Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University

Faculty of Arts

School of Governmental and Social Science

SA 402: Urban Anthropology

Urban Development

-

how South Africa tries to manage the issues

Anna Ihle

23.05.2008

Table of Contents

Table of Contents 1

1.

Introduction 2

2.

Urban Reality during and after Apartheid 3

2.1.

General Situation 3

2.2.

Housing and Infrastructure 4

3.

The Urban Development Strategy

5

3.1.

Prologue, Vision and Goals 5

3.2.

Criticism 6

4.

Housing 7

4.1.

Policy and Implementation 7

4.2.

Criticism and Comparison to Chile 8

5.

Infrastructure 10

5.1.

Policy and Implementation 10

5.2.

Criticism 11

6.

Problems of Applying Theory 12

7.

Conclusion and Outlook 13

References 15

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1. Introduction

"We need to massively improve the quality of life of our people, through

creating jobs and deracialising the cities. By mobilising the resources of

urban communities, government and the private sector we can make our

cities centres of opportunity for all South Africans, and competitive within the

world economy" (UDS I: 1)

Twelve years ago, President Nelson Mandela wrote this in his foreword to the

Urban

Development Strategy

(UDS), a policy approach of the Government of National

Unity, which urged for new reforms and policies addressing the contemporary

situation in metropolitan South Africa. Poverty and unemployment are just two of the

problems arising from urban development and overcrowding of cities, which

authorities need to face. Depriving decades of Apartheid mismanagement left the

country shattered and fragmented. With the new Government of National Unity and

its leaders Nelson Mandela and De Klerk, new measures had to be taken to

challenge the further development of metropolitan areas and to confront the future

South Africa is headed into. The urgent problems of housing, transportation and

unemployment had to be faced and taken into consideration in developing a new

strategy of South African politics.

The Government of National Unity therefore issued the discussion paper

The Urban

Development Strategy

(UDS), which documented its analysis and position on the

present situation of metropolitan areas. Furthermore, it outlined the country′s future

steps and policies to face the problems as well as its goals and visions for the future.

The paper motivated individuals and organisations to debate, criticise and improve

the document. It was meant to be flexible and was supposed to absorb comments

and opinions for additional expansions and deepening.

Twelve years after the introduction of this strategic plan, the country has invested a

lot of money to improve not just the living conditions of its people. The question

arises how close it is to achieving the goals, which were set for 2020? In which

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direction did urban development evolve? Were the goals realistic or just fantasies so

far from reality, that there never actually was a chance in fulfilling them?

The paper describes the situation in which the country was after several decades of

Apartheid policy. It focuses especially on the problematic issue of housing. The

introduction outlines the

Urban Development Strategy

with its goals and visions as

well as its direct criticism. Subsequent to that, the discussion emphasizes the two

main issues urban development planning is confronted with namely housing and

infrastructure. After that there follows a short chapter on the problematic situation of

implementing theory. The final part of the discussion not only concludes and

summarises the main aspects, but presents a possible outlook for future urban

development in the South African context.

2. Urban Reality during and after Apartheid

2.1. General Situation

In the beginning of the 1990s Urban South Africa is characterised by diversity in

residential settlements. City sizes range between small cities and towns with up to

100 000 inhabitants and large metropolitan areas with over two million permanent

residents. The inheritance of Apartheid is most visible in the differences between the

well-serviced suburban areas and the under-serviced lower-income neighbourhoods

in the central districts, but also in the frenetic need of initiatives concerning

community interests, as well as private and public sector raise inner-city tension. The

need to diversify is one of the economic challenges the urban areas have to deal

with.

The potencial of cities include not only its concentrated and diversified economies,

but also its productive infrastructure and dynamic institutions along with social

networks. All can be used to manage the future urban growth and turn it from a

situation with immense struggles to one which offers countless opportunities for all.

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