Well Housed - a 2050 novel (ebook)

It is 2050 and Johannesburg, South Africa, is the city that got it right. With no private cars, green spaces abound. Universal basic income and guaranteed housing leave people free to enjoy excellent public facilities. Peons (smarter than smartphones) and AI administrators run the city skilfully.

But success has a drawback: everyone wants to live in the golden city.

Thulisile Duma runs the Housing office which must accommodate arrivals in line with the city’s standards. They plan to densify the last remaining pockets of entrenched privilege: twelve leafy northern suburbs. How will Thuli and her colleagues convince the residents of those elegant enclaves to cooperate?

In the ensuing contention the brilliant data analyst, Oliver Dias, must investigate allegations that the peons are lying. What he learns raises a difficult moral dilemma.

This cosy thought experiment previsions the workings of a benevolent city administration – a collaboration of people and machines dedicated to long-term human wellbeing.

What people are saying:

‘It was fun to imagine living in such a place as this future Johannesburg, where peons (personal electronic assistants) tend to your every need, politics are collaborative, and everyone is housed, well-fed, and encouraged to follow both individual and common goods.’ Audrey

‘The book took me from skepticism (“there’s no way this could ever happen”) to genuine curiosity (“what if something like this could work?”).’ Kathy.

ISBN: 978-989-35915-3-6

Publication date: Dec 2025

Language: English

File size: ‎3,7 MB