Last January, ASF-UK and 1to1 – Agency of Engagement co-hosted a week-long workshop, as the first in a series of joint initiatives addressing housing justice in inner-city Johannesburg.
The workshop explored two inner-city sites: Jumpers, an informal settlement, and Bertrams, a cluster of occupied buildings. Building upon 1to1’s ongoing partnerships with grassroots and advocacy groups, the aim was to support residents and their organisations in their efforts to create fairer living conditions in the two areas.
Key findings included the importance of strong collaborative networks, multi-stakeholder and multi-disciplinary approaches to advance housing justice, and the difficulty of translating policy into practice. The workshop also highlighted the lack of a policy for upgrading occupied buildings, and the limited options available for community-led housing in Johannesburg.
The workshop provided several recommendations for the future, including a priority focus on upgrading occupied buildings, addressing knowledge gaps around affordability, and enhancing the capacity of grassroots activists to engage with policy. Findings and recommendations were shared with partners including ICRC, Planact and SERI, with whom we are currently planning the next steps in the Change by Design Johannesburg initiative.
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