Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Negotiating the Global and the Local: Evaluating Development Through Public–Private Partnerships in Durban, South Africa

  • Published:
Urban Forum Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Within a context of transition, South African cities such as Durban are required to address the dual development imperatives of socio-economic redistribution and increasing global competitiveness. Processes associated with shifts to urban governance and partnerships are being drawn on to achieve these urban development goals. In 1999, the Durban Growth Coalition, a strategic partnership between business and government, emerged to address urban economic development concerns. The partnership has led to the successful planning and implementation of various flagship developments within the city. This paper evaluates the processes of the Coalition and associated projects in order to assess to what extent the partnership is successfully addressing the dual imperatives of post-apartheid redress and integration into the global economy. The paper thus critically examines the implications of using public–private partnerships as mechanisms for equitable development in South Africa and highlights the possibility of the emergence of deliberative processes of decision-making through partnerships.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Here, precedence is given to public-private partnerships but in many cases civil society is increasingly involved in networks of decision-making (Pendras 2002; Rycroft and Scott 1998).

References

  • Bouillon, A., Freund, B., Hindson, D., & Lootvoet, B. (2002). Governance, urban dynamics and economic development: A comparative analysis of the metropolitan areas of Durban, Abidjan and Marseilles. Durban: Plumbline Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Daily News. (2004). Durban Growth Coalition: A vision for taking Durban into the future, supplement to the Daily News, 11 March.

  • Dowding, K. (2001). Explaining urban regimes. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 25(1), 7–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry. (2002). Durban poised for growth. Chamber Digest, 17 August

  • Durban Unicity. (August 2001). Long term development framework, Durban.

  • eThekwini Municipality. (2006). Integrated development plan 2006/07 to 2010/11, Durban.

  • eThekwini Municipality. (2009a). Integrated development plan: Annual review 2009/2010, Durban.

  • eThekwini Municipality. (2009b). Annual report 2007/2008, Durban.

  • Flinders, M. (2005). The politics of public-private partnerships. British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 7, 215–239.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freund, B., & Padayachee, V. (Eds.). (2002). (D)urban vortex: South African city in transition. Pietermaritzburg: University of Natal Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldsmith, M. (2001). Urban governance. In R. Paddison (Ed.), Handbook of urban studies. London: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodwin, M. (1999). Citizenship and governance. In P. Cloke, P. Crang, & M. Goodwin (Eds.), Introducing human geographies (pp. 189–198). London: Arnold Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hajer, M. (2004). Three dimensions of deliberative policy analysis. Analysing governance networks in rebuilding Ground Zero. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association, Chicago, 2–4 September.

  • Hajer, M., & Wagenaar, H. (Eds.). (2003). Deliberative policy analysis: Understanding governance in the network society. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harding, A., Wilks-Heeg, S., & Hutchins, M. (2000). Business, government and the business of urban governance. Urban Studies, 37(5–6), 975–994.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Healey, P., de Magalhaes, C., Madanipour, A., & Pendlebury, J. (2003). Place, identity and local politics: analysing initiatives in deliberative governance. In M. Hajer & H. Wagenaar (Eds.), Deliberative policy analysis: Understanding governance in the network society (pp. 60–85). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hertzberg, B., & Wright, A. (2005). Competitive partnerships: Building and maintaining public-private dialogue to improve the investment climate, Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), World Bank.

  • Hubbard, P., Kitchen, R., Bartley, B., & Fuller, D. (Eds.). (2002). Thinking geographically: Space, theory and contemporary human geography. London: Continuum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jarvis, H. (2001). Urban sustainability as a function of compromises households make deciding where and how to live: Portland and Seattle compared. Local Environment, 6(3), 239–256.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koppenjan, J. (2005). The formation of public private partnerships: lessons from nine transport infrastructure projects in the Netherlands. Public Administration, 83(1), 135–157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • KwaZulu-Natal. (2006). KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Growth and Development Strategy, Draft, KwaZulu-Natal Office of the Premier.

  • Lester, A., Nel, E., & Binns, T. (2000). South Africa. Past, present and future. Harlow: Pearson Educated Limited.

    Google Scholar 

  • Logan, J. R., & Molotch, H. L. (1987). Urban fortunes: The political economy of place. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage.

  • Maharaj, B., & Ramballi, K. (1998). Local economic development strategies in an emerging democracy: the case of Durban in South Africa. Urban Studies, 35(1), 131–148.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCarthy, J. (2001). Summary of the proceedings of the workshop of the Durban Economic Growth Summit, 3 February. Durban: ICC.

    Google Scholar 

  • McGuirk, P. M. (2000). Power and policy networks in urban governance: local government and property–led regeneration in Dublin. Urban Studies, 37(4), 651–672.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mercury Reporter. (2002). Wharf gets a facelift, The Mercury, 3 September, 5.

  • Moffett, S., & Freund, B. (2004). Elite formation and elite bonding: social structure and development in Durban. Urban Forum, 15(2), 134–160.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Monitor Group. (2000). Durban at the Crossroads. Durban: Durban Unicity.

    Google Scholar 

  • Muller, M. (2003). Public-private partnerships in water: a South African perspective on the global debate. Journal of International Development, 15, 1115–1125.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mullin, S.P. (2002). Public-private partnerships and state and local economic development: leveraging private investment, Reviews of Economic Development Literature and Practice No. 16. Econsult. Available at: http//www.eda.gov/pdf/econsult_final.pdf. Accessed 11 December 2004.

  • Naidoo, J. (2001). Monday file, Daily News, 1 October, 6.

  • Ndebele, S. (2008). Address by KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Premier Sibusiso Ndebele at the KwaZulu-Natal Growth Coalition Breakfast, Office of the Premier, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government, Pietermaritzburg, 5 August. Available at: http://www.info.gov.za/speeches/2008/08080517151001.htm. Accessed 12 June 2009.

  • Nel, E., Hill, T., & Maharaj, B. (2003). Durban’s pursuit of economic development in the post-apartheid era. Urban Forum, 14(2–3), 223–243.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Newman, P., & Verpraet, G. (1999). The impacts of partnership on governance: conclusions from recent European research. Regional Studies, 33(5), 487–491.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nzimakwe, T. I. (2006). Public private partnerships: implications for development. Africanus, 36(1), 48–57.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paddison, R. (Ed.). (2001). Handbook of urban studies. London: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pendras, M. (2002). From local consciousness to global change: asserting power at the local scale. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 26(4), 823–833.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pieterse, E. (2004). Untangling ‘integration’ in urban development policy debates. Urban Forum, 15(1), 1–35.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pillay, U. (1994). Local government restructuring, growth coalitions, and the development process in the Durban Functional Region c. 1984–1994. Urban Forum, 5(2), 69–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pillay, U. (1996). The uniqueness of locality. The case of the Durban Functional Region. Urban Forum, 7(1), 32–52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robbins, G. (2004). Beyond pro-growth pro-poor dichotomy of city economic development programmes in South Africa, paper presented at School of Development Studies seminar series, October 2004. Durban: University of KwaZulu-Natal.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robbins, G. (2005). eThekwini Municipality’s economic development-related capital programmes: improving the prospects of the urban poor? Africa Insight, 35(4), 63–71.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, J. (2002). Global and world cities: a view from off the map. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 26(3), 531–554.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rycroft, A., & Scott, D. (1998). Environmental mediation: a case study of participative problem solving. South African Journal of Environmental Law, 5, 87–97.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sagalyn, L. (2007). Public/Private development: lessons from history, research and practice. Journal of the American Planning Association, 73(1), 7–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • South African Cities Network (SACN). (2006). State of the cities report. South Africa: South African Cities Network.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stoker, G. (1999). Regime theory and urban policies. In S. Pile, C. Brook, & G. Mooney (Eds.), Unruly cities: Order/disorder (pp. 342–344). Routledge: Open University.

    Google Scholar 

  • The Mercury. (2003). Durban pulsates, The Mercury, 30 July, 9.

  • Urban Econ (2004). eThekwini Quality of Life Survey, 2003-2004, Corporate Quality Unit, Ethekwini Municipality

  • Van den Berg, L., & Braun, E. (1999). Urban competitiveness, marketing and the need for organising capacity. Urban Studies, 36(5–6), 987–999.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • VARA. (1994). Effingham–Avoca rezoning application. Durban: Moreland Estates Limited.

    Google Scholar 

  • Watson, S. (1999). City politics. In S. Pile, C. Brook, & G. Mooney (Eds.), Unruly cities: Order/disorder (pp. 201–246). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilhelm, J. (2002). Special report: Durban Growth Coalition, Financial Mail, 25 October. pp. 97–108.

Download references

Acknowledgements

Research funds from the National Research Foundation in South Africa and the Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst (DAAD) are gratefully acknowledged. Assistance from Moreland Developments (now Tongaat Hulett Developments) and Sibongele Maphamulo with the River Horse Valley study is acknowledged.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, University of the Free State, P.O. Box. 339, Bloemfontein, 9300, South Africa

    Jennifer Houghton

Authors
  1. Jennifer Houghton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jennifer Houghton.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Houghton, J. Negotiating the Global and the Local: Evaluating Development Through Public–Private Partnerships in Durban, South Africa. Urban Forum 22, 75–93 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12132-010-9106-5

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12132-010-9106-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation