Spatial change as drivers of risk and vulnerability in South African cities: Spatial trends in the three metropolitan cities of Gauteng

Abstract

Since 1994 the South African urban landscape has been changing as a result of fundamental social, economic and political transformations. Metropolitan cities, especially, face unique challenges because of the dynamism of urban populations. South African metros are characterised by significant inequalities across population groups and across space and the spatial isolation of vulnerable groups have been continuing rather than easing. Making use of a set of recently developed indicators for change, developed by the CSIR in collaboration with SACN, spatial change as drivers of risk and vulnerabilities for three metropolitan cities are explored. These three cities are the City of Tshwane, the City of Johannesburg and the Metropolitan Municipality of Ekurhuleni. Evidence from the analysis has shown that whilst illustrating major strides in service delivery within former disadvantaged townships, spatial patterns, as expected; confirm the embedded vulnerabilities associated with socio-economic and institutional exclusion, long travel distances and limited access to urban opportunities in former so-called ‘black’ townships on the urban periphery. However, in addition to the spatial legacies associated with apartheid cities, the analyses also points out new patterns of exclusion and spatial injustice, contributing to the already complex challenge of addressing spatial specific inequalities and transformation.