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South Africa’s City Regions: A Call for Contemplation... and Action

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Abstract

The paper explores and explains the phenomena of city growth and city regions in the South African context. It reflects on the process of urbanisation and city region growth in South Africa in an attempt at contributing towards the development of a discourse and analysis that better appreciates city region areas as crucial components of the growth, development and well-being of the nation as a whole, including communities living in rural areas of the country. The paper also raises questions around the increasing challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality, as well as the growing ecological dilemmas that city regions in South Africa are faced by. The paper is based on a study and analysis of quantitative data on urban areas and more specifically ‘city regions’, aptly called the ‘National Spatial Trends Overview (2008)’, for the South African Cities Network, the national Department of Provincial and Local Government and The Presidency. The innovative spatial analysis and data platform used enabled the identification and comparative analyses of a wide range of settlements based on their functional urban areas. It is argued that regardless of where on the contentious scale city regions are viewed as positive or negative, they are important for the country as a whole. Taking cognisance of benefits as well as costs of city region areas, the paper concludes that an appreciation for city region planning dynamics will be crucial for the achievement of the South African Government’s national developmental goals and objectives.

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Notes

  1. See acknowledgements.

  2. Geospatial Analysis Platform (as prepared and verified by the CSIR 2006).

  3. Based on the Geospatial Analysis Platform, GAP2 (CSIR 2006) and the subsequent Urban–Rural Typology, developed by Naude et al. (2008).

  4. Parr (2005: 556) defines city regions as ‘comprising two distinct but interrelated elements: the city (sometimes a regional or national metropolis), possessing some specified set of functions or economic activities and a surrounding territory, which is exclusive to the city in question’. Instead of viewing the city as a specific space confined within determined geographic boundaries, the thinking on city regions acknowledges the flows of goods, services, capital, knowledge, information and labour between the metropolitan area and its hinterland.

  5. Economic activity as measured by a calculation of gross value added product.

  6. As measured by gross domestic product (GDP).

  7. The embrace of the notion of global city region initiative is evident in Gauteng and is supported by various stakeholders. This is arguably indicative of a drive towards a new form of urban governance in the province (Gauteng Provincial Government 2006).

  8. Stats South Africa projections developed for the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry and also used in the National Spatial Development Perspective 2006 (South African Cities Network et al. 2008: Annexure A)

  9. It should be noted that Quantec data were drawn as at 2008. The base source is the Stats South Africa labour force survey—which was only available in 2007.

  10. ‘Highly skilled workers’ include managers and professionals, whereas technicians, clerks, services and sales, crafts and operators are termed as ‘skilled workers’, and those that fall into the elementary and domestic worker occupational classes are grouped as ‘unskilled workers’.

  11. Income categories as used by Stats South Africa (2007).

  12. This indicator has been used in the National Spatial Development Perspective, 2006.

  13. Land capability in this analysis takes into account both soil capability (depth, drainage, erodibility and slope) and climatic factors.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the South African Cities Network, the Department of Provincial and Local Government (dplg) and The Presidency, who commissioned the project ‘National Spatial Trends Overview’ with a specific focus on city regions, through which the bulk of the data used in this paper was generated. The authors would also like to acknowledge Ms. Alize Botha, Prof. Ivan Turok (University of Glasgow), Prof. Sue Parnell (University of Cape Town) and Ms. Cathy Meiklejohn (CSIR) for inputs and insights into the paper. Acknowledgement is also due to (1) the project analysis team: Alize Botha, Cathy Meiklejohn, Jarrel Whisken, Karishma Busgeeth, Andries Naude and Elsona van Huyssteen (all CSIR, Built Environment), David Le Maitre (CSIR, Natural Resources and the Environment) and Shirley Robinson (EconRise); (2) contributors: Seana Nkhahle (SACN), David Schmidt (Strategies for Change), Prof. Sue Parnell (University of Cape Town), Prof. Ivan Turok (University of Glasgow), Dr. Jo Lorentzen (HSRC), Prof. Mark Oranje (University of Pretoria) and Prof. Owen Cranckshaw (University of Cape Town); and (3) those that provided inputs: Dr. Sharon Biermann, David McKelly, Pieter Schmitz (all from CSIR, Built Environment), Prof. Larry Zietsman, Prof. Christo Venter (University of Pretoria), Willem Badenhorst (Mandala GIS), Prof. Alison Todes (Univeristy of the Witwatersrand), Annemarie Loots, as well as other members of the Project Steering Committee (Sithole Mbanga (SACN), Nellie Lester, Yusuf Patel (both from dplg), Hassen Mohammed, Khulekani Mathe and Bea Drost (all from The Presidency).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CSIR Built Environment, Pretoria, South Africa

    Elsona van Huyssteen & Eric Makoni

  2. Department of Town and Regional Planning, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa

    Elsona van Huyssteen & Mark Oranje

  3. Econrise, Cape Town, South Africa

    Shirley Robinson

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  1. Elsona van Huyssteen
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  2. Mark Oranje
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  3. Shirley Robinson
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  4. Eric Makoni
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Correspondence to Elsona van Huyssteen.

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van Huyssteen, E., Oranje, M., Robinson, S. et al. South Africa’s City Regions: A Call for Contemplation... and Action. Urban Forum 20, 175–194 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12132-009-9058-9

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