Decision Support Tools
The data municipalities and other spheres of government need for planning is often scattered, out of date or hard to use. NSH's decision support tools bring it together and connect it directly to planning work.
They help planners understand how their areas are changing, prepare and update statutory plans, target services and investment where they are most needed, and account for risks such as climate hazards. They also give government a shared view of each place, a basis for tackling entrenched spatial inequality.
NSH supports their use through training and technical assistance.
Living Plans Portal
Your go-to platform for bringing development plans to life. Seamlessly track, update, and adapt strategic plans, ensuring alignment with changing priorities and on-the-ground realities.
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Service Delivery Simulator
Helps municipalities assess areas of relative deprivation and need, and decide where new services should go. Use the simulator to test options, prioritise projects in the IDP, and share clear map-based evidence with communities. Municipal users can add their own spatial data to map existing services and relevant landmarks.
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Children’s Climate Risk Index & Disaster Risk Model
Helps identify where children are most vulnerable to climate and disaster risks. The tool combines hazard data and child vulnerability indicators to highlight priority areas for planning, targeted action, and more resilient communities.
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Coming Soon
Wall-to-Wall Spatial Mapping
Streamline SDFs to bridge gaps and align priorities, ensuring municipal frameworks seamlessly connect with national spatial objectives for maximum impact.
Pilots in Progress
Atlas of Living Places
A dynamic geospatial platform that maps the layered realities of South Africa’s diverse spaces—from settlements and neighbourhoods to rural landscapes and city districts. By bringing these geographies together in one integrated system, it supports more connected spatial planning and decision-making.
Pilots in Progress
