The Urban Renewal Programme (URP) is a Presidential initiative, announced by former President Thabo Mbeki during the State of the Nation Address in 2001. The programme a response to the call from the President for everyone to focus their energy and resources on the country's poorest urban communities.

The Urban Renewal Program is an integrated process targeting the regeneration of certain under-developed geographic areas to achieve sustainable development by bringing a balance between the social, economic, environmental and infrastructural aspects of City Life.

"Urban Renewal is an ambitious process in which a community develops partnerships, attitudes and ongoing actions that strengthen its natural environment, economy and social well-being. Benefits include more livable communities, lower costs and a safe environment for future generations. The underlying National 'vision' is based on the principle that Government is committed to: Attaining socially cohesive, resilient and stable rural and urban communities with viable institutions, sustainable economies and universal access to social amenities, able to attract and retain skilled and knowledgeable people who are equipped to contribute to growth and development" (DPLG, 2001).

Objectives of the Urban Renewal Programme

The Urban Renewal process involves delivering government services to meet needs more effectively, and the upgrading of needed infrastructure. It must be geared:

• To mobilise people so that they can become active participants in the processes targeted at the upliftment of their own communities.
• To co-ordinate and focus the activities of the three spheres of government.
• To secure private sector co-operation and participation in the programme.
• To reprioritise and re-align the budgets and expenditure of the three spheres of government, in particular their expenditure in poverty relief, infrastructure development, maintenance and rehabilitation in the 2001 MTEF and forthcoming cycles, to be consistent with the identified nodal points.
• To pilot approaches to ensure cluster and inter-cluster as well as cross-sphere approaches to planning, budgeting and implementation.

All the projects of the Mitchells Plain URP are closely aligned to this strategy.

For more information on the URP, go to the Department of Provincial and Local Government website.