Abstract

Communal areas in South Africa invariably lack cadastre and other information needed for sustainable planning. Usually land ownership is unclear and only limited state capacity exists in providing basic services infrastructure. This paper describes community mapping as a participatory means to encourage development. The impact of community-based mapping is assessed and if participatory methodology can fulfil its well-known objectives. Reflections on two community-based mapping projects facilitated with residents show that in these circumstances, community-based mapping is effective in bringing about change. Flamingo Crescent is an urban informal settlement located in Lansdowne, Cape Town. Informal settlements such as these are high density and organic, making service delivery difficult due to the lack of space. Re-blocking is an in-situ method of upgrading an informal settlement so that basic service and access can be provided. The Goedverwacht Moravian Mission Station in the Western Cape has no internal cadastral boundaries and therefore the spatial framework is fuzzy and confusing. The objective of the study is to use a mapping technique that is economically viable, fast and at an accuracy determined by purpose rather than technical and legal requirements for formal land registration. Findings spotlight some of the advantages of community-based mapping during these projects by assessing their impact using critical outcomes of participation, empowerment and ownership.

Highlights

  • Land reform and housing availability in South Africa are contentious issues that have arisen from a past in which race was used as a basis to regulate people and marginalise the majority.1 In South Africa, land reform and housing are constitutional imperatives

  • Reflections on two community-based mapping projects facilitated with residents show that in these circumstances, community-based mapping is effective in bringing about change

  • The community of Flamingo Crescent is located in an industrial area on property zoned public open space that is owned by the City of Cape Town

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Summary

Introduction

Land reform and housing availability in South Africa are contentious issues that have arisen from a past in which race was used as a basis to regulate people and marginalise the majority. In South Africa, land reform and housing are constitutional imperatives. Community mapping allows information to be supplied by non-specialists who are better able to express their needs, priorities and goals The purpose of this is to pre-empt development and prepare the community for change. A community-driven Participatory Geographical Information System (PGIS) is used to manage local spatial data and provide residents with an opportunity to participate in development. The following subsections link complex adaptive systems; subsidiarity and participation; community activism and empowerment; and resilience and ownership to the community-based mapping process. Local residents in communal areas of South Africa do not know the legal and institutional arrangements that govern land tenure reform in their communities, and they have no platform to enquire or voice their concerns.

Background
Aim of the Project
1: Mapping and Enumeration
2: Reconfiguring the Existing Spatial Layout
3: Reciprocal Learning
Concluding Remarks
Objective
1: Property Boundaries and Land-Use Map
2: Land Information System
3: Community Assets and Social Relationships
Full Text
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