The study is based on the context of project management; the discipline which employs skills and knowledge to achieve project goals through various project activities. The study concentrates on project management applications to deliver low cost houses (LCH) in the Metsimaholo Local Municipality (MLM). The main purpose of project management application is to enable project managers to track the progress of a project that they are working on. Institutions working on a very large project require project management applications to give periodic updates on the progress of the work that is being done on a project. By using a project management application, the process is made somewhat easier, in the sense that a project manager can just refer and check on the progress him/herself. Provision of adequate housing for the homeless and others who are inadequately housed in an attempt to reduce poverty and improve quality of people’s life has been a huge challenge to the South African government, particularly in the MLM over the years. Globally, legislators on the physical infrastructure of Parliament are pushing for the urgent construction of LCH by the government. The abovementioned challenge has resulted in an enormous housing backlog with poverty, unemployment, economic stagnation and negative behaviour. Financial constrains are seen to escalate costs and this makes the task even more enormous. The hypothesis for this study indicated that MLM does not possess sufficient institutional capacity to implement project management for the effective delivery of low cost housing. The hypothesis and research objectives of the study were validated by means of literature review and empirical surveys. Thirty-four (34) semi structured questionnaires were used to interview participants in the provision of LCH in MLM. The study is made up of five chapters. The study specifically focused on the application of project management to deliver LCH in the Metsimaholo Local Municipality (MLM). •This study contends that the application of project management in the public service sector to deliver goods and services has not been scientifically applied in a conscience and systematic manner. •In the MLM the national, provincial and the municipality efforts are challenged to provide houses for the homeless. •The increasing population in the MLM has resulted in an enormous housing backlog with poverty, unemployment, and economic stagnation. •The high demand for housing in the MLM brings about financial constrains and makes the task even more enormous. •It is realised through this study that the application of project management is lacking; whereby important pillars of project based outputs such as time, quality and cost are not necessarily the resultant finished products of the community tend to inherit. It is evident from the above that while the MLM has a mandate to provide service delivery it is limited by protocol to take full responsibility in the provision of low cost houses. The provision of LCH requires strengthened co-operative governance in the Free State Province, since the three spheres have important roles to play. In the face of the huge backlogs in housing and human settlement provision, the country urgently needs to develop the technical knowledge and skills necessary to fast track housing delivery. / M, Development and Management, Public Management and Administration, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2012

Rapid migration of people to the urban areas of developing countries resulted in a shortage of housing and the location of people in poor housing and unhealthy environments. Studies have shown that people who live in poor housing are at increased risk of exposure to the determinants of respiratory diseases. Objective: This study investigated the influence of housing conditions on respiratory disease in selected low cost housing settlements in Johannesburg, South Africa. Methodology: Secondary data analysis based on the Health, Environment and Development (HEAD) cross-sectional study were used to explore housing conditions in relation to respiratory health. Results: Black African households comprised (77%) the major population group in the study. The overall mean number of people per household was five with household size ranging from 1 to 22 people permanently living in the household. Most of the households (48%) had an average monthly income of R1001 to R2000. The self reported household prevalence of asthma was highest among households in Riverlea (21%). Households in Riverlea had reported higher levels of asthma 33% relative to households in Bertrams. Hairdressing activities within dwellings increased the risk of asthma (OR: 2.89, 95% CI 1.46-5.73). Tuberculosis was associated with household size (OR 0.9, 95% CI 0.79 – 0.99) and smoking (OR 0.4 CI 0.12 - 0.96) in the univariate analysis. However in the multivariate analysis there was no significant association between tuberculosis with household size (OR 0.92, 95% CI 0.80 - 1.05) or smoking (OR 0.03, 95% CI 0.12 – 1.00). Conclusion: In this study housing quality was an important determinant of respiratory health. More intervention strategies need to be employed to improve the living environment. These include increasing awareness and education to the public and other sectors, source reduction and more guidelines for healthy housing. Finally, more research on housing and health is needed to determine the effect of housing on health.

Although typically associated with the provision of low-cost holiday accommodation, for over 30 years city-based caravan parks have provided an unrecognised source of permanent housing to the lower end of the market. Due to their often dilapidated condition and the demographic profile of their residents, caravan parks do not fit within the Australian housing ideal and are often considered enclaves of despondency. Residents are subject to harsh stereotypes and are often referred to as ??trailer trash?? ?? a tag which originated in the USA. However the reality is that caravan parks provide significant social benefits and are unique living environments for their permanent residents. This research involved an extensive discourse analysis complemented by in-depth interviews with caravan park residents and industry stakeholders, which found that the residential experience is typically based on solidarity, companionship, pride and a true sense of belonging. As urban land prices in Australia have increased exponentially and the footprints of its capital cities continue to grow, large parcels of under-developed land accommodating caravan parks have become ??land banks?? ripe for redevelopment. While it is the park owner??s prerogative to maximise profit, individuals and households are being displaced with little or no compensation, to make way for more lucrative land uses. With deficiencies in the public housing system and the failure of the housing market to provide an adequate level of low-cost accommodation, caravan park residents face an uncertain future, even homelessness. However, the understated impact of this trend is the social implications which affect some of the community??s most vulnerable members. The loss of home, community disintegration and feelings of insecurity appear to be disregarded in the planning process, and this trend seems certain to continue with a lack of responsibility and strategic vision by the government. For this reason, the continued closure of Sydney??s caravan parks should not be tolerated for the purpose of land profiteering. A comprehensive all-of-government and industry response is urgently required to address the threats to Sydney??s caravan parks and to develop mitigation strategies aimed at reducing the resultant outcomes for their vulnerable residents.

The study is based on the context of project management; the discipline which employs skills and knowledge to achieve project goals through various project activities. The study concentrates on project management applications to deliver low cost houses (LCH) in the Metsimaholo Local Municipality (MLM). The main purpose of project management application is to enable project managers to track the progress of a project that they are working on. Institutions working on a very large project require project management applications to give periodic updates on the progress of the work that is being done on a project. By using a project management application, the process is made somewhat easier, in the sense that a project manager can just refer and check on the progress him/herself. Provision of adequate housing for the homeless and others who are inadequately housed in an attempt to reduce poverty and improve quality of people’s life has been a huge challenge to the South African government, particularly in the MLM over the years. Globally, legislators on the physical infrastructure of Parliament are pushing for the urgent construction of LCH by the government. The abovementioned challenge has resulted in an enormous housing backlog with poverty, unemployment, economic stagnation and negative behaviour. Financial constrains are seen to escalate costs and this makes the task even more enormous. The hypothesis for this study indicated that MLM does not possess sufficient institutional capacity to implement project management for the effective delivery of low cost housing. The hypothesis and research objectives of the study were validated by means of literature review and empirical surveys. Thirty-four (34) semi structured questionnaires were used to interview participants in the provision of LCH in MLM. The study is made up of five chapters. The study specifically focused on the application of project management to deliver LCH in the Metsimaholo Local Municipality (MLM). •This study contends that the application of project management in the public service sector to deliver goods and services has not been scientifically applied in a conscience and systematic manner. •In the MLM the national, provincial and the municipality efforts are challenged to provide houses for the homeless. •The increasing population in the MLM has resulted in an enormous housing backlog with poverty, unemployment, and economic stagnation. •The high demand for housing in the MLM brings about financial constrains and makes the task even more enormous. •It is realised through this study that the application of project management is lacking; whereby important pillars of project based outputs such as time, quality and cost are not necessarily the resultant finished products of the community tend to inherit. It is evident from the above that while the MLM has a mandate to provide service delivery it is limited by protocol to take full responsibility in the provision of low cost houses. The provision of LCH requires strengthened co-operative governance in the Free State Province, since the three spheres have important roles to play. In the face of the huge backlogs in housing and human settlement provision, the country urgently needs to develop the technical knowledge and skills necessary to fast track housing delivery. / M, Development and Management, Public Management and Administration, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2012

Although typically associated with the provision of low-cost holiday accommodation, for over 30 years city-based caravan parks have provided an unrecognised source of permanent housing to the lower end of the market. Due to their often dilapidated condition and the demographic profile of their residents, caravan parks do not fit within the Australian housing ideal and are often considered enclaves of despondency. Residents are subject to harsh stereotypes and are often referred to as ??trailer trash?? ?? a tag which originated in the USA. However the reality is that caravan parks provide significant social benefits and are unique living environments for their permanent residents. This research involved an extensive discourse analysis complemented by in-depth interviews with caravan park residents and industry stakeholders, which found that the residential experience is typically based on solidarity, companionship, pride and a true sense of belonging. As urban land prices in Australia have increased exponentially and the footprints of its capital cities continue to grow, large parcels of under-developed land accommodating caravan parks have become ??land banks?? ripe for redevelopment. While it is the park owner??s prerogative to maximise profit, individuals and households are being displaced with little or no compensation, to make way for more lucrative land uses. With deficiencies in the public housing system and the failure of the housing market to provide an adequate level of low-cost accommodation, caravan park residents face an uncertain future, even homelessness. However, the understated impact of this trend is the social implications which affect some of the community??s most vulnerable members. The loss of home, community disintegration and feelings of insecurity appear to be disregarded in the planning process, and this trend seems certain to continue with a lack of responsibility and strategic vision by the government. For this reason, the continued closure of Sydney??s caravan parks should not be tolerated for the purpose of land profiteering. A comprehensive all-of-government and industry response is urgently required to address the threats to Sydney??s caravan parks and to develop mitigation strategies aimed at reducing the resultant outcomes for their vulnerable residents.

M. Tech. / In the past the policy for the provision of low-cost housing was not very effective because the context of the development planning was characterized by fragmentation, segregation and isolation from the targeted communities. The reason for this is that these development programmes were not participatory and that they contributed to dependency rather than empowerment of communities. Selected case studies have shown that without the involvement of the community in planning and decision-making, low-cost housing projects cannot meet the needs and demands of the community for improvement in an effective and efficient way. One of the basic principles of the Reconstruction and Development Programme is that development projects should be people-driven. The policy framework clearly states that ‘delivery systems in housing will depend upon community participation’. This current study sought to determine whether delivery systems in low-cost housing projects have made this paradigm shift – that they are participatory and needs-driven. The study is descriptive and issue-oriented and is limited to understanding the process of low-cost housing provision to newly-urbanised Africans in Soshanguve, a peri-urban settlement in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality. Using a semi-structured questionnaire, interviews were conducted with 100 respondents, who were either male or female heads of households. The study gave respondents an opportunity to share their experiences regarding the process of community participation in housing provision.

The study was premised by the apparent lack of sustainability and poor quality of low cost housing of Botswana. The overall aim of the study was to investigate the possibility of integration of sustainability and resource efficiency into housing practice. The research first conducted a desk study into the low cost housing industry of Botswana which was followed by a survey in a representative area of Gaborone, the capital city of Botswana. The survey was in the form of a situational analysis which was conducted through user questionnaires. This was followed by structured interviews that were administered to stakeholders to gain insight into housing and design practice. In order to investigate the performance of different types of existing low cost housing, the following parameters were identified; planning and implementation, housing design, the building envelope and its response to its environment, materials and resources used in low cost housing, their application and consumption pattern. The study found that sustainable, energy conscious design of housing makes a considerable difference to the building’s thermal performance, user comfort, health, appropriate use of resources and the environment. It results in cost savings for services by the occupants, reduces institutional expenditure on programmes and maintenance costs, and reduces the negative impact on the environment by the building sector. Following the research, the study found that for successful integration of sustainability and energy efficiency in low cost housing for Botswana, there must be a balance in the integration of three primary elements; energy efficient housing, culture and regional identity and the environment. Institutional low cost housing was targeted as the first point of intervention for better impact. The study recommended a phased implementation approach. The output of the study was a framework for the integration of these strategies into new and existing housing for the institutional low cost housing sector. / Dissertation (MArch)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Architecture / unrestricted

The demand for well-located land in order to be developed for the upper-middle to high-income housing, industries, offices, retail, etc in Mbombela Local Municipality, is substantial. Within the past 10 years, Mbombela Local Municipality, has experienced an increase in residential development on welllocated land in and around its urban centres, i.e. Nelspruit, White River and Hazyview. Most of the land in and around these urban centres is privately owned, and as such, development is mainly driven by the market forces. However, there has been persistence in the peripheralisation of the poor through the government’s programme on low-cost housing delivery in Mbombela Local Municipality. The high demand of well-located land has triggered high land prices and this is one of the causes of lack of access to urban land by the poor. Despite good government policies on socio-economic integration, there seems to be no challenges on the current situation, either by government, Mbombela Local Municipality or private organisations. This research argues that the lack of access to urban land by the poor is the cause of the persistent peripheralisation through the programme of low-cost housing delivery in Mbombela Local Municipality. These urban centres (Nelspruit, White River and Hazyview) accommodate only those who have power to purchase, and thus, creates a socio-economic gap because the poor are excluded by the market forces in these areas. Since the government and Mbombela Local Municipality own less land in and around the urban centres, the market forces become the sole supply of well-located land. It is therefore imperative that government, Mbombela Local Municipality and private organisations forge a partnership with the private sector and deduce a sound strategy that will seek to address and challenge the current situation.

To accommodate an expanding global population, a renewable raw material resource base, in conjunction with new building technologies, must be applied to the residential housing sector. Desirable characteristics of housing systems are economy, safety, environmental sustainability, durability, design flexibility and a long service life. The system should be acceptable to the end-user, consist of renewable, indigenous resources, and require a minimum investment in labor and equipment for both production and erection. The objective of this research was to develop a ready-to-assemble (RTA) framing system. Integral to the framing system is a nail plate connector, developed in this project, that laminates wood or wood composite elements into larger building components. The laminated components can be bolted together to form various structural configurations. Decisions on the development of the RTA system were structured according to an Innovation Development Decision Model (IDDP) that was constructed from previous adoption and diffusion research. The IDDP model elucidates and illustrates the innovation process from conceptual idea to product adoption. The critical issues for product acceptance include system performance in terms of safety, cost, and building code approval. The objective of the experimental portion of the research was to test the performance of the RTA connection system in specific modes and to develop a theoretical method to predict the strength of the connection. A series of experiments to quantify the shear strength and stiffness of six joint configurations assembled with the RTA connector were designed and conducted. The joints were fabricated from solid sawn lumber and three different wood-base composites. The experimental results indicated that the strength of the RTA connector in perpendicular-to-grain and parallel-to-grain orientations can be predicted from a theoretical dowel yield model. The material properties used in the yield model were adjusted for duration of load and safety. Empirical test values were within ±6.3 % of the predicted values from the theoretical model. Joint stiffness was evaluated, modeled and quantified in the linear and non-linear ranges. A structural analysis program was used to design and model a simple RTA building for realistic gravity and wind loads. The structural model was used to predict joint forces that the RTA connector must resist in-service. The computer model predictions were compared to the empirical joint test data. The results indicate that the RTA system can be designed to meet safety and serviceability criteria. A comparison between the estimated costs of a RTA building and the costs of traditional on site construction of a building of equal dimensions indicated that the RTA system is economically competitive. / Ph. D.

Decent housing available to the working class in America is in very short supply. Manufactured housing could help to meet this basic need. But community groups and politicians often reject manufactured housing because they fear it will have a negative impact upon property values and the aesthetic character of their community. This thesis examines the reasons behind these fears, how the history of manufactured housing has fed into these fears and what design elements can allay these fears. Three site planning typologies are developed using the factors found in the research, that create a good neighborhood for both the residents and outside observers. The typologies inform three designs that illustrate how manufactured housing developments can be designed to fit compatibly into existing communities. / Master of Landscape Architecture