Beyond Buildings And Streetlights: Building Cities People Can Call Home

Johannesburg’s Jozi My Jozi civic movement offers a practical example of how to advance this ambition and give people hope. Through its Light Up Jozi campaign, more than 2,200 solar-powered streetlights have been installed across the inner city, improving lighting along more than 42 kilometers of priority routes, walkable networks and corridors. In the inner city of Johannesburg, Jozi My Jozi is working with City Improvement Districts (CIDs) and the Forum for Integrated Risk Mitigation, ensuring visible security presence in several precincts.  By making public spaces safer, well lit, and more accessible, initiatives such as this encourage people to reconnect with the city and help lay the groundwork for broader urban renewal.

The challenge then is to ensure that this momentum is matched by the institutional, legal and financial arrangements needed to support adequate housing and liveable neighbourhoods over time. This is the broader question at the heart of World Cities Day 2026, observed on 31 October under the theme of Regenerating the City: Adequate Housing for All.

Civic renewal requires more than visible improvements

Civic initiatives can bring residents, businesses, institutions of higher learning, community organisations and other partners together to improve neglected urban spaces. Sustaining this progress, however, requires collaboration with public institutions responsible for infrastructure, municipal services, and urban development.

Clear accountability helps connect these efforts to lasting change, making sure the public spaces are maintained, essential services are provided, and housing developments are supported. South Africa’s Social Housing Act 16 of 2008 provides a framework for social housing delivery, outlining the responsibilities of the national, provincial and local governments. Within their statutory mandates and available resources, municipalities play a crucial role in facilitating approved projects through access to appropriately identified land, infrastructure development, and the provision of essential services.

Ultimately, successful urban renewal depends on more than building homes. It requires collaborative planning and service provision, not construction alone. That foundation helps create neighbourhoods that can support residents’ needs in the long term.

Responsible land development

Once institutional responsibilities are clear, the attention should turn to whether the land is ready for development. This means establishing who legally owns or controls the land, whether they have the right to develop it, and whether existing leases, claims or restrictions could affect the project. The proposed use must also be permitted under the applicable zoning and land-use rules, with any additional approvals and infrastructure requirements assessed. This assessment must consider existing land tenure interests, heritage consideration, and potential displacement impacts.

South Africa’s Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act 16 of 2013 provides a framework for land-use planning and development decisions, including the consideration of infrastructure and the costs of providing services. These requirements are important when assessing whether a site can support the intended development. Without this groundwork, projects risk delays, rising costs and uncertainty, while communities may experience disruptions, exclusion or prolonged delays in accessing housing and services.

Due diligence exercises help identify legal, commercial and regulatory risks before significant investment is committed. These also clarify which approvals are required, which contractual obligations must be met and whether arrangements for essential services are in place. This is particularly important when multiple institutions, landowners, funders and delivery partners are involved.

Property agreements and public-private partnerships must make accountability clear

With land and planning requirements established, consideration should be given next to how the development will be delivered. Property agreements and public-private partnership (PPP) contracts set out each party’s responsibilities, how risks will be shared, and how delays or disputes will be handled. This means specifying who will fund the project, secure approvals and provide the necessary infrastructure.

Student accommodation shows why this coordination matters. Housing thousands of students requires public institutions and private partners to work together, with clear responsibilities for funding, construction and ongoing management. CMS South Africa’s experience in supporting PPP projects for residential accommodation for 9,500 students across four higher education institutions, highlights the scale of delivery these partnerships can support.

These agreements must balance financial viability with public needs, while clearly assigning responsibility for infrastructure, essential services and ongoing maintenance. Accountability must continue after construction, ensuring that accommodation remains functional and serves the households for which it is intended. Without these arrangements, completing a building does not necessarily mean delivering housing that meets its residents’ needs.

Housing finance must support delivery and protect affordability

Even when land, approvals and responsibilities are in place, housing developments still need funding that makes them viable. Financing must cover development and construction costs, account for project risks, and reflect what their intended residents can afford. With affordable and social housing, in particular, the challenge is to secure enough funding to build and maintain homes without making them too expensive for those residents.

The appropriate financing structure will depend on the project. Debt, public funding and housing-specific support mechanisms can each play a role, but the funding model must align with the development’s costs, timeline and financial requirements. Unresolved approvals, uncertain infrastructure costs or gaps in the funding plan can increase financial risk, delay delivery and undermine a project’s viability.

Securing funding is only part of the process. It must also support the delivery of affordable homes, reliable infrastructure and essential services needed to create and sustain liveable neighbourhoods.

Make every urban renewal effort count

World Cities Day 2026 is a reminder that urban regeneration must go beyond improving public spaces and infrastructure. It must also address the need for affordable housing and reliable services. Jozi My Jozi shows how civic action can strengthen confidence, participation and shared pride in Johannesburg’s urban spaces. But lasting change depends on the planning, partnerships and investment needed to support the communities who live, work and play there.

A better-lit street matters, and so does being able to afford a home on it. True regeneration means creating neighbourhoods where people can live comfortably, safely and affordably, access essential services and build a future as their city evolves. Together, these elements build neighbourhoods and cities that are increasingly liveable, inclusive and resilient.