South Africa’s first ‘Green Street’ upgrade in a low-income area was completed ahead of the COP17 international climate change talks in late 2011. Thirty low-cost houses in a small cul-de-sac road in the historic township of Cato Manor in Durban received a green upgrade, called a retrofit. This project was led by the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA), in association with the World Green Building Council, and was primarily funded by the British High Commission. The aims of the project were to demonstrate the range of socio-economic, health, and environmental benefits which are possible through sustainable design and resource-efficiency interventions in low-income houses; and to show that people’s quality of life can be improved, while keeping the country’s development on low carbon and more ‘Earth-friendly’ path.

The retrofit project, which took three months, addressed issues relating to energy and water provision and efficiency, recycling, waste management, an upgrade of the local stream, and food gardens. Given the limited time and resources that were available, it is important to note that this initiative was not designed as a high-level research project, nor was it intended to propose the design solution for low-income housing. Instead it is a practical demonstration of the need to green low-income housing, and the potential impact that similar interventions could have on a national scale.