Densifying Johannesburg: resilient, sustainable, inclusive?
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Date
2016
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AESOP
Abstract
The idea of compacting cities and limiting sprawl has become a predominant policy prescription among international agencies and in many countries and cities. Dense, compact cities are seen as more resilient, vibrant, diverse, inclusive, and sustainable. There has been intense debate over these claims (see UN-Habitat, 2009 for a summary), and several authors argue that dominant spatial trends are moving in opposite directions, undermining the plausibility of these policies. In particular, Angel (2010) shows that densities are declining in most cities studied internationally. Johannesburg in South Africa however is an exception, as it has densified since the 1980s, in part reflecting the collapse of controls associated with apartheid and modernist planning. In Johannesburg, densification is relatively moderate in most areas, and has also gone along with further expansion on the edges, albeit at higher densities than in the past. Patterns of densification however vary across the city, and there are even some areas that are dedensifying. Johannesburg is not unique amongst South African cities, although trends are more pronounced there, reflecting its position as the dominant economic centre in the country.
Description
Proceedings of the IV World Planning Schools Congress, July 3-8th, 2016 : Global crisis, planning and challenges to spatial justice in the north and in the south
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