(Between April and September 2024)

Social and Affordable Housing

COP members had several meetings to discuss progress, plan future activities and organize events with regard to their research on the release of municipal land for social and affordable housing in South African cities. These included virtual or in-person team meetings on 5th April, 23rd April, 24th April, 10th May, 12th June, 19th July and 2nd September. COP members reported back on their research to participating municipal officials from four metropolitan municipalities (Cape Town, eThekwini, Tshwane and Johannesburg), and to municipal officials from across the country as part of a webinar organised within the Development Action Group’s Land Value Capture Dialogue Series.

Small-scale rental housing (SSRH)

COP members had several virtual team meetings and co-organised two sector wide engagement workshops on 11th June and 24th July to discuss progress with municipal reforms to regularize and grow the small-scale rental housing sector in Cape Town. Key issues the team has been working on include the review and feedback about an amendment of the municipal planning by-law, the development of a financial model to increase access to affordable financing in the sector, and establishing a research agenda with city officials to improve the evidence base of the sector in Cape Town.

Urban vacancy, occupations and commoning

COP members organized a series of activities on urban vacancy, occupations and commoning. These included the organization of a number of community workshops with leaders in Cissie Gool House (4th May, 25th May, 27th July and 17th August), a week of learning activities (site visits, meetings, walking tours, workshop) with housing/urban scholars from the TU Wien, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin City University, and other universities, including emerging researchers, from 17th to 21st June in Vienna (Austria), and a hybrid session at the International Geographical Conference in Dublin on 29th August in Dublin (Ireland).