Implications for the Implementation of the New Urban Agenda of the Baseline Study of Informal Settlements Targeted for Upgrading in South Africa

Presentation of the outcomes of the Baseline Study on Informal Settlements targeted for Upgrading undertaken by the Human Sciences Research Council and the Department of Human Settlements of the Government of the Republic of South Africa and its recommendations for impact indicators, programme design and institutional arrangements. The study addresses several areas of the New Urban Agenda, and includes Demographic Information, History, Age and Location of the settlements, Security of Tenure, Access to Basic Services, Physical Environmental Vulnerabilities, Health Food and Nutritional Security, Safety, Economic Activities, Social Capital and Community Empowerment, and Attitudes Towards Foreigners. The presentation of the Study and its recommendations, and the subsequent discussion by participants and discussants will identify globally pertinent recommendations with regard to programme design, implementation and institutional arrangements, in particular for community empowerment in informal settlements upgrading. The side event will also share suggestions for relevant data to be collected, as well as appropriate methodologies for data collection, and recommend indicators for future impact assessment of informal settlements upgrading. This will greatly assist both practitioners from government and the community, and academics in implementing and assessing the implementation of the New Urban Agenda. The side event targets practitioners from national, sub-national and local government, academics and researchers, planners, and community organisations, with the intention of creating awareness and proposing practical solutions to the implementation of informal settlements and slum upgrading and the measurement of the impact of such programmes.