Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Dichotomies of urban change in Durban

  • Article
  • Published:
URBAN DESIGN International Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Urban developments the world over face a myriad of challenges. In South Africa, urban design is exacerbated by the recent implementation of democracy, which demands the dismantling of the brutal markings imprinted by apartheid planning on the South African built environment. This article investigates and compares recent developments in this changing urban fabric.

The study finds its genesis in this context of transformation, which provides urban design with a unique challenge to interpret and respond to pressing urban issues peculiar to South Africa.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 6
Figure 7
Figure 8
Figure 9

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Group Areas and Group Areas Act. These are areas that have been proclaimed solely for occupation by members of a particular race group, either white, coloured, Indian, in terms of the Group Areas Act of 1950. The act also affects trading rights and inter-racial transactions (Surplus People Project, 1983).

  2. The freeway system proposed by Holford and Kantorowich (1968) discussed in ‘Sense of centre : Centrum Precinct’.

  3. Influx Control. This refers to the network of legislation and regulations which controls African access to the urban-industrial centres situated in what is claimed to be white South Africa; it severely limits the numbers of African people allowed to live and work there to those deemed to qualify in terms of the Section 10 of the Urban Areas Act of 1923, as amended (Surplus People Project, 1983).

  4. The freeway system proposed by Holford and Kantorowich 1968 discussed in ‘Sense of centre: Centrum Precinct’.

References

  • African CBD Workshop Report (2000). Unpublished. A report on workshop proceedings.

  • Architects Collaborative cc. (1999) Grey Street Urban Renewal Project: Precinct Design Concepts. A report to the City Council forming part of the Warwick Junction Urban Renewal Project.

  • Caramanus, J. (2003) A School of Circus Arts in the Warwick Junction. Degree of Architecture, University of Natal, Durban.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dobson, R. (2001) Walking through Warwick Junction. KZ-NIA Journal, 26: 6–7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gounden, K. (1999) Distant Decentralized office Parks: A Case Study of the La Lucia Ridge Office Estate. Degree of Master of Town and regional Planning, University of Natal, Durban.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grest, J. (2001) Urban Management, Urban Citizenship and the Informal Economy in the New South Africa: A Case Study from Central Durban. Working Paper #01-09d. http://cmd.princeton.edu/CMD_Working_Papers/wp0109d.pdf.

  • Hallen, H.H. (1965) Place: Some aspects of urban places in Durban and Pietermaritzburg, South African Architectural Record, July: 14–17.

  • Harvey, D. (1997) The New Urbanism and the Communitarian Trap, Harvard Design Magazine, Winter/Spring: 68–69.

  • Holford, W and Kanrorowich, R. (1968) Durban 1985 : A Plan for Central Durban in its regional setting. A report to the City Council on the Central Durban Planning Project.

  • Morrison, I. (1993) Durban: A Pictorial History. Cape Town: Struik Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nesvåg, S.I. (2000) Street trading from apartheid to post-apartheid: more birds in the cornfield, International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 21. (Special Edition edited by John C. Cross and Steve Balkin) http://www.bluecom.ws/samco/articles/Durban%20Office%20&%20Industrial/Development%20in%20North%20Durban%20Region.pdf.

  • Peters, W. (2001) Warwick Junction Urban Renewal Project, KZ-NIA Journal, 26: 6–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peters, W. (2002) Umhlanga Ridge New Town Centre, KZ-NIA Journal 27.

  • Peters, W. (1984) Urban Development in Durban, Architecture SA, July/August: 26–35.

  • Radford, D. (2002) A Guide to the Architecture of Durban and Pietermaritzburg. Cape Town: David Philip Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sanders, P. (1991) d'urban Changes Forum, NIA Journal, 16: 1.

    Google Scholar 

  • Surplus People Project (1983) Forced Removals in South Africa: The Surplus People Reports. Vol. 4 (for the province of) Natal.

  • d'Urban Changes Forum (1998) Centrum: Heart of the City: Enkabeni Yedolobha. A report to the City Council Inner city linkages – from the Centrum outwards.

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the additional input of Professor Ambrose Adebayo of the School of Architecture, Planning and Housing at the University of Natal.

Grateful acknowledgement is made to Justin Caramanus, Final Year Architecture, for permission to use photographs of Warwick Junction from his Thesis Dissertation, A School of Circus Arts for the Warwick Junction (2003). Unpublished.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Architecture, University of Natal, Durban, South Africa

    Maria Nomico

  2. Queensland University of Technology, Gardens Point Campus, Brisbane, Australia

    Paul Sanders

Authors
  1. Maria Nomico
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Paul Sanders
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Maria Nomico.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Nomico, M., Sanders, P. Dichotomies of urban change in Durban. Urban Des Int 8, 207–222 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.udi.9000102

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.udi.9000102

Keywords

Search

Navigation