Change by Design Johannesburg (2024)

• Location: Johannesburg, South Africa and Online
• Date: March/April, 2024
• Programme: Change by Design
• Project Partners: 1to1 Agency of Engagement
• Activities: Co-design/ Capacity Building

Envisioning community-led approaches and tools for maintaining and repairing informally occupied inner-city buildings in ways that advance housing justice. 

As part of the wider ‘Change by Design Johannesburg’ initiative, this workshop sought to explore and document the experiences of maintaining and repairing inner-city buildings for secure housing for low-income residents. Developed by ASF - UK in partnership with 1to1, the workshop aimed to support the right to adequate housing for low-income residents while responding to ongoing challenges of building/infrastructure maintenance. 

Using the Change by Design methodology, participants worked across micro (dwelling), meso (community), and macro (city/policy) scales. Through interviews, walking tours, drawing-based activities, mapping, photos and storytelling, residents and grassroots leaders shared experiences of maintaining and adapting their homes/buildings. Participants explored informal repair practices, fire safety, shared infrastructure, and aspirations for future improvements. These activities led to documenting residents’ lived experiences and developing an initial set of principles and options for community-led maintenance and repair, considering aspects like collective governance, resource mobilisation, skill-sharing, and partnerships. 

The outcomes of the 5 day workshop were showcased in an interactive exhibition at the University of the Witwatersrand, bringing together various stakeholders at different scales to reflect on future strategies for repair and maintenance in the inner-city. It concluded with discussions on key questions which should be tackled by an “Inner-City Maintenance + Repair Guide” that can meaningfully support the upgrading of informally occupied buildings.