From the guest editor

Abstract

The national Department of Housing in 2004 launched its new Programme for the Development of Sustainable Human Settlements: Breaking New Ground, a ?ve year plan, corresponding with the ANC’s third term in government. Breaking New Ground (BNG) builds on the basic tenets of the 1997 Housing Act and the 2000 Housing Code. However, it recognises shortcomings in the housing delivery of the ?rst 10 years of democracy and seeks a diversi?cation and re?nement of housing interventions. Critical innovations relate to land, location, ?nancing and typologies. BNG gives direct support to approaches that had been attempted before 2004 but were poorly supported in the housing subsidy scheme – medium density housing, rental housing, inclusionary housing and informal settlement upgrading. Monitoring and evaluation are also given emphasis in the Breaking New Ground document.