An Assessment of urban greening challenges and opportunities associated with urban densification in the EThekwini Municipality

ABSTRACT

It is critical that urban densification is accepted as a planning strategy for enhanced, sustainable urban development, especially considering the compacting of urban areas, integrated land uses, reduced land take and the need to conserve urban green spaces. Nevertheless, its implementation has challenged the management of urban green spaces. Densification has created a dilemma in planning as planners battle to provide better green spaces, while simultaneously implementing urban densification projects. This study explores the persistent challenges and opportunities of urban densification in intermediate African cities, using a case study of Umhlanga in the eThekwini Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The study used a mixed method approach, using questionnaires, unstructured interviews and field observations. The results indicated that urban growth in intermediate towns is dominated by horizontal expansion, despite introducing urban densification policies, which has proved detrimental to ecological conservation. Furthermore, embarking on growth that integrates various land uses is increasingly enhancing those towns’ resilience and slowing down urban sprawl. This study shows that transformation in urban planning is essential in integrating ecological conservation in densification projects. Urban densification should not be treated in isolation but involve multiple city stakeholders in several city departments to achieve a broad range of goals.

KEYWORDS:

• Densification
• sustainable development
• green spaces
• compact city
• urban sprawl

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the support given by the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, especially the Department of Development, Planning, Environment and Management for facilitating the data collection and providing several clarifications on municipality processes in the study area. We also acknowledge the financial assistance given by the University of Zululand and support provided by the School of Geography and Environmental Studies.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the University of Zululand [Grant].