JOHANNESBURG AFTER the discovery of gold in 1886, Johannesburg sprouted into the metropolis it is today, and has since produced nearly half the world's gold. Its region, known as the Witwatersrand, is the economic, industrial and commercial hub of the nation with a population of approximately 4.5 million. It is comprised of an inner and outer zone. The inner zone consists of the area's metropolitan giant Johannesburg, and is surrounded by the outer zone of meteorically expanding dormitory towns like Soweto, the largest black residential complex in South Africa with a population of around two million. JOHANNESBURG has undergone remarkable financial and commercial growth in the twentieth century, outstripping that of any other city in South Africa. Its Central Business District (CBD) has undergone rapid vertical expansion to meet continuing demands for housing and office space. Within Johannesburg's metamorphosis, segregation has been a key issue resulting in distinct white and black residential areas. Until recently, the white areas were concentrated at the core of the city, with various black townships circulating this. Today, this city is in a process of transformation, in which the white population is moving out towards peripheral areas, forming edge cities, and a large part of the black population is migrating to the former white enclaves. Besides this, the townships themselves are undergoing rapid expansion. Johannesburg's climate is temperate with hot summers and relatively cool winters. THE WATTVILLE COMPETITION SITE WATTVILLE is a small township with about 55.000 inhabitants. It is located about 26 kilometers east of Johannesburg's CBD. Wattville falls within the jurisdiction of Benoni, a city with 501 000 inhabitants. On its western and northern edge Wattville is bordered by industries. This township is strategically located in terms of job opportunities, due to its relatively good accessibility to a main road and a railway line. To the east Wattville is bordered by Lake Leeupan. The spatial characteristic of Wattville is one of low-rise buildings. The houses are almost all one-storey freestanding rectangular houses on a plot. PART of Wattville is Tamboville, an area which is predisposed towards the pedestrian, with cul-de-sacs forming neighbourhood cores, while the remainder of Wattville's layout is clearly based on car traffic. The general perception of multi-storey or high-density housing is negative, simply because there is hardly any experience with good affordable housing. To change these attitudes towards new housing types one should break this perception. One could start by offering people rentable accommodation via a housing association, providing a system in which people are protected against high rents and eviction. COMPETITION ASSIGNMENT THE study area for the competition covers about 19 hectares. To the east the site is bordered by the Lake Leeupan. The project area surrounds Mamkele Street, which separates Tamboville from the rest of Wattville. It is connected to an open area which is a stormwater drainage. A general town plan for the study area is required. The size of the project area is 3.5 hectares. The project should successfully integrate rentable, multi-storey, affordable housing, including at least 100 units, and should add meaningful public spaces to the quarter. Flexible ground-floor plans must be designed, with the possibility to use them for shops, offices or small companies. The extension of houses must be considered. An incremental building construction process should form part of the design. If Mamkele Street will develop and become an important activity spine in the district, it will be desirable to open shops and other facilities in the buildings along the street, and to integrate a differentiated program into the built environment. FURTHERMORE, the plan must be designed to fit in with the surrounding elements. A plan for the lake-side and the stormwater drainage-site must stimulate and catalyze recreational activities in the district. Flexibility of space to deal with changes in use and function must be possible. Another important issue is how the space inside the house relates to the public or private space outside. To ensure the possible implementation of the plan a strategic delivery system must be integrated in the design. In addition, the design should be a generator of work and money, and uplift the area in a socio-economic perspective. A system of delivery, management and maintenance of houses and spaces is a key issue.