, not only for informal settlement residents, but also for the urban systems that these settlements are part of. It can result in upgrading processes that are inclusive and empowering, that build resilience and create livelihoods opportunities. It can transform spaces of neglect into vibrant, dignified, sustainable and safe spaces to live, play and work in. It can facilitate social and economic connections within neighbourhoods and within the city, contributing to the local economy and overall quality of life.

The synthesis document of the project "Informal settlements as catalysts for a just urban transition" outlines what it takes to place informal settlement upgrading at the heart of the national development agenda. The project was implemented in partnership with National Treasury's Cities Support Programme and financially supported by SouthSouthNorth.

Read more: https://isandla.org.za/en/resources/item/download/429_21c4963df4d3231474189fa004ee45f5

19/09/2025

Advancing a just urban transition approach to informal settlement upgrading means pursuing key development outcomes, such as resilience, sustainable livelihoods, dignity, social inclusion and urban integration. Critically, this requires a systems approach, rather than a project orientation, towards informal settlement upgrading and climate resilience. Yet, funding instruments are fragmented, not utilised effectively, and, frankly, insufficient. Climate finance and new economic value chains present new opportunities for investment in informal settlements, but to harness these possibilities and advance inclusive, outcome-oriented informal settlement upgrading as scale requires new capabilities, systems and governance arrangements based on co-governance and accountability.

The third practice brief from the project 'Informal settlements as catalysts for a just urban transition' offers a critique of the current fiscal and funding framework and municipalities' ability to use available resources strategically for a programmatic approach to upgrading. It further proposes how co-governance can be advanced.

Read more: https://isandla.org.za/en/resources/item/download/428_b38cf235b8f7814225b1e1e015ba5955

17/09/2025

In a context of high unemployment, informal settlements represent the failure of South Africa’s labour market. A just urban transition places significant emphasis on economic considerations as central to any form of (climate-informed) development. Place-based, place-making and circular economy approaches hold significant potential for foregrounding the economic dimensions and potential of informal settlement upgrading. Through the creation of social value, public employment programmes can play a critical role in the transformation of informal settlements into resilient, safe and liveable neighbourhoods, as lessons from the Social Employment Fund show.

The second practice brief from the project 'Informal settlements as catalysts for a just urban transition' elaborates on how to centre economic considerations and livelihoods in informal settlement upgrading.

Read more: https://isandla.org.za/en/resources/item/download/430_0b4b10d87923ba84b72daa979c5c46b1

Economic Development Partnership - EDP South African SDI Alliance

16/09/2025

Since 1994, South Africa has witnessed exponential growth in informal settlements, currently housing about a quarter of households in urban areas. Informal settlements are particularly vulnerable to climate impacts, such as heat, flooding and storms. Climate adaptation and disaster relief, especially community-led initiatives, are really important, but to achieve systemic change, at scale, a fundamentally new approach to informal settlement upgrading is needed – one where innovation, targeted investment, capacity enhancement and community agency take centre stage.

The first practice brief from the project 'Informal settlements as catalysts for a just urban transition' explains why informal settlements cannot be left behind in the transition towards climate-resilient cities. In fact, informal settlements should be prioritised as sites of transformative action, innovation and learning.

Read more: https://isandla.org.za/en/resources/item/download/427_96249e1486c5b2b196f8d7e6bd7d47b7

16/09/2025

South Africa’s economy needs to shift away from its reliance on coal and move towards a low-carbon economy. Cities as drivers of the economy need to play a leading role in this transition, in a manner that advances climate resilience, socio-economic inclusion and equity. Informal settlements cannot be left behind. In fact, informal settlement upgrading should be an urgent national development priority, that has been made even more pressing due to the disproportionate climate impacts in informal settlements. A just urban transition posits informal settlements at the centre of investment, innovation, partnerships and resilience building, which will not only result in dignified, safe, vibrant and sustainable neighbourhoods; it will contribute to the urban dividend.

Informal settlements as catalysts for a just urban transition is a joint initiative of Isandla Institute and National Treasury’s Cities Support Programme, supported by SouthSouthNorth. Informed by a series of critical dialogues, the project has produced insightful knowledge products that conclude with key recommendations for improved practice and policy. Watch this space for these resources!

01/07/2025

For the past 5 years, Isandla Institute and the Development Action Group (DAG) have partnered to create greater recognition of, and support for, the informal backyard housing sector in South Africa. The Backyard Matters Project engaged in enumeration, research, community engagement, dialogues, learning initiatives and advocacy to augment the collective understanding of backyard housing and its contribution to affordable housing, livelihoods and township economic development. The Project also identified policy and programmatic interventions to support and improve this sector, in all its diversity and complexity, and – we are proud to say – has successfully influenced the new White Paper for Human Settlements.

At the conclusion of the project, we asked various stakeholders in government, civil society and local communities to reflect on the project and its impact. We are blown away by the positive feedback! Read for yourself what legacy the Backyard Matters Project is leaving behind. https://shorturl.at/9oeQE

01/04/2025

Isandla Institute and the Development Action Group (DAG) have been partners in the Backyard Matters Project since 2019. The Project is drawing to a close by the end of March 2025. The end of the Project coincides with the start of crucial policy and legislative development processes, including the development of the new Human Settlements Code and Human Settlements Act, which are set to follow the recently adopted White Paper for Human Settlements (2024). The Project focussed on strengthening affordable, dignified, safe housing in the backyard rental market. We leave behind useful resources to inform better policy and practice. We hope you enjoy reading our work and take the knowledge forward in your work.

After 5 years, we are concluding our Backyard Matters Project, a partnership with the Development Action Group (DAG). DAG Comms We are offering you a selection…

25/03/2025

25/03/2025

In the context of the national housing crisis, supporting and enabling self-build incremental housing construction resulting in safe, dignified housing is a vital response. Housing Support Centres (HSCs) can play a vital role in providing technical advice and support to those wishing to self-build. In 2024, an HSC pilot was conducted in a partnership between the City of Cape Town (CoCT) and the Backyard Matters (BYM) project (itself a partnership initiative between Isandla Institute and the Development Action Group). We have just produced a paper which draws lessons from the pilot for replication and contextualisation of the HSC model in other municipalities and other human settlements contexts. Recommendations are made for municipalities seeking to replicate and contextualise the HSC model, for national/provincial policy and institutionalisation, and for CSOs and other support organisations keen to partner with a municipality in piloting and/or rolling out HSCs. Read it here: https://rb.gy/7890sm

20/03/2025

Small-scale affordable rental housing is increasingly recognised as both an important housing option and a significant contributor to township economic development. The small-scale affordable rental housing sector is highly diverse, incorporating a variety of landlord, tenant and housing typologies, with varying degrees of compliance to norms, standards and regulations. Awareness of crucial differences in small-scale affordable rental housing typologies is important for understanding the varied ways in which they operate as well as their future growth potential and capacity to formalise. Appreciating this diversity is key to developing appropriate responses and support interventions that adequately respond to the needs and opportunities inherent to specific sub-sectors of this housing market. While there may be common issues (e.g. the importance of adequate access to basic services), there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach that municipalities can adopt to address key challenges present in the sector and to capitalise on the opportunities it presents. Read more in this pamphlet: https://rb.gy/ys95we

18/03/2025

The White Paper for Human Settlements was gazetted on 31 January 2025. Now the work of institutionalising those ambitions and principles into concrete programmes starts. With this in mind, Isandla Institute convened a civil society (CSO) roundtable on 13 March with the intent of identifying the next steps towards a progressive human settlements dispensation. The National Department of Human Settlements (NDHS) outlined the plan of finalising the Human Settlements Act and Human Settlements Code by 2028/29. A review of the Prevention of Illegal Eviction from and Unlawful Occupation of Land Act, 1998 (PIE Act) is also underway. As outlined in the White Paper, emphasis is placed on collaborative effort, partnerships and a ‘whole of society approach’. As opportunities to engage these processes become available, through different working groups, symposiums and calls for engagement, CSOs have agreed to be vigilant, proactive, constructive and watchful – to ensure that the new dispensation is just, fair, evidence-based and advances transformation.