PPT’s policy and strategy work is undertaken on a selective basis to help bring about change in critical areas so as to create more conducive conditions for development. It is always informed by PPT’s project-level experience and development expertise and PPT does not engage in this area of work purely at an ‘academic’ level. The objective is usually to bring about improvements in government policies, practices and investments in development.
PPT’s policy and strategy work has both an advocacy component (i.e. where we seek to create awareness on key issues in order to bring about change) as well as a policy and strategy development component (e.g. where PPT is commissioned by a sphere of government to develop a particular strategy or invited to make inputs into a particular policy).There is an obvious overlap between these two components. Documenting and disseminating replicable development approaches and methodologies which PPT has innovated is an important part of its policy work.
PPT achieved a range of significant policy impacts across a range of different spheres of development. Some of the important achievements are outlined below:
Interim basic services for residents of informal settlements:
Innovating, implementing and mainstreaming interim basic services for residents of informal settlements, with a focus both on the practical methodology required as well as the grant funding requirements. This included the publication of ‘A New Response to Informal Settlements’ via Afesis Corplan; the compilation of a briefing document on grant requirements for interim services and serviced land release which was submitted to and well received by the City Budget Forum (a high level national government forum); significant advisory work with eThekwini Municipality relating to its large scale planning and rollout of interim basic services to 166 informal settlements (77,000 households).
Alternative approaches to conventional Informal Settlement Upgrading:
Innovating, promoting, and mainstreaming alternative approaches to conventional informal settlement upgrading in terms of denser, double-story housing typologies and more pedestrianised layouts in order to promote a more space efficient urban form in major urban centres. This occurred mainly via work in preparing pilot projects such Kenville and Kennedy Road.
Informal Settlement Development Strategy:
PPT’s development of an informal settlement development strategy for the KwaZulu Natal Department of Human settlements (work in progress). Importantly this strategy:
a) has a primary focus on informal settlement upgrading (as opposed to relocations)
b) promotes a rapid broad based response in the form of interim basic services to augment conventional housing delivery
c) promotes systematic project preparation and will provide toolkits in this regard to assist municipalities and their service providers
Mainstreaming systematic Project Preparation within Infrastructure Delivery programmes:
Success in obtaining in-principle buyin from the National Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs to mainstream systematic project preparation within infrastructure delivery programmes on a national basis.
Special Needs Housing Policy:
Significant progress in assisting the Western Cape Department of Human settlements to operationalise its special needs housing policy (which was itself triggered by a prior PPT submission and interactions dating back to 2006).Assistance to the KwaZulu Natal Department of Human settlements to refine its existing special needs housing policy in respect of dealing with retrospective funding (i.e. projects already built or under construction at the time of subsidy approval) and quality assurance of top-structures.
People’s Housing Policy:
Significant input into the new People’s Housing Policy through participation in the national reference PHP group and assistance with a National Department of Human Settlements policy workshop.
Land First:
Direct involvement in the ‘Land First’ initiative as a signatory of the Land First Charter and participation in a range of related activities.
KwaZulu Natal Sustainable Human Settlement Strategy:
Input into the KwaZulu Natal Sustainable Human Settlement Strategy which was drafted in late 2009 and is now finally close to finalisation and adoption by provincial government.
