Metropolitising in South Africa's peri-urban. The case of Sedibeng Municipality

Essay , 2016 , 18 Pages , Grade: 80%

Geography / Earth Science - Demographics, Urban Management, Planning

Metropolitising as a deliberate process of creating a metropolitan space from a nonmetropolitan city, town or even peri-urban space is often viewed as politically driven. In the global south, metropolitan cities are recipients of significantly larger spending budgets and metropolitan councils can thus wield more political power in the form of monetary power. In South Africa, the development trajectory of cities stems from political ideologies and policies of the political party with an outright majority. In this regard, metropolitising or the mere development of any area within the jurisdiction of a municipality is a political process. Similarly, regionalism is a political process that seeks to wield the most financial power through the amalgamation of different economic powerhouses to form a single economic, spatial and political superpower.
In addition to the current politicising of metropolitan city development, historically, apartheid spatial planning was a political system of social engineering based on spatial segregation. The resultant space economy is that of heterogeneity and unequal benefaction from development processes. This spatial differentiation, including the complexities pertaining to economic and institutional systems, further complicates the process of metropolitising in South African cities.
In this regard, this essay will critique the efforts of Sedibeng District Municipality in its metropolitising bid through examining its proposed scalar economic rescaling plans for the Vaal River City, while proposing institutional reforms that could aid its ambitions. The second section of this paper will highlight the limitations that hinder smaller cities’ and towns’ efforts to becoming metropolitan cities. These limitations stem from an unequal space economy that reproduces itself through ineffective policies and neoliberalisation of urban governance structures and systems.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• The beginning: Metropolitising or logical urban progression?
• The endowments of Sedibeng District Municipality
• To be or not to be? Metropolitising and the associated economic rescaling
  • Economic diversification through agro-processing and tourism

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This essay examines the efforts of Sedibeng District Municipality in its metropolitising bid through examining its proposed economic rescaling plans for the Vaal River City and proposing institutional reforms that could aid its ambitions. The essay further critiques the limitations that hinder smaller cities and towns’ efforts of becoming metropolitan cities, which stem from an unequal space economy that reproduces itself through ineffective policies and neoliberalisation of urban governance structures and systems.

• The political nature of metropolitising in South Africa, influenced by apartheid spatial planning and current political ideologies.
• The challenges and opportunities for Sedibeng District Municipality in becoming a metropolitan river city, focusing on its economic diversification and development trajectory.
• The role of agro-processing in economic diversification, highlighting its potential for job creation and industrialisation while acknowledging the need to address informality in the sector.
• The significance of small towns and their connections to rural development, emphasizing the importance of their role in regional development.
• The limitations imposed by an unequal space economy on the aspirations of smaller cities and towns, emphasizing the need for effective policies and reforms.

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

• The first chapter explores the concept of metropolitising, highlighting its political nature and the historical and contemporary factors influencing urban development in South Africa. It introduces the Sedibeng District Municipality and its aspirations to become a metropolitan river city, highlighting its strategic location and potential.
• The second chapter delves into the endowments of Sedibeng District Municipality, examining its physical attributes, economic base, and population demographics. It discusses the municipality's development trajectory and its collaboration with the provincial government and the private sector.
• The third chapter focuses on the challenges and opportunities associated with Sedibeng's metropolitising ambitions. It explores the potential of agro-processing as a key driver of economic diversification, discussing the need for inclusive economic development and the role of informality in the sector.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

The essay focuses on the key themes of metropolitising, economic diversification, agro-processing, informality, regional development, and the unequal space economy in the context of South Africa. It examines the case of Sedibeng District Municipality and its aspirations to become a metropolitan river city.

• Course: Planning Design
• Grade: 80%
• Author: Inolofatseng Lekaba (Author)
• Publication Year: 2016
• Pages: 18
• Catalog Number: V511830
• ISBN (eBook): 9783346092496
• ISBN (Book): 9783346092502
• Language: English
• Tags: Metropolitan planning, regionalism, agro-processing and tourism, peri-urban development, urban planning, south africa