SA Affordable Housing January / February 2017 // Issue: 62 | Page 4

EDITOR ’ S COLUMN

What are YOU doing ?

For many , 2016 is a year we ’ d rather not talk about . Things were tough and the world seemed to fall to pieces – not just in our own political sphere but globally . And I ’ m not just talking about Trump ’ s election and the endless natural disasters and terrorist attacks …

But rather than dwell on this challenging year that unfortunately caused some businesses to close their doors , I ’ d prefer that we look towards 2017 . Too soon the new year has arrived again , bringing with it not just its own challenges – but also opportunities .
So rather than entering this year defeated , tailbetween-legs , I ’ d like to suggest we grab it by the horns with ( hopefully ) new found energy after the industry shut down .
The choice is ours – we can decide to complain about the problems , or we can start doing something about them . Now I know it ’ s easy to talk and things don ’ t just happen overnight – but if industry doesn ’ t take ownership and drive change , I have little faith government will take the lead .
Take student accommodation for example . We ’ re all aware of the ever-increasing backlog and lack of adequate student housing across the country . We want more education for all – but where will all these new students live ? The solution seems to be a partnership between industry , government and the universities – but this is much easier said than done . How do we start to address this issue ? We talk to various industry role players about what has been done and what should be done in our student accommodation feature on page 19 .
Make sure to also check out our building affordably with concrete feature on page 17 . Just because you ’ re trying to save money , doesn ’ t mean you have to cut corners or compromise quality .
We also check out various affordable housing projects currently being developed across the country , so make sure to read our news section .
Okay , I ’ m done ‘ preaching ’. But seriously though , let ’ s pick ourselves up , file 2016 away as ‘ experience ’ and start the wheels of change churning in 2017 .
The time is now !
Ilana Koegelenberg Editor ilana @ interactmedia . co . za

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