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Policy Brief: Embedding a just urban transition in informal settlements
Informed by engagements with human settlements stakeholders between 2025 and 2026, this policy brief summarises an urban reform agenda focused on climate resilience, livelihoods, governance, and investment in informal settlement upgrading. It outlines priority reforms in governance, funding, and implementation, and sets out specific actions required from - and committed to by - key national government stakeholders.
Sustainable Livelihoods, Neighbourhood Development and Climate Resilience
A just urban transition approach opens a new economic outlook towards informal settlement upgrading, one that combines livelihoods, resilience and neighbourhood development. In particular, public employment programmes focused on social value creation, such as the SEF and CWP, can be leveraged to drive a just urban transition approach to informal settlements.
About Us
Isandla Institute is a key role player in the local governance sector, an important analytical voice on urban development issues, a convener of spaces of dialogue on urban citizenship, a producer of quality research, and a thought leader on issues such as informal settlements upgrading, urban governance and local level planning systems
Key Focus Areas
Urban Land
Promoting planning frameworks and land management systems that advance urban spatial transformation, the social function of and sustainability development.
Urban Governance
Promoting accountable, democratic, responsive, integrated and resilient systems of governance, as well as citizen agency in place making.
Urban Livelihoods
Contributing to systems, processes, policies and planning that enable endogenous development, meaningful work and sustainable livelihoods.