Achievement of sustainable affordable housing in South Africa through effective implementation of planning techniques

Abstract

Sustainable affordable housing is an essential housing delivery system in any nation to ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing for the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11. Providing not just sustainable buildings but also affordable ones is necessary to serve the present generation and generation to come. However, constraints and challenges are impeding the success of project execution, and there is no doubt that the poor sustainability nature of the con-struction industry in most developing countries has been identified as contributing to these problems. This study, therefore, investigates the factors that will enhance the effective implementation of plan-ning techniques during the delivery of sustainable affordable housing in South Africa. Drawing from a literature review and a mixed method inquiry approach these are quantitative data and qualitative data, primary data were collected using questionnaires administered to construction participants se-lected from construction firms. The data were captured and encoded using SPSS and subsequently analysed using descriptive (including means score, percentage and frequencies) and inferential sta-tistics such as Kruskal-Wallis H-test. The salient findings regarding the effect of construction constraints on the implementation of planning include fluctuation in prices of materials, late payments for completed work, and use of damaged and low-quality materials. Furthermore, the most significant planning techniques for achieving sustainable affordable housing delivery during the planning process include the following: regular monitoring of the progress of work; quality control through monitoring and recording the results of project delivery to assess performance and recommend necessary change; delegating work appropriately; and effec-tive budget planning at tender stage. To improve sustainability and affordability in delivering housing projects, it is suggested that strict government policies and innovation of sustainable affordable-ori-ented methods of construction are necessary. These findings imply that the process of operations and execution of sustainable affordable housing for low-income earners can be fast-tracked through the implementation of effective planning techniques for achieving sustainable affordable housing. This could be a good driver of success.