94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or good
Learn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish.
Find out more
BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article
Front. Sustain. Resour. Manag.
Sec. Safe and Just Resource Management
Volume 4 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fsrma.2025.1533386
This article is part of the Research TopicThe Dynamics of Sustainable, Inclusive and Equitable Human SettlementsView all 9 articles
Planning for quality and sustainable infrastructure post-apartheid South Africa: Insights from Cosmo City
Provisionally accepted- University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
This paper explores the planning strategies employed in the development of quality and sustainable sanitation infrastructure in post-apartheid South Africa. Despite notable strides in addressing the historical imbalances perpetrated by the apartheid regime, the provision of inclusive, reliable, and sustainable sanitation infrastructure remains a critical concern. The study employed a qualitative method. Qualitative interviews, observations, policy and planning analysis, and a review of the literature were all done. The findings highlighted the complexity of planning for quality and sustainable sanitation infrastructure, exposing a range of issues that are interconnected such as limited financing, inadequate institutional capacity, and political will. These issues have an impact on social well-being, the environment, health, and implementation. The study contributed to various lessons, such as; the impact of community engagement and participation in decision-making processes in fostering project ownership, acceptance, and sustainable objectives and success
Keywords: Sustainable development1, planning2, Infrastructure3, resiliency4, sanitation5
Received: 23 Nov 2024; Accepted: 08 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Mathonsi, Mphambukeli and Mufungizi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Mthabisi Vitalis Mathonsi, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.