In pursuit of just sustainability: decision-making and conflicting rationalities in government-led housing projects

Abstract

Social justice and environmental sustainability are often joint policy objectives, however, achieving the dual goal of just sustainability has proved difficult in both theory and practice. Scholars argue that a key challenge is balancing trade-offs between sustainability and justice objectives. This is evident within government-led housing, where there is little consensus regarding how to balance the housing needs within the context of existing unsustainable and unjust urban forms, resource constraints and high inequality. This paper explores this conundrum by examining how different logics and motivations influence justice and sustainability outcomes of two government housing projects in Johannesburg, South Africa–Pennyville and Lufhereng. We apply the concept of conflicting rationalities [Watson, Vanessa. 2003. “Conflicting Rationalities: Implications for Planning Theory and Ethics.” Planning Theory & Practice 4 (4): 395–407] within a new context, thereby extending the theory and understanding of planning in the face of tensions and trade-offs. Three themes are used to surface different rationalities that influence just sustainability: (1) the assumption that justice and sustainability can be achieved simultaneously within government-led housing, (2) how power, influence and coordination within government contribute to disjunctures between justice and sustainability, and (3) assumptions around infill versus urban expansion for achieving just sustainability. The paper reveals how institutional dynamics, politics and conflicting rationalities diverted each project from their envisioned outcomes. The results show that disconnects between theory and practice are not necessarily driven by conflicts between justice and sustainability, but rather obscured rationalities. Focusing on conflicts between justice and sustainability can deviate attention away from the practical, and sometimes mundane, processes that cumulatively undermine progress towards justice and sustainability.