TY - JOUR
T1 - State-subsidised housing designed for income generation
T2 - The case of K206 housing in Johannesburg
AU - Wilcox, Afua
AU - Haffner, Marietta
AU - Mota, Nelson
AU - Elsinga, Marja
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - State-subsidised housing in the Global South often receives criticism for failing to meet the economic needs of low-income citizens. The K206 housing project, situated in Alexandra, Johannesburg, stands out as a unique case by not only addressing housing requirements but also addressing the economic concerns of its low-income homeowners. This response included the incorporation of state initiated formal built-in rental rooms and provisions for incremental extensions to support income generation. This paper aims to explore both of these options that allowed residents to use housing as a means of income generation, and examines household strategies and the motivations behind using these options for extra income. Twenty-one resident interviews and spatial analyses provided insights on how the K206 housing facilitated income-generating opportunities for its residents and analyses whether households capitalised on these opportunities and the factors influencing their decisions to do so. The findings were that state built-in backyard rooms did not generally work for income generation due to poor allocation strategies that caused conflict. Incremental extensions, even in unintended locations proved more effective for generating income. Incrementally added backyard rooms served multiple purposes and had the potential to generate income to address cash shortfalls, contribute to pension plans, and facilitate investments.
AB - State-subsidised housing in the Global South often receives criticism for failing to meet the economic needs of low-income citizens. The K206 housing project, situated in Alexandra, Johannesburg, stands out as a unique case by not only addressing housing requirements but also addressing the economic concerns of its low-income homeowners. This response included the incorporation of state initiated formal built-in rental rooms and provisions for incremental extensions to support income generation. This paper aims to explore both of these options that allowed residents to use housing as a means of income generation, and examines household strategies and the motivations behind using these options for extra income. Twenty-one resident interviews and spatial analyses provided insights on how the K206 housing facilitated income-generating opportunities for its residents and analyses whether households capitalised on these opportunities and the factors influencing their decisions to do so. The findings were that state built-in backyard rooms did not generally work for income generation due to poor allocation strategies that caused conflict. Incremental extensions, even in unintended locations proved more effective for generating income. Incrementally added backyard rooms served multiple purposes and had the potential to generate income to address cash shortfalls, contribute to pension plans, and facilitate investments.
KW - income generation
KW - incremental housing
KW - mixed housing tenure
KW - South Africa
KW - state-subsidised housing
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85205309812&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/19491247.2024.2394907
DO - 10.1080/19491247.2024.2394907
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85205309812
SN - 1949-1247
JO - International Journal of Housing Policy
JF - International Journal of Housing Policy
M1 - 2394907
ER -