City of Cape Town

Indicator	Number of informal dwellings units
Description	The number of informal dwelling units serviced by the City

Existing Trends

Significance	Some form of shelter is considered a basic human need. The quality and the degree of protection and comfort it provides can vary enormously. An informal dwelling is defined as a wood and iron structure, which does not meet basic standards of safety in building (City of Cape Town, Sustainability Report, 2005).
Implications	Informal settlements are known to be at greater risk from the effects of disasters. In Cape Town, many informal areas are built on inappropriate sites such as former rubble dumps (e.g. Sweet Home Farm in Philippi) and wetlands (e.g. Masiphumelele). These factors, coupled with high winter rainfall make informal settlements in Cape Town especially prone to flooding. The sub-standard level of housing in informal settlements means that residents are particularly susceptible to the extreme weather that often occurs in Cape Town. Other environmental factors which pose a threat to informal households are strong winds and freezing temperatures. Fires are also a risk to informal dwellings, as the high level of densification and inflammable building materials contribute to the spread of fires. These disasters lead to loss of life as well as loss of homes and possessions. Informal settlements are also far from commercial and residential centres, thus residents are at an economic disadvantage. Moreover informal settlements have a negative impact on the environment, such as pollution of the environment by wastewater and the burning of fossil fuels and other inflammable material. The environmental degradation aggravates the situation of poverty found in such settlement.  People living in informal settlements are also more susceptible to disease and epidemics. Dwelling counts in informal settlements have been completed from aerial photography taken in February 2002, July 2003, January 2004, January 2005, June 2006 and January 2007..
Map	A map showing the distribution of informal settlements across the City.
References	City of Cape Town, Sustainability Report 2005 Informal Dwelling Count 2007.
Contact	Janet Gie Senior Professional Officer Strategic Development Information and GIS Janet.Gie@capetown.gov.za Karen Small Head: Strategic Information Analysis and Research Strategic Development Information and GIS Karen.Small@capetown.gov.za
Complied by	Strategic Information, Strategic Development Information and GIS Department
Updated	2008/07/14