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Mass urbanisation in cities of the global South, is causing cities to evolve, with informal settlements being central to this evolution. While local government is the official point of interaction for urban informal settlement dwellers, those interactions are often characterised by a lack of meaningful participation. Engaging with the co-production literature and two case studies of informal settlements in Cape Town, South Africa, this paper examines how they shed light on the shifting and constantly evolving roles and practices of local government and community actors within a co-production engagement. Based on the findings from these cases, the paper argues that co-production as a practice of collaboration between the local state and citizens can allow for the forging of new relationships, built on trust, sharing of resources and a more equal distribution of power where communities can shape the outcomes of service delivery projects to respond to their needs and demands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most pervasive planning challenges in Southern cities is the formal housing shortage. In South African cities informal occupation of vacant buildings and land is one way in which urban dwellers meet their housing needs. This paper uses land occupations in Cape Town, South Africa, as a lens to explore conflicting rationalities. We show that there are conflicting rationalities both between the state and occupiers, as well as within the state and among occupiers. In nuancing the conflicting rationalities concept through an empirical case study, this paper concludes by outlining implications for planning theory and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In South Africa, young men are generally considered to generate many of the risks associated with informal settlement life, yet their own vulnerability in these environments is seldom considered. Seeking insights into male susceptibility in these impoverished urban spaces is methodologically challenging. How does one encourage poor marginalised young men to speak with candour about their insecurities and challenges? The research methods used, while facilitating openness, should also build their confidence as they reflect on the challenges of everyday life. This paper describes the methodological journey undertaken in a study of young Black men living in informal settlements in Cape Town, South Africa, revealing how they perceive their vulnerability in these environments. It demonstrates how a suite of methods gradually developed through trial and error, with the young men themselves assisting in the adaptation of tools, ranging from interviews using adapted participatory methods to non‐prescriptive diary‐writing. Together they delivered deep and penetrating insights into the lives of the young men, and the nature of their vulnerability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pook se Bos informal settlement and the Cape Town Water & Sanitation Services Department are partnering on an urban sanitation project with a Dutch Consortium consisting of Lettinga Associates Foundation (LeAF), Landustrie Sneek and Vitens-Evides International. The aim of the project is to improve the basic sanitation services provided in informal settlements through the implementation of the MobiSan approach. The approach consists of a communal Urine-Diversion and Dehydration Toilet (UDDT) built in a former sea shipping container. The system is independent of water, electricity or sewerage connection and it is maintained by full-time community caretakers who also act as hygiene promoters. The project seeks to link sanitation services with hygiene promotion in informal settlements while enhancing user satisfaction and reducing costs in providing basic sanitation services. This paper describes the preliminary experiences and lessons learnt during the implementation and evaluation of the MobiSan prototype and discusses its potential for replication. The MobiSan has proved to be an appropriate option by means of dealing successfully with shallow groundwater table, land availability and high settlement densities. In addition it has been demonstrated to be cost-competitive in terms of operating cost compared to chemical toilets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Imizamo Yethu, in Cape Town, is one of the many informal settlements in South Africa's post-Apartheid urban landscape. Residents live in abject poverty and are potentially vulnerable to a range of environmental hazards, of which fire hazard is one of the most common. A major fire, on the 8 February 2004, caused significant damage to housing and infrastructure, resulting in widespread homelessness and loss of personal possessions. Despite this, there was minimal loss of life and few major injuries. The community re-grouped after the fire and Imizamo Yethu has remained viable as a community to the present day. Contemporary geographical research on hazards emphasises aspects of community vulnerability and resilience. The present paper identifies and examines factors that enhance community resilience in the informal settlement of Imizamo Yethu, particularly in response and recovery to fire events. A survey completed in the aftermath of the 2004 fire found that social networks, some formal community institutions that foster community participation and the resourcefulness of individuals were the most important factors underpinning resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the history of South Africa, which has resulted in a significantly skewed pattern of access to scarce resources in favor of a wealthy racial minority, the issue of access to land and shelter is a central and emotive one. It is also a potential arena of conflict and social and political divisions. It is therefore important to understand, monitor, and resolve these conflicts. This paper is the first in a series of case studies, drawn from within greater Cape Town, which examine conflicts over land and housing and how these conflicts are being managed. This case is that of Wallacedene, a primarily informal settlement in the north of the city, which has been the subject of an informal settlement upgrading process. Different forms of conflict occur over the life cycle of an informal settlement. Community-based institutions form an essential component of conflict management strategies. However, there have to be checks and balances on how these institutions operate. Moreover, accurate, local level records of transactions in land rights, which are often informal transactions, are an essential part of land and housing delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we acknowledge that the literature has successfully articulated processes that have brought about environmental injustices. However, it remains weak in its engagement with processes that can or should contribute to the realisation of environmental justice, which can be attributed mainly to the limited but popular perspective that has been championed principally by the North American literature. We suggest that concerns with environmental justice should go beyond the preoccupation with the evidence of injustice to encapsulate processes and strategies for achieving environmental justice in its various forms. Empirically, this implies the need to move away from the preoccupation with toxic waste as the main central focus of the environmental justice literature. We argue that the processes and strategies for achieving environmental justice are as important as the end results that we strive for, particularly in areas of human settlements. To this end we used the case of Mfuleni Flood Relief Project in Cape Town, as an empirical evidence of the complexity of resettlement as a ‘just’ process. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]