ASF-UK has launched a new phase of its Change by Design engagement in inner-city Johannesburg. Building on three years of collaboration with residents of informally occupied buildings and local partners, the project has generated practice-based research on housing rights, living conditions, and community-led action.
This next phase focuses on translating these findings into practical tools for communities, media, and policymakers, ensuring that evidence can more effectively support real and lasting change.
Why this matters
In 2023, a fire in an informally occupied building in inner-city Johannesburg claimed 77 lives, exposing the urgent and life-threatening conditions faced by residents and prompting a national reform initiative. Yet, research and evidence too often remain confined to academic reports, failing to reach the communities, journalists, and decision-makers who need it most.
Residents of informally occupied buildings in Johannesburg face compounding challenges, including precarious living conditions, limited awareness of their rights, and persistent stigma that continues to shape public and political narratives. Without coordinated action across community, media, and policy levels, meaningful change remains difficult to achieve.
This phase of the project aims to close that gap by ensuring that evidence becomes a practical driver of change for residents living in informally occupied buildings in inner-city Johannesburg.
Who was involved
This phase is supported by the University of Sheffield’s Knowledge Exchange Fund, with Architecture Sans Frontières UK leading the work in collaboration with 1to1 Agency of Engagement and the Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa (SERI).
Each partner brings distinct expertise — from design and community engagement to legal and housing rights — ensuring that the research reaches beyond academia. Throughout the project, ASF-UK and its partners work closely with residents of informally occupied buildings, while also engaging media and policymakers to expand the reach and impact of the work.
Wider Impact
The project is structured around three interconnected streams: grassroots advocacy, a media pack, and a policy brief.
The grassroots stream supports residents in understanding their rights and identifying collective actions to maintain and improve their buildings. The media stream addresses stigma surrounding informally occupied buildings by challenging inappropriate language and amplifying underrepresented narratives. The policy stream focuses on developing practical, “quick-win” solutions that can support policymakers in improving living conditions.
What’s next for ASF-UK
ASF-UK and its partners will facilitate grassroots workshops, media and policymaker engagement events, and produce advocacy audio materials, a media pack, and a ‘Quick Wins’ policy brief.
This phase positions Change by Design in Johannesburg as a model for translating community-based research into coordinated action across communities, media, and policy.
