Experiences and Challenges of Community Participation in Urban Renewal Projects: The Case of Johannesburg, South Africa

Urban renewal and inner city regeneration have become critical efforts for the South African government, which has invested in several structures tostem the tide of decline in its nine major cities. Commitment to the alleviation of poverty is a focal point of the renewal and regeneration agenda and willremain so in the future. This effort is motivated by the fact that around 24% of the South African population currently lives on less than USD 1.00 per day, belowthe poverty line defined by the World Bank. The Central Government has made numerous public commitments to development, a part of which concernsextensive infrastructure investment and service delivery. Communities are expected to participate fully in the planning and implementation of these urbanrenewal projects. To this aim, participation is a process through which stakeholders influence and share control over development initiatives and the decisionsand resources which affect them. Community participation should be aimed at empowering people by ensuring the development of skills and the creationof employment opportunities. This paper first explores the concept of community participation, and will then look at relevant past experiences in relation tocommunity participation in urban renewal projects. Furthermore, the paper outlines the challenges and problems of community participation in urbanrenewal projects in Johannesburg, and finally, close with recommendations for the future.