Interrelationships between sustainability and wellbeing in informal settlements

Townships in South Africa are characterised by underdeveloped urban neighbourhoods on the periphery of cities where their inhabitants suffer from a poor quality of life. Given the relative lack of empirical research on the well-being of people living in townships in South Africa, this study attempts to fill the gap by understanding and modelling the relationships between household socioeconomic characteristics, housing and neighbourhood conditions, and individual and community well-being to develop and empirically validate a neighbourhood well-being framework. The hypothesised associations from the well-being framework were tested using 389 household interviews of the three largest townships in South Africa. The findings identify the challenges associated with adequate housing and lack of infrastructure in townships and how these affect the well-being of individuals and communities. The conclusion demonstrates how the neighbourhood well-being framework, as an interdisciplinary approach, can improve the quality of life of inhabitants and communities in urban neighbourhoods in general.

Paper

Modeling the Neighborhood Wellbeing of Townships in South Africa (2023)

How to cite: Moghayedi A, Mehmood A, Michell K, Ekpo CO. Modeling the Neighborhood Wellbeing of Townships in South Africa. Sustainability. 2023; 15(11):8542. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15118542

Presenter

Kathy Michell | UCT Department of Construction Economics and Management

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