Building sustainable human settlements requires more than bricks and mortar; we need to understand the meaning of‘ human’ in human settlements and focus on building sustainable settlements and resilient communities.
Projects REGULARS- HOUSING MATTERS
Providing sustainable housing using geospatial tech
Building sustainable human settlements requires more than bricks and mortar; we need to understand the meaning of‘ human’ in human settlements and focus on building sustainable settlements and resilient communities.
By Senzo Nkonyane
South Africa’ s strategic plan, the National Development Plan( NDP), provides a clear vision of where we should be in 2030. Chapter 8 of this plan deals with the transformation of human settlements and the national space economy. Sadly though there are still municipalities in 2018 approving settlement plans which sometimes include outdated spatial planning infrastructures such as clustered dwellings and communal toilets, therefore they overlook the‘ human’ aspect of a human settlement.
The NDP 2030 makes a call for the delivery of flexible human settlements that are spatially, socially and economically integrated and geospatial technologies are playing a key role in making this vision a reality.
An integrated geospatial visualisation platform can facilitate the necessary co-ordination and oversight required to help transform human settlements in South Africa. One of these spatial visualisation platforms is being used to assess the Duncan Village redevelopment project in the Eastern Cape( Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality). The project is one of several priority projects targeted for intervention by the BCMM’ s Human Settlements Unit to ensure that people get access to decent housing. The platform is used to measure and assess whether the project demonstrates spatial, social and economic integration as envisaged by NDP 2030.
The audience at a recent seminar hosted by a spatial visualisation platform company and presented by NT Geomatics, were taken on a virtual reality tour of Duncan Village redevelopment project, using of a range of geospatial
Senzo Nkonyanehas has a BA degree in Geography from University of Johannesburg and has a post graduate qualification in GIS and remote sensing.
ESRI SOUTH AFRICA and 3D modelling software, which brought the full scope of the proposed housing project to life.
Using the visualisation power of the platform and its ability to bring together multiple streams of information, it was possible to demonstrate to the audience the relationship between various aspects of the housing project. This includes assessing the feasibility and evaluating its alignment with NDP 2030 policy objectives to identify amendments that need to be made to the project plan.
On the Duncan Village project, the integrated spatial visual platform has made it possible for surveying and town planning consultants from NT Geomatics to ascertain whether the human settlement plan is compliant with the prevailing legislative framework governing projects of this nature and whether space has been built into the project plans for later needs, such as public transport systems. Harnessing the power of geospatial technologies in this manner also makes it possible to identify gaps and challenges with current government housing strategies.
The spatial platform allows for prompt access to a range of key datasets like land cover, land use and land ownership at the touch of a button. This facility simplifies appropriate site selection for sustainable human settlements, helping to avoid lengthy and costly land appropriation procedures by identifying suitable land that is more readily available. The spatial platform demonstrates that it can strengthen good governance principles as it swiftly identifies instances of possible corruption where land intended for human settlement has been sold off cheaply only to be offered back to the department at inflated prices. The integration of various systems that include Cadastral, Deeds, Valuation and Land Use make this possible.
Integrated spatial visualisation platforms have a crucial role to play in providing sustainable human settlements in our country. Aside from the benefits of coordinated planning, access to multiple streams of information and 3D visualisation, the use of geospatial solutions for human settlement project planning in South Africa enables mistakes and oversights to be identified and rectified before they become expensive realities.
For more about the National Development Plan( NDP) 2030, go to: www. poa. gov. za.
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