TOWARDS GENERATING HOUSES IN THE CITY THE question of affordable housing in a highly segregated city is a large problem with many dimensions. It receives due attention from architects and urban planners. Moreover, the question of housing in the context of the South African city is also a design and typological issue which architects and urban planners must consider. THERE is probably no one 'major solution' for the problem of housing in South Africa. A plurality of solutions are required. They may vary from high-rise solutions, which are not very popular in South Africa at the present time, to the compact urban models discussed above, or to intensive low-rise plans which try to tie in with current practice as much as possible. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that houses will probably be built in different ways and in different quantities, and that the different solutions will be able to exist side by side. INCIDENTALLY, it is very important to continue to view the housing problem within a wider perspective. It cannot be reduced to delivering homes. For instance, it is essential to recognise the important role of open space in and around the home, and to reflect on the relations that arise between these homes. People use this open space creatively, for instance to generate income. So housing means that you give these areas, which may vary from the space in front of the house to the centre of the neighbourhood or city, an appropriate place in the open sky. FURTHERMORE, it is important to recognise that people who move to the city mainly do so because they are looking for work. The home and the land where people live can play an important role in the generation of income. One crucial issue is therefore that of incremental development. Another, no less important issue in this connection is that of concentration. This is closely related to the issue of incremental development. High concentrations are unavoidable, but they probably cannot be combined with high-rise solutions. Perhaps low-rise homes in high concentrations offer a way out of this impasse.