Telling Stories - A History of Growth Management in the Gauteng Province (South Africa)

The sprawled nature of major South African cities can be attributed to a variety of reasons. The 1994 (post-apartheid) political shift, however, prompted cities and regions to plan for more equitable and accessible cities. Together with its three metropolitan municipalities, the Gauteng Province proved to be a pioneer in adopting an urban growth management approach (the Gauteng Urban Edge). Against the backdrop of a Provincial Spatial Development Framework, a Provincial Urban Edge was delineated within which local authorities were awarded the opportunity to refine a custom-made growth management strategy. In the absence of clear provincial direction, these strategies achieved various levels of success. This paper explores the urban growth management movement, its approaches and its expressions as witnessed in the case of Gauteng

Who’s out there? A profile of informal traders in four South African city central business districts

The informal sector has gained prominence in developing countries during the past two decades, mainly as a result of the formal sector’s inability to absorb growing populations and an increasing number of individuals hoping to secure an income through selfemployment in the informal sector. The situation in South African cities is no exception as the unemployment rate has remained between 24% and 30% since 2000. The emphasis on informal trading in cities necessitates a more in-depth understanding of the informal sector and street traders at city level, for which relevant data are scarce or too general. By using data gathered among street traders in four major metropolitan areas of South Africa, this article seeks to provide a current profile of individuals that are involved in street trading in South African cities.&nbsp

An analysis of an urban edge as urban growth management instrument : Cape Town, South Africa

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University 2019.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The City of Cape Town (CoCT) has since the 1990s employed an urban edge line and development edges policy as growth management instruments in its spatial development framework (SDF) (CoCT 2011). However, in the most recent Cape Town Spatial Development Framework (CTSDF) of 2017 they no longer make use of an urban edge line or policy as an instrument to contain horizontal urban spatial growth. Instead, the latest CTSDF champions development that will support transit‐oriented development in the urban core and notes the city’s intention not to extend services towards the urban periphery in the short‐term (CoCT 2017). This sees a considerable turn‐around from the stated historic apprehension to persistent growth pressure to the northern and eastern urban extremities of the metropolitan area by using an urban edge, and seems to suggest that the former urban edge policy was considered inappropriate or problematic to the CoCTs objectives for spatial development in the latest SDF. Reasons for the termination of this policy‐approach formed the basis of this research in which, firstly, the spatial outcomes of the urban edge line and policy in Cape Town since 2001 was evaluated by using an urban sprawl index (USI); and secondly, the decision‐making processes associated with urban development proposals contravening the urban edge line and leading to the ultimate termination of the urban edge policy instrument were analysed by applying a five‐stream confluence model. The research results revealed disproportionate population growth compared to urban expansion over a comparable time period, suggesting that the urban edge line and policy, during its time of acting as an urban growth management instrument was successful. Evaluation of decision‐making processes revealed consistent poorly motivated political decisions contravening the urban edge line and development edges policy, in favour of a neoliberal growth agenda, thereby strongly suggesting a neoliberal capture of the decision‐making authority.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die Stad Kaapstad pas sedert die 1990s in die Ruimtelike Ontwikkelings Plan ‘n stedelike grens en ontwikkelings grens beleid toe as stedelike groei bestuur instrument. In die mees onlangse Kaapstad Ruimtelike Ontwikkelings Plan (ROP) word daar egter nie meer ʼn stedelike grens of beleid toegepas om horisontale stedelike ruimtelike groei te beperk nie. In plaas hiervan staan die ROP ontwikkeling voor wat publieke vervoer georiënteerde ontwikkeling in die stadskern bevorder, en merk die stad se intensie om nie dienste verskaffing na die periferie van die stad uit te brei nie. Hierdie benadering dui op ʼn omswaai van die histories uitgesproke weerstand teen volgehoue ontwikkelings druk aan die noordelike en oostelike stedelike uiterstes van die metropolitaanse gebied deur die gebruik van ʼn stedelike grens, en skep die indruk dat die vorige stedelike grens beleid as ontoepaslik en problematies beskou is met die oog op die Stad Kaapstad se doelwitte in die nuwe ROP. Die redes vir die beëindiging van die beleidsbenadering het die basis gevorm vir hierdie navorsing waarin eerstens, die ruimtelike uitkomste van die stedelike grens en beleid in Kaapstad sedert 2001 geëvalueer is deur middel van ʼn stedelike verspreidingsindeks, en tweedens die besluitnemingsprosesse soos geassosieer met stedelike ontwikkelings voorstelle wat die stedelike grens oorskry en wat uiteindelik aangelei het tot die beëindiging van die stedelike grens en beleid geanaliseer is deur gebruik te maak van ʼn vyf‐stroom samevloeings model. Die navorsings resultate dui op disproporsionele populasie groei teenoor stedelike uitbreiding gedurende ʼn vergelykbare periode, wat dui op die sukses van die stedelike grens beleid gedurende die tyd wat dit was stedelike groei bestuur instrument aangewend is. Evaluering van die besluitnemingsprosesse het konsekwente, swak gemotiveerde politiese besluite wat die stedelike grens en beleid oorskry aangedui, tot voordeel van ʼn neoliberale ontwikkelings agenda. Sogenaamde besluite dui op ʼn sterk suspisie van ʼn neoliberale kaping van die besluitnemings owerheid.Doctora

The application of an Urban Sprawl Index : comparing towns and cities in the Western Cape Province, South Africa

CITATION: Horn, A. & Van Eeden, A. 2018. The application of an Urban Sprawl Index : comparing towns and cities in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. South African Journal of Geomatics, 7(3):257-267, doi:10.4314/sajg.v7i3.4.The original publication is available at http://www.sajg.org.zaThe incidence and effects of urban sprawl have been the subject of a great many academic research mainly as a result of the challenges posed by continued urbanisation, especially in developing countries (see inter alia Jenks, Kozak and Takkanon 2008; Mander, Brebbia and Tiezzi 2006; Jenks and Burgess 2000; and Soja 2000). South Africa witnessed a proliferation of legislation and spatial policies to limit urban sprawl and contain the physical expansion and development of urban areas during the last two decades in response to exponential post-apartheid urbanization. In 2005, the Provincial Spatial Development Framework of the Western Cape Province, South Africa stated that “an Urban Edge shall be drawn around all villages, towns and cities in the province with the primary function to contain outward growth of urban settlements” (City of Cape Town, 2009) and in parallel the Provincial Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning published the Western Cape Urban Edge Guideline document assisting all municipalities in the province to delineate urban edges to be included in municipal Spatial Development Frameworks (SDF) thereby illustrating intent on maintaining urban footprints that are compact and limit developments that could be considered urban sprawl. Subsequently municipal urban edges have been delineated and are presently reflected in most municipal Spatial Development Frameworks in the province. This paper presents an Urban Sprawl Index as a tool to comparatively analyse the extent of urban sprawl between cities and towns of different sizes, making use of cadastre, land use and population data over time. The Urban Sprawl Index (USI) for the Western Cape put forward by this research will enable the comparative measurement of the extent of urban sprawl proportionately between the Metropolitan and local municipalities in the province and thereby aid in understanding the impact of planning instruments such as urban edges in the context of development dynamics and pressures experienced by individual cities.http://www.sajg.org.za/index.php/sajg/article/view/575Publisher's versio