From Classroom to Persistent Reality: Postgraduate Pedagogic Approaches on the 'Upgrading'' of Impoverished Neighbourhoods in Johannesburg

Abstract

The South African government’s treatment of impoverished neighbourhoods that emerged outside of statutory processes, has seldom aligned with the intent of the official ‘upgrading of informal settlements’ policy adopted in 2004. The latter has promoted in-situ regularisation and development with relocation as a last resort. It has required of professionals, whether government officials or consultants, to explore pathways that are not conventional and to tailor interventions to unique contexts. This includes convincing associated sectors and their professionals, whether town planners or engineers, to do things differently. Three decades into democracy in South Africa, the year 2024, has presented a moment of policy adjustment with intense debates towards the conclusion of new White Paper on Human Settlements. Windows for input into the White Paper have provided opportunities to emphasise the importance of institutional arrangements that offer dedicated career paths in the development and regularisation of self-organised neighbourhoods. Important questions arise with regards to the skills and understanding needed for such careers. It is, therefore, an opportune time to reflect on over two decades of postgraduate pedagogy in the School of Architecture and Planning at Wits University that has dovetailed with actual engagement in the ‘informal settlement upgrading’ sector, both in policy debates and in solidarity with community-based actors experiencing detailed implementation. This paper reflects on pedagogic approaches and processes developed over this period, including critical reading, annual student-stakeholder workshops, engagement with unregularized neighbourhoods willing to serve as local ‘labs’ through long-term reciprocal relationships with university staff, and exposure to alternative practices outside of South Africa.