"Low-Income Housing Backlogs and Deficits “Blues” in South Africa. What Solutions Can a Lean Construction Approach Proffer? "

Abstract

The Oxford dictionary defines the word “blues” as meaning “a feeling of depression or deep unhappiness, gloominess, despondency, dejection and despair”. The concept of low-income housing (LIH) and the notion of housing backlogs and deficits “blues” in South Africa is linked to a sub-optimal performing LIH sector in which slow turn-around times, slow service LIH delivery stock turnover and continued failure to reverse significantly LIH waiting list requirements persists across municipalities throughout the country. Coupled with the challenge and threat presented by climate change (CC) induced vulnerabilities for LIH with questions marks hanging with respect to the capacity and capabilities of both state and non-state actors to provide a sustainable CC resilient and insulated LIH sector in the country, so much that perceived feelings of gloom, despondency, dejection and despair start finding expression in respect to the ability of the housing sector to guarantee settlement resilience in this new climatic and socioeconomic environment. In this regard, exploring how existing initiatives such as alternative building Centre for Research on Settlements and Urbanism