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Abstract
Suburbanisation, understood as ‘the combination of non-central population and economic growth with urban spatial expansion’ has been on the rise in African cities, as well as internationally, and has taken on diverse forms. This article contributes to an understanding of the dynamics of suburbanisation through exploring the growth since the 1990s of the northern corridor of eThekwini municipality and the adjacent KwaDakuza municipality. The article outlines the evolution of development in these areas, the role of various actors, agencies and institutions in shaping growth, and the influence of changing governance structures and rescaling. While the growth dynamics of the two municipalities are interrelated, the main agencies and actors, and thus the forms of growth, are rather different. Within eThekwini's north, a major landowner has been key in driving growth and in shaping development, in contrast to KwaDukuza where far more fragmented landownership patterns prevail. There are also contrasts in the way various parts of the state and forms of regulation, particularly urban planning, have influenced development in the area. The influence of private sector planning is also explored. The article shows the complexity of suburbanisation dynamics, and the way they vary even in two municipalities in the same region.
Acknowledgements
The assistance of Vicky Sim in collecting data, undertaking interviews and organising material thematically is gratefully acknowledged. Miriam Maina assisted with maps. Respondents are thanked for their time and insights.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF), South Africa. Any opinion, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author and therefore the NRF does not accept any liability in regard thereto. This research was also supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada through funding from the Major Collaborative Research Initiative ‘Global Suburbanisms: Governance, Land, and Infrastructure in the 21st Century (2010–2017)’.
Note on Contributor
Alison Todes is Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. She was previously Research Director in the Urban Rural and Economic Development Programme at the Human Sciences Research Council, and a Professor in the School of Architecture, Planning and Housing at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.
Notes
1. Tabulated after the References.
2. The use of racial categories reflects pervasive realities in South Africa, and is not intended to condone them.
3. eThekwini north corresponds to the North Local Council in Statistics South Africa's definitions. No figures were available for eThekwini north in 2004.
4. Includes Bridge City and Riverhorse Valley, outside of eThekwini north.
5. For simplicity, THD is used to refer to the property development arm of Tongaat Hulett for the whole period.
6. Other pre-2000 developments included: Sunningdale, Sibaya Casino, Umhlanga New Town Centre, Riverhorse Valley.
7. Inyanginga, uShukela Highway and Compensation.
8. It includes charges for electricity, but not water or sanitation.
9. Their developments and proposals post-2000 have included: Umhlanga New Town Centre, Riverhorse Valley, Bridge City, Umhlanga New Town Centre extension, Ridgeside, Inzinga, Kindlewood, Cornubia, Inyaninga, Sibaya (Umdloti ext).
10. Data supplied by Tongaat Hulett, December 2012. Figures include Riverhorse Valley and Bridge City.
11. Wanted by THD but not supplied by the municipality, but both thresholds and finance have been lacking.
12. Net density: 40–80 units per ha, 150 near public transport routes and facilities.
13. Apart from Waterloo.
14. The first 482 houses were ready for occupation in September 2013. See <www.property24.com/articles/482-new-houses-for-kzn-cornubia/18466> [Accessed 22 January 2014].
15. The Provincial Planning and Development Commission did not have much of a role in the area after 1996.
16. Ilembe is the district municipality in which KwaDukuza is located.