Lesson for spatial planning: post-1994 human settlement development in Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality

Spatial planning of human settlements in South African cities, particularly during the apartheid era, has been extensively investigated. Urban development in Nelson Mandela Bay (formerly known as Port Elizabeth) resembled most other South African cities and towns based on the informants of the apartheid spatial planning policies since 1948. Consequent to the colonial style urban forms, the typical South African city and town (including Nelson Mandela Bay) faces numerous challenges to eradicate the effects of the apartheid legacies of functional and structural inefficiencies during the post-apartheid period. The research aims at examining the effectiveness of the post-apartheid residential policies with emphasis on the ‘Breaking New Ground’ policy in meeting the government’s expectations of restructuring and transformation of spatial urban planning after 1994, between 2004 and 2011 in Walmer Township. More specifically, the objectives of the study were to determine the extent of eradication of informal settlements in the study area; functional integration to investigate the extent of transformation of the study area in terms of functional integration; and to analyse the financially sustainability of the area, focused on the road network. The study was theoretically and conceptually influenced by colonial and postcolonial policies that impacted on urban development and spatial planning in the former colonial city. Methodologically, both quantitative and qualitative approaches were adopted in this investigation and in a case study. The data used for the study was obtained from both primary and secondary sources. Primary data were collected by using a remote sensing technique and via face-to-face interviews, where the interviewees were selected at random from within the identified suburb areas. Secondary data were obtained from scholarly articles and books, and government agencies and departments. The Chi-square test of dependence was used and this was to determine whether there was a relationship between variables. The results indicate that there are over 3,000 informal settlement dwellings in 2011, and very little eradication of informal settlement has been achieved. Although there are signs of heightened efforts of functional integration, it still remains limited. It was revealed that the local government has missed opportunities to promote the BNG policy objectives, particularly in the application of higher density developments and to promote cost-effective road networks. Based on the outcomes of the study, there are clear signs of the post-apartheid governments’ slow pace to transform human settlements. The post-apartheid housing policies, in particular the BNG policy, have not effectively transformed human settlements as envisaged