Transforming South Africa's cities: Prospects for the economic development of urban townships

Abstract

This article identifies and evaluates the range of strategies being used to generate economic activity close to and within townships, focusing on the three metropolitan areas of Gauteng, the Durban Functional Region and metropolitan Cape Town. After placing townships in the context of the larger city and the overall strategy of local economic development, the article examines the various types of strategies that have been proposed to stimulate and support economic activity: the currently dominant spatial strategies, the provision of services infrastructure, the development of economic infrastructure, small business support services, and public works.

Notes

Respectively, Senior Lecturer, Department of Town and Regional Planning, University of Natal: Senior Lecturer, Department of Town and Regional Planning, University of Natal; and Senior Lecturer, Department of City and Regional Planning, University of Cape Town. The research on which this article is based was originally commissioned for the RDP Office by Richard Tomlinson, Consulting Planner.