Bill Freund and Vishnu Padayachee, eds. (D)urban Vortex: South African City in Transition. Pietermaritzburg, South Africa: University of Natal Press, 2002. Distributed by International Specialized Book Services, Inc., Portland, Ore. x + 345 pp. Maps. Notes. References. Index. $34.50. Paper.

Twenty years after the demise of apartheid, a typical South African city remains bifurcated. The mushrooming of squatter camps, mekhukhu, in our big cities, symptomises a history that defined the majority of South Africans as sojourners and vagabonds in their motherland. Destined to die in the rural reserves after the extraction of their labour and confined to ‘locations’ in-between the ‘city’ and the rural ‘home’, black experience in the post-1994 city continues to be a manifestation of a life disintegrated from an integrated vision of ikhaya (oikos) − household − and urban life in democratic South Africa. By critiquing the policies of the post-1994 government on urbanisation, the article argues that for inclusion in the city, the colonial and apartheid polis is not adequate redress to the black experience of urbanisation in South Africa. The quest for the transformation of a city in order for an integrated city in the post-1994 South Africa to be achieved is ostensibly the best starting point, this article argues.

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Durban’s 100 Resilient Cities journey: governing resilience from within

Environment and Urbanization ◽

10.1177/0956247820946555 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 32 (2) ◽

pp. 547-568 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Debra Roberts ◽

Joanne Douwes ◽

Catherine Sutherland ◽

Vicky Sim

Keyword(s):

South African ◽

South African City ◽

Policy Discourse ◽

Urban Resilience ◽

African City ◽

Global Policy ◽

Wide Range ◽

Urban Risk

Urban resilience is the focus of a global policy discourse that is being mobilized by a wide range of organizations to reduce urban risk and respond to the shocks and stresses facing cities. This paper explores the process of “governing for resilience” through Durban’s resilience journey as part of the 100 Resilient Cities (100RC) programme. From an insider perspective, it presents both 100RC and Durban’s approaches to developing a resilience strategy. It reflects on the contestations that emerged as Durban and 100RC struggled over the meaning and practice of urban resilience. The paper develops a continuum of urban resilience approaches to analyse the conflicts that emerged as the global programme of urban resilience travelled to, and landed in, a South African city. The paper argues that a global framing of urban resilience needs to be responsive to a world of cities that share common risk trajectories but have different contexts and vulnerabilities.(1)

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Normalization and the South African City

Safundi ◽

10.1080/17533170400805128 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 5 (1-2) ◽

pp. 1-14

Author(s):

Stacey Isaacs

Keyword(s):

South African ◽

South African City ◽

The South ◽

African City

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Revitalising South African City Centres Through ICT

Urban Planning ◽

10.17645/up.v6i4.4381 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (4) ◽

pp. 228-241 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Dillip Kumar Das

Keyword(s):

South African ◽

Community Involvement ◽

Fear Of Crime ◽

Information And Communications Technology ◽

South African City ◽

Survey Method ◽

African City ◽

Analyse Data ◽

The City ◽

City Centres

The majority of South African city centres are in a state of degeneration and need revitalising. The factors that contributed to the degeneration and how the integration of information and communications technology (ICT) can be used to revitalise them were examined in three South African city centres. The research was grounded in place theory. A survey method, including the Delphi technique, followed by factor analysis, and ordinal regression modelling was used to collect and analyse data. The findings indicated that enhancing accessibility and safety, social and community involvement, human experience, built-up environment, and vibrancy were the five major components which needed reinforcing to revitalise the city centres. However, ICT-linked strategies, including networking the areas with free Wi-Fi hotspots, creating places in which to congregate, providing digital screens, and installing cameras and remote monitoring, are expected to attract people and to facilitate accessing real-time information about different events, marketing, branding, and creating a unique image. Also, the use of ICT will assist in reducing criminal activities and dispel the fear of crime. The combined effect is likely to encourage people and businesses to return the city centres, making these areas vibrant and accessible.

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