Meth, P. orcid.org/0000-0002-2273-5134 (2020) 'Marginalised formalisation' : an analysis of the in/formal binary through shifting policy and everyday experiences of 'poor' housing in South Africa. International Development Planning Review, 42 (2). pp. 139-164. ISSN 1474-6743
Abstract
This paper contributes to global debates over the in/formal binary through an analysis of the South African state’s provision of formal housing to residents previously living informally or insecurely. Focusing on cases within the cities of eThekwini and Msunduzi, it uses a mix of empirical data from housing beneficiaries and government officials alongside an analysis of documents to examine the processes and experiences of housing formalisation. The paper makes two key contributions. The first is to argue for a stronger focus on the processes of dichotomisation of the in/formal binary. It illustrates the significance of a processual analysis by examining shifts in South African housing policy and residents’ expectations of housing gain, noting a situation of hyperbole, where informal housing is regarded as unacceptable, to one of waning, where policy statements acknowledge a greater role for informality. The second contribution is to direct analysis to the idea of formal housing and processes of formalisation, as these have arguably received less attention in wider debates. The paper proposes the concept of marginalised formalisation to articulate both the shortcomings experienced by residents living in formal housing and also the misrepresentation of housing policy and government rhetoric of the benefits of formalisation. Marginalised formalisation is contextualised within ongoing urban poverty which frames this reality.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: | |
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2019 Liverpool University Press. This article was published open access under a CC BY license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
Keywords: | Informal housing; formalisation; poverty; binary; lived experiences |
Dates: |
|
Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > Department of Urban Studies & Planning (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 19 Jun 2019 08:34 |
Last Modified: | 07 Dec 2021 08:46 |
Published Version: | https://online.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/... |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Liverpool University Press |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.3828/idpr.2019.26 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:147017 |