Book contents
- Reimagining Urban Planning in Africa
- Reimagining Urban Planning in Africa
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Part I Understanding Sustainable Urban Planning in Africa
- Part II Case Studies on Urban Planning in African Countries
- 7 The Proliferation of Gated Communities
- 8 History, Practices, Challenges and Opportunities of Urban Planning in Zimbabwe
- 9 The Evolution and Nature of Urban Planning in Nigeria
- 10 Rethinking Urban Planning and Informal Settlement Upgrading
- 11 Urban Planning Challenges and Slum/Informal Housing Formation in Ogun State, Nigeria
- 12 The Proliferation of Slums in Cameroon
- 13 An Overview of Urban Planning in Tanzania
- Part III Sustainable Urban Planning in Africa
- Index
- References
10 - Rethinking Urban Planning and Informal Settlement Upgrading
Density Management for a Post-COVID-19 Era
from Part II - Case Studies on Urban Planning in African Countries
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 December 2023
Book contents
- Reimagining Urban Planning in Africa
- Reimagining Urban Planning in Africa
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Part I Understanding Sustainable Urban Planning in Africa
- Part II Case Studies on Urban Planning in African Countries
- 7 The Proliferation of Gated Communities
- 8 History, Practices, Challenges and Opportunities of Urban Planning in Zimbabwe
- 9 The Evolution and Nature of Urban Planning in Nigeria
- 10 Rethinking Urban Planning and Informal Settlement Upgrading
- 11 Urban Planning Challenges and Slum/Informal Housing Formation in Ogun State, Nigeria
- 12 The Proliferation of Slums in Cameroon
- 13 An Overview of Urban Planning in Tanzania
- Part III Sustainable Urban Planning in Africa
- Index
- References
Summary
The debate on density and urban planning returned to the centre because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic reaffirmed that the built environment of cities is a crucial determinant of health and reaffirms the importance of upgrading informal settlements. It is estimated that in sub-Saharan Africa, informal settlements accommodate more than 60% of the urban population. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the South African government put in place different measures trying to slow the spread of the virus. One of the strategies was to focus on population density, specifically in informal settlements. Densification and de-densification are relational processes driven by political, economic and social change and conditions. Reimagining informal settlements and urban planning in South Africa and Africa will require cities to use a mix of approaches. Cities are adapting to urban design, reclaiming public spaces for citizens, and reconsidering the location of essential urban services and amenities to ensure easier access while securing the safety and health of residents. COVID-19 has pushed urban planners and governments to reimagine the quality and sustainability of life in cities by ensuring access to essential functions.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Reimagining Urban Planning in Africa , pp. 165 - 181Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023
References
Aggarwal, S., & Butsch, C. (2012). Environmental and ecological threats in India mega-cities. In Richer, M. & Weiland, U. (eds.), Applied urban ecology: A global framework (pp. 66–79). Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.Google Scholar
Baccini, P. (2012). Designing urban systems: Ecological strategies with stocks and glows of energy and material. In Richer, M. & Weiland, U. (eds.), Applied urban ecology: A global framework (pp. 54–64). Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.Google Scholar
Ballard, R., & Mapukata, S. (2022). South African urban imaginaries: Cases from Johannesburg. GCRO Research Report. https://cdn.gcro.ac.za/media/documents/GCRO_RR13_SA_Urban_imaginaries.pdfCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bond, P. (2000). Cities of gold, townships of coal: Essays on South Africa’s new urban crisis. Trenton: African World Press.Google Scholar
Chu, Z., Cheng, M., & Song, M. (2021). What determines urban resilience against COVID-19: City size or governance capacity? Sustainable Cities and Society, 75, 103304.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (2014). Integrated urban development: Draft for discussion. https://iudf.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/IUDF-Brochure.pdfGoogle Scholar
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (2018). South Africa’s national urban development policy – the IUDF: An overview. Pretoria: CGTA.Google Scholar
Didier, S., Peyroux, E., & Morange, M. (2012). The spreading of the city improvement district model in Johannesburg and Cape Town: Urban regeneration and the neoliberal agenda in South Africa. International Journal of Urban and Management Science, 36(5), 915–935.Google Scholar
Dodman, D. (2017). Opinion: Why informal settlements are already smart. Devex, 29 March. www.devex.com/news/opinion-why-informal-settlements-are-already-smart-89450Google Scholar
Everatt, D., & Ebrahim, Z. (2020). Urban policy in South Africa. ResearchGate. www.researchgate.net/publication/344494183_Urban_policy_in_South_AfricaCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gardner, D. (2018). Analysis of the human settlement programme and subsidy instruments. South African Urbanisation Review. April.Google Scholar
Grant, R. (2013). The development complex, rural economy and urban-spatial and economic development in Juba, South Sudan. Local Economy, 28(2), 218–230.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Habitat for Humanity (2022). The world’s largest slums: Dharavi, Kibera, Khayelitsha & Neza. Habitat for Humanity Great Britain. www.habitatforhumanity.org.uk/blog/2017/12/the-worlds-largest-slums-dharavi-kibera-khayelitsha-neza/Google Scholar
International Budget Partnerships (2021). Asivikelane: Helping South Africa’s informal settlement residents’ voices be heard. https://internationalbudget.org/2021/10/asivikelane-helping-south-africas-informal-settlement-residents-voices-be-heard/Google Scholar
Jassat, W., Karim, S. S. A., Mudara, C., Welch, R., Ozougwu, L., Groome, M. J., Govender, N., von Gottberg, A., Wolter, N., Wolmarans, M., & Rousseau, P. (2022). Clinical severity of COVID-19 in patients admitted to hospital during the omicron wave in South Africa: A retrospective observational study. Lancet Global Health. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3996320CrossRefGoogle Scholar
John, L. (2012). Secondary cities in South Africa: The start of a conversation. Johannesburg: South African Cities Network.Google Scholar
Khavarian-Garmsir, A. R., Sharif, A., & Moradpour, N. (2021). Are high-density districts more vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic? Sustainable Cities and Society, 70, 102911.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Linard, C., Gilbert, M., Snow, R. W., Noor, A. M., & Tatem, A. J. (2012). Population distribution, settlement pattern and accessibility across Africa in 2010. PLoS One. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0031743CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Madhi, S. A., Kwantra, G., Myers, J. E., Jassat, W., Dhar, N., Mukendi, C. K., … & Mutevedzi, P. C. (2022). Population immunity and COVID-19 severity with Omicron variant in South Africa. New England Journal of Medicine, 386(14), 1314–1326.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Marais, H. (2001). South Africa: Limits to change: the political economy of transition. Cape Town: Palgrave Macmillan.Google Scholar
Ministry of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation (2020). Media statement by Minister Lindiwe Sisulu on government’s response to Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. 29 April. www.gov.za/speeches/minister-lindiwe-sisulu-governmentGoogle Scholar
Napier, M. (2009). Making urban land markets work better in South African cities to the poor. In Lall, S. V., Friere, M., Yuen, B., Rajack, R. & Helluim, J.-J. (eds.), Urban land markets: Improving land management for successful urbanization (pp. 71–100). New York: Springer.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
National Planning Commission (2013). National Development Plan 2030: Our future, make it work. Pretoria: National Planning Commission.Google Scholar
National Treasury (2018). Managing urbanisation to achieve inclusive growth: A review of trends in South African urbanisation and suggestions for improved management of urbanisation. UKESA. www.ukesa.info/download/rPMWm4bTlOwRActngQVL5JHpqFXk62i1/Managing-Urbanisation.pdfGoogle Scholar
Nhlapo, M. S., Ruhiiga, T. M., & Kasumba, H. (2011). Growth challenges of homeland towns in post-apartheid South Africa. Journal of Social Science, 20(I), 47–56.Google Scholar
OECD (2020). Cities policy responses. 23 July. www.oecd.org/coronavirus/policy-responses/cities-policy-responses-fd1053ff/Google Scholar
Oranje, M. (2010). Post-apartheid national spatial development planning in South Africa – A brief history. European Spatial Research and Policy, 17(2), 55–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oranje, M., & Merrifield, C. (2010). National spatial development planning in South Africa 1930–2010: An introductory comparative analysis. Town and Regional Planning, 56, 29–45.Google Scholar
Parliamentary Monitoring Group (n.d.). Urbanisation. https://pmg.org.za/page/UrbanisationGoogle Scholar
Phakathi, M. (2021). The Alexandra township de-densification project during the COVID-19 crisis: Challenges and potential lessons. Journal of Anti-Corruption Law, 5(1), 46–66.Google Scholar
Pillay, U. (2008). Urban policy in post-apartheid South Africa: Context, evolution and future directions. Urban Forum, 19(I), 109–132.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pillay, U., Tomlinson, R., & Du Toit, J. (2006). Democracy and delivery: Urban policy in South Africa. Pretoria: HSRC Press.Google Scholar
Potts, D. (2012). Viewpoint: What do we know about urbanization in Sub-Saharan Africa and does it matter? International Development Planning Review, 34(I). http://dx.doi.org/10.3828/idpr.2012.1CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roy, A. (2009). The 21st century metropolis: New geographies of theory. Regional Studies, 43(6), 819–830.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
RSA (1995). Development Facilities Act (Act 67 of 1995). Pretoria: Office of the Presidency.Google Scholar
RSA (1995). Reconstruction and development white paper. Pretoria: Office of the President.Google Scholar
RSA (1996). Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. Pretoria: Department of Justice.Google Scholar
RSA (1997). Municipal infrastructure investment framework. Pretoria: Department of Provincial and Local Government.Google Scholar
RSA (1998). Population policy white paper. Gazette No. 399-19230, Notice No. 1930 of 1998. Pretoria: Ministry for Welfare and Population Development.Google Scholar
RSA (1998). White paper on local government. Pretoria: Department of Provincial and Local Government.Google Scholar
RSA (2001). Municipal infrastructure investment framework. Pretoria: Department of Provincial and Local Government.Google Scholar
Ruhiiga, T. M. (2013). Reverse empowerment in South Africa’s Comprehensive rural development programme. Journal of Human Ecology, 41(2), 165–174.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ruhiiga, T. M. (2014). Urbanisation in South Africa: A critical review of policy, planning and practice. Supplement on Population Issues in South Africa, 28(1), 610–622.Google Scholar
Smith, W. (2021). The challenge of COVID-19 in African cities: An urgent call for informal settlement upgrading. Cities & Health, 5(sup1), S56–S58.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Statistics South Africa (2019). SA population reaches 58,8 million. www.statssa.gov.za/?p=12362Google Scholar
Statistics South Africa (2020). Labour market dynamics in South Africa 2019. www.statssa.gov.za/publications/Report-02-11-02/Report-02-11-022019.pdfGoogle Scholar
Sutherland, C., & Lewis, B. (2012). Water and sanitation service delivery in Ethekwini: A spatially differentiated model. In Opinion6, Chance2Sustain (pp. 1–4). Bonn: EADI.Google Scholar
Teller, J. (2021). Urban density and COVID-19: Towards an adaptive approach. Buildings and Cities, 2(1), 150–165.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Turok, I. (2012). Urbanisation and development in South Africa: Economic imperatives, spatial distortions and strategic responses. Urbanisation and Emerging Population Issues. Working Paper 8, IIED, London.Google Scholar
Turok, I. (2015). South Africa’s new urban agenda: Transformation or compensation? Local Economy, 31(1–2), 9–27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
UN-Habitat (2003). Guide to monitoring Target 11: Improving the lives of 100 million slum dwellers. Progress towards the Millennium Development Goals. UN-Habitat, Nairobi.Google Scholar
United Nations (1996). Report of the United Nations conference on human settlements (Habitat II), 3–14 June. Istanbul, Turkey.Google Scholar
UN SDG (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 agenda for sustainable development. https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N15/291/89/PDF/N1529189.pdf?OpenElementGoogle Scholar
Webster, D. (2020). Relocating rears its head: Bringing de-densification home in Alexandra. Mail & Guardian, 29 June.Google Scholar
World Health Organization (2020). WHO Director-General’s opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 – 11 March 2020. www.who.int/director-general/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19---11-march-2020Google Scholar
Ziblim, A. (2013). The dynamic of informal settlements upgrading in South Africa: Legislative and policy context, problems, tensions, and contradictions. Habitat for Humanity International. https://cps.ceu.edu/sites/cps.ceu.edu/files/attachment/basicpage/143/slum-upgrading-policies-south-africa.pdfGoogle Scholar