This advocacy piece was produced by Isandla Institute under the Safer Places: Resilient Institutions and Neighbourhoods Together (SPRINT) Project. It is aimed at providing key information and recommendations to local government to shift their approach toward VPIs and for provincial and national government, who guide municipalities and contract service providers, to provide an enabling environment for this shift to take place.

'Embedding Area-Based Violence Prevention Initiatives (ABVPI) in Informal Settlement Upgrading in South Africa' highlights the imperative to embed ABVPI in urban planning and development, specifically informal settlement upgrading (ISU). The document highlights the need for a strategic and programmatic approach to building on the alignment between ABVPI and ISU. Recommendations include that municipalities embrace different approaches to engaging with residents and upgrading settlements and that there is more emphasis on livelihoods, urban safety and wellbeing outcomes in projects that utilise ISU funding.