- ‘An exploration of the informal backyard rental sector in South Africa’s Western Cape Province’   301 kb by    Lategan, Louis & Cilliers, Juaneè | 21441480@nwu.ac.za    Short Outline This paper examines the backyard sector in South Africa’s Western Cape Province and examines why the sector remains largely unregulated and unaddressed whilst being recognised as a major component of SA’s stock. Abstract South African low-cost housing development is extremely complex. The post- Apartheid government struggles with a fragmented and segregated urban inheritance and also with a housing demand which far exceeds delivery capacity. In response to inadequate delivery South Africa’s otherwise destitute have turned to informal backyard renting as a last resort. Backyard structures can house a multitude of tenants in single one or two roomed wood or corrugated iron structures, which are traditionally constructed by tenants in the backyards of homes provided by government under such housing programmes as the RDP (Reconstruction and Development Programme). This paper examined the state of the backyard sector in the Western Cape Province (South Africa) and investigated if and how the province attempts to address the plight of backyarders who live in dire conditions. It was found that the prevalence of backyard accommodation dramatically increases densities and reduces urban sprawl, but simultaneously increases pressure on infrastructure and public facilities. Backyarders are also dependant on their landlords for access to basic services and the informal nature of lease agreements leave them vulnerable to eviction at any time. The main research question to answer was: ‘What is the scope of the backyard sector in the Western Cape and what is being done to address the complexities of the sector in order to improve living conditions?’ This paper found that the Western Cape Province tolerates the backyard sector as a ‘necessary evil’, but also that, except in the City of Cape Town, very little has been done to address the issue. Although the sector has been on the radar for some time as an integral component of the country’s housing stock, a provincial and national policy which attempts to regulate the sector remains absent. The research for this paper included the results of surveys conducted in low-income areas in the province, interviews with municipal and provincial officials and private stakeholders, national and provincial policy reviews and an evaluation of existing literature sources from a variety of disciplines. The conclusions drawn in this paper and the subsequent recommendations made, may inform the formulation of provincial and national policies on the backyard sector, which may improve the lives of millions of South Africa’s previously disadvantaged by enhancing a sustainable planning approach. Keywords Case Study presented on the ISOCARP Congress 2013: Frontiers of Planning - Evolving and declining models of city planning practice   Click to open the full paper as pdf document   Click to send an email to the author(s) of this paper