Change by Design Johannesburg (January 2023)

• Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
• Date: January, 2023
• Programme: Change by Design
• Project Partners: 1to1 Agency of Engagement
• Activities: Advocacy Learning/ Capacity Building/ Collaboration/ Skills sharing/ Co-Design

Exploring the role of participatory design and planning as tools for advancing housing justice in inner city areas.

Many residents living in Johannesburg’s informal settlements and occupied buildings face limited access to basic services, insecure housing conditions, and stigmatisation through public and political narratives. Change by Design aims to bridge this gap, ensuring evidence becomes a practical driver for change.

In January 2023, ASF-UK facilitated a public symposium and a 6 day workshop in inner-city Johannesburg in partnership with 1to1 – Agency of Engagement, and other local stakeholders. The project combined public discussions, socio-spatial tours, fieldwork, and collaborative investigation into the relationships between social dynamics and access to services. Participants engaged directly with communities in Bertrams and Jumpers, mapping shared systems of water, sanitation, and electricity to understand how residents collectively negotiate shortages of infrastructure and services. 

Through multi-scalar research such as conversations, collective mapping, and interviews, the workshop highlighted the complex socio-economic relationships within these settlements. Discussions focused on housing rights, stronger legislation, and the importance of recognising residents as active contributors to the city.  Overall, the project fostered knowledge exchange, advocacy, and collaboration between communities, NGO’s, researchers, and city stakeholders.