GGY201 Urban Land Use, CBD & Suburbs (Part 2) PDF

GGY201 – URBAN STRUCTURE, ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY. LECTURE NOTES: URBAN LAND USE, THE CBD AND SUBURBS (PART 2)  With the shift from a monocentric to a polycentric city through processes of decentralisation and suburbanisation we have seen the creation of what we call edge citie...

GGY201 – URBAN STRUCTURE, ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY. LECTURE NOTES: URBAN LAND USE, THE CBD AND SUBURBS (PART 2)  With the shift from a monocentric to a polycentric city through processes of decentralisation and suburbanisation we have seen the creation of what we call edge cities (E.g., Sandton).  This process also can stimulate the decline of CBDs – which sees a shift in retail and commercial activities away from the centre.  In the US the decline of the CBD started early – 1950s. In South Africa, 1980s.  Middle and upper income people left inner city neighbourhoods for the suburbs – taking their purchasing power with them.  Retail and commerce followed suit – this saw higher vacancy rates, property values plummeted and the tax base dropped.  Also important to note the role deindustrialisation played in the decline of many Western cities in the second half of the 20th century.  Inner-cities became spaces that were poorly maintained with high crime rates and a space for the urban poor or other marginalised groups. A recent photograph of Detroit, US (Source: Julia Van Develder). 1 New York, 1970s (Source: Flashbak.com). Lorna Court, Johannesburg in 2012 (Source: Daily Maverick). 2  By the late 1960s attempts were made to revitalise or regenerate the inner city (in the US).  In the South African context attempts at urban regeneration has been around since the 1990s.  Local governments joined bankers, financiers, real estate developers and planners to return prosperity to the CBD – these coalitions are known as the urban growth machines.  In South Africa, establishment of City Improvement Districts (CIDs).  Various strategies have been put forward to revitalise/ regenerate CBDs, these include but are not limited to; o Historic preservation (architecture, important heritage sites). o Downtown housing developments. o The use of creative and cultural industries. o Nightlife and entertainment (night time economy). o Tourism (Disneyfication). o Major events, convention centres. o Sports events and facilities.  Larry Ford (2003) identifies four major themes of downtown change o Fun zones o Historic districts o Residential neighbourhoods – importance of the “back to the city” movement and gentrification 3 Waterfront development in Baltimore, US (Source: baltimorefishbowl.com). Jewel city, Johannesburg (Source: Daily Maverick).  Gentrification has played a crucial role in the reshaping or inner-cities in Western (and some non-Western) cities.  Gentrification is when higher income groups move into and revitalise older working class neighbourhoods that have experienced disinvestment. The process does lead to the displacement and replacement of lower income groups. 4 Gentrification in London (Source: Land8.com) Protests against gentrification in Woodstock, Cape Town (Source: The Daily Vox). 5  Suburban changes; o Suburbanisation was fuelled through private transportation and increased access through a network of freeways. o Production of a polycentric city with multiple cores or nodes – usually around a large regional shopping mall. o Growth of office and industrial parks. o Challenges emerged with infrastructure and planning. o Continued urban sprawl – how sustainable is this? o Urban sprawl could see the merger of cities; we call this conurbation. o A megalopolis is the merger of several cities into a vast urban corridor 6 The Gauteng City Region (Source: GCRO) 7