Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa Real Estate Investor Magazine - Dec/Jan 2018 | Page 40

AFFORDABLE HOUSING Unpacking Affordable Housing Developers’ Opportunity BY MONIQUE HORWITZ O pen any newspaper or online news site and you’ll inev- itably find an article or two about affordable – particu- larly the need for this within well-located urban areas to increase inclusivity, integration and transformation. But what exactly does it mean? For years, the term ‘affordable housing’ has been bandied about, but this has been used as a blanket term with little expla- nation about what criteria it entails. This lack of explanation or further details has caused confusion and conflict. The overarching definition, used by Future Cape Town - a leading platform in Africa promoting democracy in the future of cities - is housing units that are affordable to a section of society whose income is below the neighbourhood’s median or average household income. “However,” says Future Cape Town Director, Rashiq Fataar, “affordable housing comprises various types of housing.” The four affordable housing types found in government pol- icy, local government developments and some of the national government frameworks around human settlements are: gap, transitional, social and inclusionary. Gap Housing The City of Cape Town defines gap housing as subsidies and products provided by government and financial institutions to enable households with a monthly income of between R3,500 and R20,000 to purchase property. Transitional housing According to the City, transitional housing is temporary hous- ing afforded to individuals and households which helps them prepare to transition to more permanent options. It is rec- ognised that, because of the shortage of alternatives for low-in- come households, some are likely to remain on a semi-perma- nent basis. Social housing The City describes social housing as state-subsidised rental housing for households with a monthly income of less than R15,000 that is developed and operated by an accredited social housing company or institution otherwise known as SHIs. Inclusionary housing Future Cape Town’s explanation of inclusionary housing is that it is housing developed by the private sector for a market that would not have otherwise had access to the development and/or the area within which the development takes place. Private sector’s call to action National and local government have admitted that they lack the resources to tackle the country’s housing issues alone, which possibly makes inclusionary housing the most viable op- tion. One way that developers are able to contribute, whilst still ensuring the profitability of their projects, is through securing additional development rights from the city for free. Julian Sendin, a Senior Researcher at Ndifuna Ukwazi – an activist organisation and law centre working to advance urban land 38 DECEMBER 2017/JANUARY 2018 SA Real Estate Investor Magazine THE 80:20 MODEL In essence, the 80:20 housing model refers to devel- opers reserving 20% of the development for lower and middle income individuals. Examples of such programs exist in cities like Toronto, New York, and soon Cape Town. BLOK has recently launched its latest urban develop- ment, Forty on L. Speaking on this, Fataar explains: “Due to limited land available in well-located parts of the city, we need to reconfigure apartments, and how we live, to ensure that apartment spaces are used more efficiently to accommodate more people and at the same time our civic spaces and buildings are used more frequently.” Located in Lion Street, Bo Kaap, the development will range from 44m2 one-bedroom units, to 267m2 double storey penthouses. In total , there will be 54 apartments. Occupation is expected in 2019. justice – says: “Inclusionary zoning is a basic intervention used by top cities around the world to ensure that private developers build a fair amount of truly affordable housing in exchange for additional development rights.” Up until recently, social housing was seen as the only way to retain housing units as affordable in perpetuity. However, in- clusionary housing might provide a better alternative as these homes are purchased and not merely rented,  thus promoting ownership. In order for South Africa’s cities to truly become inclusive, integrated and transformed, affordable housing in urban areas needs to not only cater for lower-income earners, but must also incorporate the middle income market (earning between R15,000 to R45,000), who are also unable to afford to live in well-located urban areas. Doing so will ensure that more people from a mix of income brackets benefit from urban opportuni- ties. SOURCES BLOK, Future Cape Town, Ndifuna Ukwazi