GAUTENG INFASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT CONFERENCE, Mega Human Settlements and Post-Apartheid Cities

Gallagher Estate, Midrand17 July 2015

Delivered by Executive Mayor Clr MS Mofokeng

Division/Exclusion to Inclusivity!Chaos to Order

Polluted to GreenDisconnected to Smart

the future of African Cities!

Presentation Outline

• Defining a City• Examination of the Apartheid City• Challenges facing Apartheid City • Ideal Future Post-Apartheid City

Defining a City

• A definition of a city is complex depending on the context one is looking at

• The simplest definition would be that it is a dense urban conglomerate which has a self-contained local social order and economy characterised by high frequencies of continuous interactions

Examination of the Apartheid City

How was an Apartheid City structured or what are its prominent features?• Spatial geographic pattern based on racial

segregated residential areas;• Use of buffer zones between residential areas

– e.g. natural features (rivers); industrial belts, • Black residential areas – dormitories supplying

cheap labour to the White city

Examination of the Apartheid City

• Extended City Planning – Black suburbs served as dormitories for labour characterised by huge distances from the CBD

• Planning based on ensuring military control;• Black “townships” located in close proximity

to military bases• Limited access points to Black “townships”• Skewed social infrastructure with Blacks

perceived to be perpetually rural

Examination of the Apartheid City

• Houses for Blacks were small, poorly built and devoid of doors, ceilings & internal services

• Skewed Tax Base – limited land ownership whilst all manufacturing and commercial retail development were located within the White city

• Exhibited a divided society – two worlds;• Apartheid social design was to perpetually

enrich Whites at the expense of Black labour

Examination of the Apartheid City

• Duplication of amenities• Local economy of an Apartheid City was highly

resource-intensive and not diversified• Skewed delivery municipal services with

inadequate and poor infrastructure in areas designated for Blacks;

• High levels of structural inefficiencies in management of the city

Challenges facing Apartheid City

Given that elements of Apartheid planning have been indelibly etched into our urban fabric of our cities, we need therefore to deconstruct the entire system into future cities which are:– Inclusive and spatially integrated;– Economically productive;– Well governed; and – Sustainable, with viable social and economic

infrastructure.

What therefore are the Challenges?

• How do we re-engineer & deconstruct the Apartheid spatial design of our cities?

• How do we turn our cities into engines of accelerated economic development and growth?

• How do we increase structural efficiencies in the management of rapid urbanisation?

• How do we turn our cities into spaces of unparalleled prosperity and growth?

What therefore are the Challenges?

• How do we reverse the marginalisation of the poor?

• How do we ensure that cities that experience negative growth and declining economies are able to manage and avoid stagnation and total collapse?

• How do we address the effects of poverty within the urban population especially those living in squalor and periphery of the cities?

What therefore are the Challenges?

• How do we ensure that rapid urbanisation does not affect the environment adversely due to uncontrolled informal settlements?

• How do we address the unending service delivery backlogs spurred on by rapid urbanisation (urban sprawl)?

• How do we address the decaying urban centres and concomitant aging infrastructure in our cities?

Ideal Future Post-Apartheid City• The current reality is that urban populations

are growing at a higher rate than in the 19th century;

• It is estimated that by 2025, 57% of the population in Less Developed Countries will be living in urban areas, whilst in More Developed Countries it will be a whopping 84% (William H Frey &Zachary Zimmer in an article titled Defining the City)

• Future cities therefore must be managed differently

Ideal Future Post-Apartheid City

• In South Africa the trend is no different. In 2001 (note 15 years ago!) urbanisation was as follows per province (National figure 57%):

- Gauteng 96% Limpopo10%

- Western Cape 90% Eastern Cape 38%- Northern Cape 80% Mpumalanga 39%- Free State 75% North

West 41%

Kwa-Zulu Natal 45%

Ideal Future Post-Apartheid City

What therefore should we strive for?We are striving for a city that is:• Productive• Inclusive• Well-governed; and • Sustainable-viable socio-economic

THEREFORE

A SMART CITY

Ideal Future Post-Apartheid City• A SMART City is a city – “that can be defined as smart when investments in the human and social capital and traditional (transport) and modern (ICT) communication infrastructure fuel sustainable economic development and a high quality of life, with a wise management of natural resources, through participatory action and engagement” (Caragliu & Nijkamp 2009)

Ideal Future Post-Apartheid City• Frost & Sullivan 2014 on the other say –“We identified eight key aspects that define a Smart City:

- smart governance- smart energy;- smart building;- smart mobility;- smart infrastructure;

- smart technology;- smart healthcare- smart citizen.

Ideal Future Post-Apartheid City• The Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineer on

the other hand say –“ A smart city brings together technology, government, and society to enable the following characteristics:

- smart cities,

- smart economy;- smart mobility;- smart environment;- smart people;- smart living;- smart governance

Ideal Future Post-Apartheid CityAs can be seen the Post Apartheid City should be the one that resonates with the current dictates of advanced TECHNOLOGY. It should be a city that goes BEYOND THE CONVENTIONAL way of governing, a city that is underpinned by rules of equality, peace and prosperity. A city that ensure sustainable economic growth whilst protecting the ENVIRONMENT. A city where its residents are wealthy, happy and lead healthy lives. Where access to services is unlimited at all times. A city that boasts a VIBRANT CBD’s that does not “sleep”.

Ideal Future Post-Apartheid City

• A city where social distance between residents, government and business is eliminated through technology;

• A city where all can communicate with one another irrespective of distance, space and time;

• A city where all can live, work and play in a single space. Modern cities are residential, commercial and leisure in a single space.

Ideal Future Post-Apartheid City

New cities such as Savanah City, the new Vaal River City, Waterfall City, will define a new era in African Cities. It will be globally competitive cities that reflect the best of technology and the best of African culture and traditions. AS urbanisation grows, we have an opportunity to shape the new African City. African cities cannot be about, crime, grime, squalor and dysfunctionality.

Ideal Future Post-Apartheid City

I conclude by saying indeed such cities are within our grasp – all it takes is collective common purpose and desire to change the present for better.

THANK YOU