SOUTH AFRICA’S INTEGRATED
URBAN DEVELOPMENT
FRAMEWORK AND SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT GOAL 11: POLICY
MISMATCH OR SUCCESS?
Angela van der Berg1
LLB LLM
North-West University, South Africa and Tilburg
University, Netherlands
SUMMARY
This paper critically questions the extent to which the Integrated Urban Development
Framework, 2016 (IUDF) provides for strategic goals and policy levers towards the
pursuit of sustainable cities in South Africa as understood in Sustainable
Development2 Goal (SDG) 11. Specific emphasis will be placed on the nine identified
policy levers in the IUDF and whether these correspond with what is identified in
SDG 11 as essential for the pursuit and maintenance of sustainable cities. SDG 11
has been heralded as “path-breaking” as it represents the strongest recognition to
date of the significant role of cities in promoting sustainability on local, national, and
global scales. The goal3 forms part of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development adopted in 2015. SDG 11 specifically seeks to ensure that
cities and human settlements become inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. The
goal provides a broad framework for what the achievement sustainable cities entails
and lists specific targets to be met by 2030 to ensure urban sustainability around the
globe. The South African government recently developed its first policy underscoring
the country’s national urban agenda. Informed by SDG 11, the IUDF calls for the
effective and improved management of urban spaces and recognises the need for
South African cities to become “liveable, safe, resource-efficient cities that are
socially integrated, economically inclusive and globally competitive”.
1
INTRODUCTION
The world’s urban population is increasing rapidly. Currently, half of the
world’s total population lives in cities, and it is anticipated that this number
1
2
3
This research was conducted with the financial support of the National Research
Foundation of South Africa. The findings arising from the research and the opinions
expressed in this paper remain those of the author, however.
Informed by the strategic goals.
Hereinafter “2030 Agenda”.
557
558
OBITER 2017
4
will rise to 60% by 2030 and to 70% by 2050. While urbanisation in itself is
not necessarily problematic, rapid and unplanned urbanisation exacerbates
the challenges that cities face generally and in terms of sustainability
specifically. Nevertheless, it is agreed that well managed and planned cities
5
play a crucial role in the pursuit of sustainable development. Cities are
engines of growth and economic development and are recognised as driving
forces behind the change and policy development in response to challenges
related to inequality, socio-economic advancement, and resource
6
management, for instance.
The significance of cities as potential drivers of the sustainable
development agenda has received increased emphasis and recognition over
7
the years. In 2015, however, the role of cities in the pursuit of local,
national, and global sustainable development received its strongest
recognition to date. In September 2015, the United Nations adopted its 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development, which includes seventeen goals
having to do with fostering global social, environmental, and economic
8
sustainability. Of particular relevance to cities is the eleventh SDG, which
seeks to ensure that cities and human settlements become inclusive, safe,
9
resilient and sustainable. The goal provides a broad description of what
sustainable cities entail and lists specific targets to be met by 2030 to ensure
the sustainability of cities around the globe.
Since the formal adoption of the 2030 Agenda, several governments have
confirmed their support of SDG 11 specifically by finalising and adopting
proactive urban policies that aim to promote overall sustainability and cater
10
to the unique challenges of their cities. In attempting to address its own
urban challenges, the South African government recently developed its first
policy underscoring the country’s national urban agenda. Prior to 1994, the
country’s cities were shaped by planning practices and planning laws that
were influenced by a government intent on implementing its apartheid policy.
The implementation of the apartheid ideology in the context of planning,
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
UN Habitat World Cities Report 2016: Urbanization and Development, Emerging Futures
(2016) 6.
UN Habitat World Cities Report 2016: Urbanization and Development, Emerging Futures
(2016) 3.
Mega Sustainable Cities for the Third Millennium: The Odyssey of Urban Excellence (2010)
15–19.
See, inter alia, Williams “Sustainable Cities: Research and Practice Challenges” 2010 1
International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development 128–132; Bouteligier Cities,
Networks and Global Environmental Governance: Spaces of Innovation, Places of
Leadership (2013) 1–240; Bayulken and Huisingh “A Literature Review of Historical Trends
and Emerging Theoretical Approaches for Developing Sustainable Cities” 2015 109 Journal
of Cleaner Production 11–24.
Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development A/RES/70/1
(2015). Hereinafter “2030 Agenda”.
See the definition of a sustainable city in s 3 below.
See eg, the sustainable city initiatives and policy documents of various city governments
over the globe that belong to Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI), see ICLEI
“Selected Examples of Ambitious Activities of ICLEI Members related to all SDGs” 2015
http://www.iclei.org/fileadmin/user_-upload/ICLEI_WS/Documents/advocacy/Sustainable_
Development_Summit_2015/Annex-IV_GetInspired_by_ICLEI_Members_UrbanSDG_17
SDGs.pdf (accessed 2017-08-17).
SOUTH AFRICA’S INTEGRATED URBAN DEVELOPMENT
559
resulted in the country’s towns and cities being characterised by low-density,
11
segregation, and stark racial and class separations. The Integrated Urban
12
Development Framework of 2016 is specifically developed to redress the
spatial injustices associated with the country’s apartheid and planning legacy
and particularly emphasises the need for sustainable urban development. It
is informed by SDG 11 and introduces four overall strategic goals with nine
policy levers, which set the key priority objectives for South Africa’s urban
agenda. This paper critically questions the extent to which the IUDF provides
for strategic goals and policy levers towards the pursuit of sustainable cities
in South Africa as envisioned by SDG 11. Specific emphasis will be placed
13
on the nine identified policy levers in the IUDF and on asking if these
correspond with what is identified in SDG 11 as essential for the pursuit and
maintenance of sustainable cities.
2
THE
INTEGRATED
URBAN
FRAMEWORK IN CONTEXT
DEVELOPMENT
Prior to the 1990s, South Africa’s cities were shaped by planning practices
that were strongly influenced by modernist planning principles characterised
14
by single-use zoning and low-density suburban development. Planning
laws were framed in accordance with the policy of apartheid, with the result
that the design of towns and cities was based on racial discrimination and
15
inequality. The outcome was low-density and fragmented cities requiring
large-scale commuting on the part of black and coloured residents from
impoverished and poorly serviced township areas to the sections of the city
16
or town where the main areas of economic opportunity and higher order
17
social facilities were located.
It is generally agreed that the apartheid planning system deliberately
18
stifled the development of the majority of the country’s population. Notably,
towns and cities throughout South Africa today are still confronted with the
19
remnants of the country’s apartheid past. Many of the planning laws and
policies in operation during the time of apartheid did not provide the legal
mechanisms necessary to avoid and address the country’s spatial
governance problems such as informal settlement regulation and inner-city
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
Harrison, Todes, and Watson Planning and Transformation: Learning from the PostApartheid Experience (2008) 9.
Hereinafter “the IUDF”.
Informed by the strategic goals.
Parnell and Mabin “Rethinking Urban South Africa” 1995 21(1) Journal of Southern African
Studies 39–61.
Mabin and Smit “Reconstructing South Africa’s cities? The making of Urban Planning 1900–
2000” 1997 12 Planning Perspectives 204.
The white neighbourhoods.
Harrison, Todes and Watson Planning and Transformation: Learning from the PostApartheid Experience 12.
See Patel “Understanding Environmental Change in South African Cities: A Landscape
Approach” 2005 57 Transformation 23.
Berrisford “Unravelling Apartheid Spatial Planning Legislation in South Africa” 2011 22
Urban Forum 249.
560
OBITER 2017
20
township renewal, for example. South African cities are therefore still
characterised by social, economic and spatial segregation, inadequate
access to basic services, irresponsible resource use, and growing poverty
21
and social exclusion.
In the light of the apartheid planning practices that promoted separate and
fragmented development in urban areas, the post-1994 government
attempted to develop a new planning system. Within two years of the 1994
22
elections, the newly elected government promulgated the Constitution of
the Republic of South Africa, 1996. The Constitution remains the highest law
of the land and sets the tone for the country’s overall legislative reform,
including the reform of all planning legislation and policy. The Constitution
allocates to national, provincial and local government specific functional
23
areas of legislative and executive competence and includes a Bill of Rights
in Chapter 2 affording everyone in the country rights in terms of equality,
dignity, culture and religion, the environment, property, housing, information
and administrative action. The new planning law and policy system had to be
24
prepared in line with the Constitution.
The South African government has since the inception of the Constitution
developed several laws and policy programmes aimed at remedying South
25
Africa’s apartheid spatial planning legacy. While a discussion of the precise
detail of the laws and policy programmes is beyond the scope of this paper,
it has been argued that they have failed to achieve measurable progress and
have not impinged on social exclusion and poor racial and cultural
integration, so that the South African city remains an unjust and inequitable
26
living environment. Accordingly, the national government of South Africa in
2015 enacted the country’s first piece of legislation that provides a single
27
and integrated planning system for the entire country. The Spatial Planning
28
and Land Use Management Act specifically acknowledges the rights
29
contained in the Bill of Rights and indicates that the right to housing
includes equitable spatial patterns and sustainable human settlements.
SPLUMA also lays down development principles to be embodied in
planning, such as spatial justice, spatial sustainability and spatial
30
resilience. The principles apply uniformly to spatial planning, land-use
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
Van Wyk Planning Law (2012) 6.
Abrahams and Berrisford Addressing the Crisis of Planning Law Reform in South Africa
(2012) 9–10.
The elections resulted in the demise of apartheid and the establishment of a new
government vision aimed at creating an equal and non-discriminatory South African society.
Also in terms of planning. See Schedules 4 and 5 of the Constitution.
Van Wyk and Oranje “The Post-1994 South African Spatial Planning System and Bill of
Rights: A Meaningful and Mutually Beneficial Fit?” 2014 Planning Theory 5–6.
See eg, the Development Facilitation Act 67 of 1995 and the White Paper on
Reconstruction and Development, 1994.
South African Cities Network The State of South African Cities (2016) 29–32.
Padarath SPLUMA as a Tool for Spatial Transformation (2015) 18.
16 of 2013. Hereinafter “SPLUMA”.
As provided for in the Constitution.
S 7 of SPLUMA.
SOUTH AFRICA’S INTEGRATED URBAN DEVELOPMENT
561
management and land development and must guide the development of any
further planning laws and policies developed in terms of the Act.
It is noteworthy, however, that SPLUMA does not have a specifically
urban focus. The Act envisions that its principles and provisions should
guide planning and land-use management in the shaping of human
31
settlements uniformly in urban and rural areas alike. The lack of an explicit
focus on the urban context, together with the continued aim of government
to develop a policy that redresses the country’s apartheid planning history
and secures a sustainable future for the country’s cities led to the
development of the IUDF. The IUDF was approved by Cabinet on 26 April
2016 and seeks to guide the development of inclusive, resilient and liveable
urban settlements. The IUDF sets the policy framework for transforming and
restructuring South Africa’s urban spaces and replaces all previous sectorbased plans for urban development, such as the Department of Housing,
1997 Urban Development Framework. All existing and future policies and
legislative frameworks that may have an impact on urban space in South
Africa must consider and be in line with the objectives and principles outlined
32
in the IUDF. The IUDF is specifically informed by SDG 11 and emphasises
the need for sustainable development in the country’s towns and cities. It
introduces four overall strategic goals with nine policy levers that set key
policy priorities for South Africa’s urban agenda. The remainder of this paper
is dedicated (a) to considering the requirements for the pursuit of city
sustainability as envisioned by SDG 11, and (b) to evaluating in brief
33
whether the nine identified policy levers in the IUDF correspond with what
is identified in SDG 11 as essential for the pursuit and maintenance of
sustainable cities.
3
ENVISIONING SUSTAINABLE CITIES IN TERMS
OF SDG 11
SDG 11 has been heralded as “path-breaking, both within the UN system for
acknowledging the development role of subnational governments, and
paradigmatically for global urban policy as it concedes that, in an urbanising
34
world, cities can be pathways to sustainable development”. SDG 11 is truly
transformational in nature as it is the only goal that is location specific and
35
that can be pursued on a manageable scale. The goal sets out to make
36
37
38
39
cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. The “sustainable city”
31
32
33
34
35
36
Padarath SPLUMA as a Tool for Spatial Transformation 18.
Department of Cooperative Government and Traditional Affairs Towards an Integrated
Urban Development Framework (2014) 20–25.
Informed by the strategic goals.
Parnell “Defining a Global Urban Development Agenda” 2016 78 World Development 529.
See ICLEI “Briefing Sheet Urban Issues No 02” 2015 http://www.iclei.org/fileadmin/
PUBLICATION-S/Briefing_Sheets/SDGs/02_-_ICLEI-Bonn_Briefing_Sheet_-_SDGsand
Cities_2015_web.pdf (accessed 2017-04-22).
Inclusion pertains to ensuring that all residents of the city, including the most marginalised,
have a representative voice in governance, and fair and equitable access to urban
opportunities, infrastructure and resources that cultivate social integration and enable
residents to enjoy and fully partake in urban life. See UN Policy Paper 1: Right to the City
562
OBITER 2017
is depicted in SDG 11 in terms of a set of targets that cities around the globe
should collectively aspire to meet. The first seven targets are framed as
outcomes and require cities to accomplish the following by 2030:
11.1)
ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing,
basic services (water and sanitation) and the upgrading of slums;
11.2)
provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable road
transport systems for all by expanding public transport and
improving road safety and paying special attention to the needs of
the vulnerable (i.e. women, children, the elderly and persons with
disabilities);
11.3)
enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanisation and the capacity for
participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning
and management;
11.4)
strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the city’s cultural and
natural heritage;
11.5)
with a specific focus on the poor and vulnerable, reduce the number
of deaths and the number of people affected by economic and other
disasters, including water-related disasters;
11.6)
with specific emphasis on air quality and municipal and general
waste management, reduce the per capita impact of cities on the
environment; and
37
38
39
and Cities for All (2015) 1–10; UN Habitat Habitat III Issue Paper 1: Inclusive Cities (2015)
1–10.
Safety in the urban environment pertains to residents living free from the threat or fear of
violence and crime. Depending on the definition applied, urban safety also entails protecting
residents from the risk and occurrence of human-induced or natural disasters and climate
change. See UN Habitat Habitat III Issue Paper 3: Safer Cities (2015) 1–10.
Urban resilience generally refers to the capacity of individuals, communities, institutions,
businesses, and systems within a city to survive, adapt, and grow, no matter what kinds of
chronic stresses and acute shocks they experience. See Patel and Nosal Defining the
Resilient City (2016) 6; UN Policy Paper 8: Urban Ecology and Resilience (2016) 1–10.
Precise conceptualisations of the “sustainable city” are rare and contested. Most scholars
construct their own notions of what the concept means, and of what responses the concept
entails. Engineers, eg, prioritise efficiency and aim to quantify and map the availability of
resources. Social scientists regard a city as sustainable when a pre-determined social ideal
and a minimum level of quality of life is reached within a specific spatial setting.
Environmentalists depict sustainable cities from a conservation perspective and define
urban sustainability in terms of the impact of urban growth and consumption on the earth’s
carrying capacity; government authorities however, place emphasis on the quality of
governance and regulatory instruments guiding the relationships and actions of different
actors within the urban context. See Williams 2010 1 International Journal of Urban
Sustainable Development 129–130; Girardet “The Metabolism of Cities” in Wheeler and
Beatley (eds) The Sustainable Urban Development Reader (2015) 197–244; Bramley and
Power “Urban Form and Social Sustainability: The Role of Density and Housing Type” 2009
36 Environment and Planning 30–48; Bithas and Christofakis “Environmentally Sustainable
Cities: Critical Review and Operational Conditions” 2006 14 Sustainable Development 177–
189. The purpose of this paper is not to extend the debate surrounding the sustainable city
concept. Instead, it envisions the sustainable city as it is depicted in terms of the SDG 11
targets.
SOUTH AFRICA’S INTEGRATED URBAN DEVELOPMENT
11.7)
563
provide access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green public
spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and
persons with disabilities.
The remaining targets are framed in terms of procedure and require cities
to:
11.a)
support positive economic, social and environmental links between
urban, peri-urban and rural areas by strengthening development
planning;
11.b)
by 2020, adopt and implement disaster risk reduction strategies in
line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 20152030; and
11.c)
support least developed countries through financial and technical
assistance in constructing sustainable and resilient buildings utilising
local materials.
40
SDG 11 is accompanied by a set of indicators that provide details
regarding the nature of each target for SDG 11. It is generally understood
that the indicators for SDG 11, in essence, require city authorities inter alia
to decrease the proportion of the urban population living in slums, informal
settlements or inadequate housing; to increase the proportion of the
population that has convenient access to public transport; to ensure that
urbanisation rates and land-use are managed sustainably and efficiently;
and where development is planned to ensure that the planning processes
41
are participatory. The indicators also require city authorities to protect,
conserve and safeguard local cultural and natural heritage; to strengthen
resilience and reduce vulnerability to natural disasters with regard to
fatalities and economic loss; to minimise the per capita environmental impact
42
of the city; to provide access to safe, inclusive and accessible green public
spaces; to establish social, environmental and economic links between
urban, peri-urban and rural areas; to ensure the alignment of local disaster
risk reduction strategies with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk
43
Reduction 2015–2030; and to provide support to cities in least developed
44
countries in constructing sustainable and resilient buildings.
The indicators are accompanied by metadata that provides statistics
and/or benchmarks for the targets, such as the percentage of slums that
45
should be upgraded; the proportion of the population that has a public
46
transit stop within 0.5km; and the number of persons affected by disasters
47
per every 100 000 people. The metadata is aimed at providing a means to
measure progress on the fulfilment of the SDG 11 targets. The metadata is
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
See UN Official Revised list of Global Sustainable Development Goal indicators (2017) 14–
16.
UN Official Revised list of Global Sustainable Development Goal indicators 14–15.
With a focus on air quality and sustainable waste management.
Financial or technical.
UN Official Revised list of Global Sustainable Development Goal indicators 15–16.
In terms of target 11.1.
In terms of target 11.2.
In terms of target 11.5.
564
OBITER 2017
still a work in progress and should be finalised towards the end of 2017. No
metadata exists for some of the SDGs. As a result, much debate surrounds
the setting of finalised and approved targets to inform the pursuit of
sustainable cities, especially with regard to what may be achievable for cities
in developing countries. The purpose of this paper is not to extend this
debate but rather to question the extent to which the IUDF provides for
strategic goals and policy levers in South Africa as envisioned by SDG 11. It
is, therefore, necessary to determine from the wording of SDG 11 and its
targets what is broadly required of city governments in pursuit of
sustainability in this model. For this purpose, it may be said that SDG 11
requires city authorities to take action towards:
a) ensuring increased and equitable access to adequate housing and basic
services;
b) ensuring increased and equitable access to public transport;
c) managing urbanisation and land-use
participatory planning approaches;
sustainably
and
promoting
d) protecting and conserving local natural and cultural heritage;
e) fostering resilience to disasters (both financially and in terms of human
vulnerability);
f) reducing the environmental impact of the city (specifically in terms of
municipal solid waste management);
g) increasing access to safe public open (and green) spaces;
h) strengthening and aligning urban planning with national and regional
frameworks;
i) establishing social, environmental and economic links between urban,
peri-urban and rural areas;
j) ensuring the alignment of local disaster risk reduction strategies with the
Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030; and
k) providing support (albeit financial or technical support) to cities in the
least developed countries in building sustainable and resilient buildings.
The normative vision portrayed in the SDG 11 targets requires a dramatic
transformation of all aspects of city services, ranging from housing and
48
transport provision to disaster risk reduction strategies. In addition, access
to public transport, adequate housing and basic services, and sustainable
solid waste management must become the norm in both rich and poor urban
49
contexts. The successful pursuit of the sustainable city in terms of SDG 11
requires, inter alia, strong political leadership, established and effective
governance structures and processes, sound financial management, and a
48
49
Pieterse, Parnell, and Croese The 2030 Agenda: Sustainable Urbanisation and the
Research-Policy Interface Issues for the G20 (2017) 10.
Pieterse, Parnell, and Croese The 2030 Agenda: Sustainable Urbanisation and the
Research-Policy Interface Issues for the G20 11.
SOUTH AFRICA’S INTEGRATED URBAN DEVELOPMENT
565
50
strong legal and policy framework. The following section examines the
IUDF, as South Africa’s most recent urban policy, in order to determine the
extent to which it provides strategic goals and policy levers towards the
pursuit of sustainable cities in South Africa, as understood in SDG 11.
4
SOUTH AFRICA’S INTEGRATED URBAN DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK AND THE PURSUIT OF
SUSTAINABLE CITIES AS ENVISIONED BY SDG 11
The world is becoming increasingly urban. South Africa is no exception, with
51
53% of the country’s population currently living in cities. This figure is
52
expected to increase to 73% by 2030, reaching nearly 80% by 2050. The
IUDF is a strategic response to South Africa’s increasing urbanisation trends
and is aimed at creating a shared understanding of government and society
on the measures necessary to manage urbanisation in order to ensure
53
resilient, inclusive, liveable and sustainable cities for the entire country.
The overall goal of the IUDF is to ensure the spatial transformation of the
country’s cities by redressing the country’s apartheid and planning legacy of
racial segregation, poverty, and exclusion from social and economic
54
opportunities. For this purpose, the IUDF introduces four overall strategic
55
56
57
goals, namely: spatial integration; inclusion and access; growth; and
58
governance. The IUDF further specifies nine policy levers. The policy
levers are informed by the strategic goals and denote key policy priorities for
achieving the envisioned spatial transformation of South Africa’s cities. The
59
table below includes selected policy priorities and indicates, in brief, the
60
corresponding SDG 11 targets.
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
UN Habitat World Cities Report 2016: Urbanization and Development, Emerging Futures
99–120.
South African Cities Network State of South African Cities 20.
Ibid.
See the IUDF 11.
See the IUDF 12.
To forge new spatial forms in settlement, transport, social and economic areas.
To ensure that people have access to social and economic services, opportunities and
choices.
To harness urban dynamism for inclusive, sustainable economic growth and development.
To enhance the capacity of the state and its citizens to work together to achieve spatial and
social integration. See the IUDF 39.
Contained in each policy lever.
For detailed information on the policy levers and policy priorities, refer to the full text of the
IUDF.
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OBITER 2017
Table 1. IUDF POLICY LEVERS VIS-À-VIS SDG TARGETS.
IUDF policy lever
1) Integrated urban
planning and
management
2) Integrated
transport and
mobility
3) Integrated
sustainable
human
settlements
Highlighted policy
priority(ies)
Long-term planning for
housing with access to
services.
Corresponding SDG 11
target(s)
11.1
Prioritisation of public
transport options.
11.2
Disaster risk-informed
planning.
Strengthened and
integrated public
transport modes.
11.5
Pedestrian- and cyclistfriendly cities.
Upgrade informal
settlements.
11.2
11.1
Transform public
spaces.
11.7
4) Integrated urban
infrastructure
Infrastructure as a
bridge between rural
and urban areas.
11.a
5) Efficient land
governance and
management
Strengthen land-use
planning and
management
11.3
6) Inclusive
economic
development
Initiate differentiated
economic development
strategies for cities and
towns
11.a
7) Empowered
active
communities
Strengthen
participatory planning
and governance
11.3
8) Effective urban
governance
Improve city leadership
and administrative
capabilities
No direct
correspondence with
targets in SDG 11
9) Sustainable
finances
Improve capital
budgeting and
expenditure
No direct
correspondence with
targets in SDG 11
SOUTH AFRICA’S INTEGRATED URBAN DEVELOPMENT
567
The first policy lever is broadly framed. It stresses the importance of urban
planning and management in ensuring more compact, socially inclusive, and
better-integrated cities. The multi-functional policy lever includes policy
priorities that in part address three targets in SDG 11, as it emphasises that
long-term spatial plans must identify suitable areas for housing and
61
62
services, that land-use plans should be aligned with transport planning,
and that land-use plans should allocate land appropriately to limit exposure
63
to natural hazards. Policy lever two indicates that all public transport
64
65
modes must be included into city transport plans. The policy lever directly
addresses target 11.2 relating to sustainable public transport, as it requires
66
planning practices to emphasise non-motorised transport options. The third
policy lever directly relates to target 11.1 pertaining to adequate and safe
housing with access to basic services. It requires slum upgrading and
renewal programmes to focus on providing affordable and safe housing
options with full access to water, sanitation and waste management
67
services. The policy lever, albeit in brief, also extends to target 11.7 as it
stipulates that increased attention must be given to creating quality public
68
spaces such as parks, that are enjoyed equally by everyone. Policy lever
four more generally describes and lays down policy priorities for the
infrastructure required to fulfil the IUDF’s vision for South African cities. The
policy lever does relate to target 11.a, however, as it recognises
69
infrastructures as being critical in strengthening urban-rural linkages. It
stipulates as one of the policy priorities the need for infrastructure planning
to enhance socio-economic development in rural areas by providing the
transport and communication infrastructure that will provide rural inhabitants
with access to urban markets, health and education facilities, and
70
employment opportunities, for example.
The fifth policy lever regards sustainable urbanisation practices and landuse management as central to ensuring compact urban form and
sustainable land-use. While the policy lever is broadly framed, focuses on
the spatial transformation of South Africa’s cities, and addresses land tenure
security, it does,in brief, indicate that planning legislation and policies should
include mechanisms that promote civil engagement in the planning
71
processes. The policy lever thereby briefly corresponds with target 11.3.
Policy lever six, in turn, addresses South Africa’s unemployment crisis and
recognises the need to leverage the diversity of urban economies in
72
fostering overall inclusive economic development. In addition to identifying
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
11.1.
11.2.
11.5. See the IUDF 43–50.
Such as rail, buses, minibus taxis and non-motorised transport options.
See the IUDF 56.
Such as cycling. See the IUDF 57.
See the IUDF 64–66.
See the IUDF 66.
See the IUDF 73.
Ibid.
See the IUDF 78.
See the IUDF 83.
568
OBITER 2017
several policy priorities for economic development, the policy lever
correlates to target 11.a as it recognises the importance of strengthening
rural-to-urban economic linkages in boosting and enhancing economic
73
growth in cities and in rural areas.
The seventh policy lever emphasises the importance of participatory
planning and establishes a stand-alone policy lever for public participation.
Participatory human settlement planning is an integral feature of target 11.3.
Policy lever seven requires the development of new planning and
governance mechanisms and the revision of existing mechanisms to ensure
74
that all persons could equally participate in the planning, design and
75
management of their neighbourhoods. Policy lever eight recognises the
crucial role of effective urban governance in ensuring overall sustainability
within cities. The policy lever underscores the need to ensure that all urban
policies in South Africa are aligned and coherent, and that city leadership
and administrative capabilities must be improved at political and
76
administrative level. While the policy lever does not directly pertain to any
77
specific target of SDG 11, the central message of this policy lever is
78
arguably equally applicable to achieving the targets set by SDG 11.
The ninth and final policy lever, Sustainable Finances, emphasises that, in
addition to good urban governance, overall city sustainability is directly
79
dependent on sound, innovative, and sustainable financial management.
The policy lever identifies the need for improved capital budgeting and
expenditure and debt reduction as policy priorities for sustainable financial
80
management. Policy lever nine does not directly pertain to any specific
81
target of SDG 11 but rather underscores the dependence of successfully
82
achieving city sustainability on the availability of financial resources
coupled with good revenue management and expenditure control.
41
South Africa’s IUDF vis-à-vis SDG 11: Policy
mismatch or success?
As mentioned earlier, South Africa’s IUDF includes nine policy levers that
aim to facilitate the development of sustainable cities that are more socially,
economically and environmentally integrated than those that exist in the
country at present. Of the nine policy levers, seven aim to promote the
sustainable city as envisioned in the SDG 11 targets. It has been shown that
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
See the IUDF 89.
Including vulnerable groups such as the illiterate, the blind, and the hearing impaired.
See the IUDF 92–95.
See the IUDF 99–104.
That the successful achievement of city sustainability is dependent on effective urban
governance.
UN Habitat World Cities Report 2016: Urbanization and Development, Emerging Futures
101–119.
See the IUDF 106.
See the IUDF 108–110.
Albeit indirectly.
And the targets in SDG 11.
SOUTH AFRICA’S INTEGRATED URBAN DEVELOPMENT
569
SDG 11 includes ten targets that stipulate what is required of cities in the
83
84
pursuit of urban sustainability. Four specific SDG 11 targets have
received stronger emphasis in the IUDF, given that at least seven policy
85
levers address matters related to these targets. Moreover, the importance
and relevance of two other SDG 11 targets are also acknowledged, albeit to
a more limited extent. In this regard, at least one policy lever addresses
86
87
matters related to target 11.5 and target 11.7. Policy lever one and policy
lever three may also be considered as interdisciplinary in nature as each of
these policy levers addresses more than one of the SDG 11 targets.
It further appears that the IUDF fails to directly address the SDG 11
88
targets relating to the protection of cultural and natural heritage; the
89
reduction of the per capita impacts of cities on the environment; the
adoption of disaster management strategies in line with the Sendai
90
Framework; and providing financial and technical support and assistance
to least developed countries for constructing sustainable and resilient
91
buildings. The IUDF instead focuses on addressing urban sustainability
issues that are not necessarily directly reflected in the SDG 11 targets.
92
These matters include the importance of effective urban governance and
93
sustainable finances. These matters are significant, given that a whole set
of fiscal, legal and policy supporting structures, governance procedures and
processes are required to ensure the successful implementation and
94
mobilisation of the SDG 11 targets.
In addition to the above, it is interesting to note that the IUDF recognises
95
96
that urban safety is a basic human right and a public good. While the
IUDF does not include a specific policy lever for urban safety, it does
emphasise that urban safety is a necessary condition for adequately
realising the intended outcomes of the IUDF, such as spatial transformation,
integrated and sustainable human settlements, economic development, job
97
creation and active citizenship. The IUDF views urban safety as a pre83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
See the discussion in 3 above.
11.1 adequate and safe housing with access to services; 11.2 sustainable transport
systems; 11.3 participatory and sustainable human settlement planning; and 11.a
supporting positive economic links between rural and urban areas.
See table 1 above.
The reduction of deaths and economic losses in relation to disasters. See policy lever one
in table 1 above.
Access to inclusive and accessible public spaces. See policy lever three in table 1 above.
11.4.
11.6.
(11.b).
(11.c).
Policy lever eight.
Policy lever nine.
For an explanation in this regard, see UN Habitat World Cities Report 2016: Urbanization
and Development, Emerging Futures 155–158; and Bellali, Dellas, Fischer, and Strauchadelphi Sustainable Development Goals New Urban Agenda and the Urban Nexus (2016)
2–11.
Living free from the threat or fear of violence and crime.
See the IUDF 33.
See the IUDF 33.
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OBITER 2017
98
condition for city sustainability and stipulates that urban safety issues can
99
be addressed by each of the nine policy levers. The IUDF singles out
100
policy lever two as significant in promoting urban safety by ensuring that
101
safety concerns in public transport use are mitigated and planned for.
In considering why the IUDF places a stronger emphasis on some of the
SDG 11 targets and little or no emphasis on the remaining targets it is
important to note the following observations:
Firstly, the IUDF is informed by South Africa’s National Development
102
Plan: Vision 2030.
The NDP is a broad strategic framework that
establishes a blueprint for guiding development and governance until
2030. Chapter eight of the NDP focuses on transforming human
settlements and lays down the developmental goals for towns and cities
103
in South Africa. The NDP identifies (a) reforming the country’s spatial
planning system; (b) upgrading informal settlements; (c) providing better
quality public transport; (d) promoting economic development;
(e) promoting rural-urban integration; and (f) promoting active
participatory citizenship in spatial planning practices as crucial policy
and governance priorities for promoting equality, inclusivity and
104
sustainability in the country’s towns and cities.
The IUDF explicitly
states in its summary that its goals and policy levers are informed by
105
chapter 8 of the NDP. The IUDF further extend the goals in the NDP
106
by including policy levers that are significant in addressing the unique
107
challenges that South African cities currently face. While safety is not
indicated as a policy lever in the IUDF, the right to safe urban spaces is
underscored as a broader or overall goal of the IUDF and as a precondition for achieving the outcomes underpinning the nine policy levers.
Secondly, in drafting and finalising the IUDF, the South African
government may have drawn from international research on urban
sustainability, including other international instruments that form part of
the global urban agenda. Such research and other instruments may
108
have included the work of Local Governments for Sustainability
and
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
Such as insufficient gun control, substance and alcohol abuse, and high rates of violent
crime.
See the IUDF 34.
Integrated transport and mobility.
See the IUDF 33–34.
Hereinafter “NDP”.
See the NDP 258–293.
Ibid.
See the IUDF 7–10.
Infrastructure, effective urban governance, and sustainable finances.
Eg, service backlogs, poverty, corruption, degrading infrastructure, a lack of financial
resources, and a lack of political will. See the NDP 5–32.
Hereinafter “ICLEI”. ICLEI is a large global network of more than 1500 cities, towns and
regions committed to building a sustainable future. ICLEI provides a platform to unite local
and subnational governments over the globe by means of collective learning, exchange and
capacity building. Several South African cities are members of ICLEI, including the country’s
most prominent urban areas of Johannesburg and Cape Town. See ICLEI “ICLEI Members:
South Africa” 2017 http://www.iclei.org/iclei-members/iclei-members.html?memberlist
Country = South%20Africa (accessed 2017-08-21).
SOUTH AFRICA’S INTEGRATED URBAN DEVELOPMENT
571
the outcome documents of the first and second UN Habitat
109
conferences.
The work of ICLEI, for example, places a strong
emphasis on sustainable financial management, encourages cities to
review existing financial management practices and to increasingly
110
make use of sustainable procurement practices, for example.
In
addition, ICLEI research is geared towards assisting local governments
to improve their administrative and governance capacities and towards
informing and encouraging city governments to implement sustainable
urban governance practices such as innovative policies aimed at
creating better a quality of life for city inhabitants without draining natural
111
resources.
The outcome documents of the UN Habitat conferences
focus on broader sustainability challenges in cities and are aimed at
addressing challenges that include a lack of basic services and
112
infrastructure, violence and crime, and unemployment in cities.
Thirdly, SDG 11 does not specify in detail the implementation measures
or programmes of action required to ensure the successful realisation of
113
its targets. The goal also fails to provide clarification in terms of certain
114
conceptual issues. It is consequently the responsibility of each country
across the globe to decide how and to what extent SDG 11 will be
implemented at both the national and city level. The South African
government, therefore, enjoyed a wide discretion in developing the IUDF
and in deciding which aspects of SDG 11 would receive emphasis
through the policy levers.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the IUDF was developed to
address South Africa’s unique urban challenges. The country’s urban
profile is often described as “complex”, as the nation’s cities and towns
vary in relation to the extent of the effects of the apartheid planning
legacy on their urban form, economic activity, governance institutions,
115
and capacity, and availability of natural resources.
While each town
and city faces its own unique challenges, it is generally agreed that local
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
See the Vancouver Declaration on Human Settlements, A/CONF/70/15 (1976) (hereinafter
“the Vancouver Declaration”); and the Istanbul Declaration on Human Settlements,
A/CONF/165/14 (1996) (hereinafter “the Istanbul Declaration”).
See ICLEI “Sustainable Economy and Procurement” 2017 http://www.icleieurope.org/topics/sustainable-procurement (accessed 2017-08-21).
See ICLEI “Sustainable City” Date Unknown http://www.iclei.org/activities/agendas/
sustainable-city.html (accessed 2017-08-21).
See the Vancouver Declaration 1–54 and the Istanbul Declaration 1–52. Recently the UN
Habitat III conference took place in Quito Ecuador. The conference resulted in the adoption
of the New Urban Agenda A/RES/71/256 (2016), (hereinafter “the Quito Declaration”). While
the Quito Declaration was only formally adopted on 23 December 2016 (after the formal
adoption of South Africa’s IUDF), it establishes a shared understanding of sustainable
cities, and frames the next decades of sustainable urban development thinking and practice
around the world. Notably, the Quito Declaration also includes matters of sound governance
and financial management; and safety from violence and crime as crucial features of the
sustainable city. See the Quito Declaration 5–8.
Bellali et al Sustainable Development Goals New Urban Agenda and the Urban Nexus 4.
Eg, clarity is needed on what is really meant by “adequate” housing and on what is meant
by “convenient transport”. See Loewe and Lippin The Sustainable Development Goals of
the Post-2015 Agenda: Comments on the OWG and SDSN Proposals (2015) 57–60.
See the NDP 233–234.
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OBITER 2017
government authorities are battling to keep up with the current pace of
urbanisation and the intensifying demand for housing, infrastructure, and
116
services. Despite well-meaning laws and policies, the country’s cities
have remained racially and spatially segregated and rife with
117
inequality.
Corruption, mismanagement of finances, and a lack of
118
functioning governance structures and processes
increasingly
threaten any progress made towards reshaping them and addressing
119
the apartheid legacy. Therefore, for sustainability to become a reality
in South African cities, the IUDF should not only be informed by SDG 11
but should also aim to facilitate the promotion of sustainability in a
manner that addresses the country’s specific urban challenges.
With the above observations in mind, it is submitted that South Africa’s
IUDF is well matched to the expectations established by SDG 11 for the
pursuit of the sustainable city. It may be argued that the IUDF provides a
valuable example of a national policy tool that is aimed at promoting
sustainability in a manner that is in line with what is expected by SDG 11, yet
it also takes into account localised urban development challenges and
context. The IUDF emphasises the SDG 11 targets that may be best suited
to addressing sustainability-related challenges in South Africa’s urban
context. It is thus submitted that the policy document is clearly informed
120
SDG 11
and provides a tailored approach to the pursuit of urban
sustainability in South Africa. The IUDF further identifies and stipulates
important features of the sustainable city that are not directly reflected in
SDG 11 but that are also relevant to the pursuit of urban sustainability
121
generally and in the South African context in particular.
5
COMMENTS AND CONCLUSION
The aim of this paper was to question the extent to which the IUDF provides
for strategic goals and policy levers towards the pursuit of sustainable cities
122
in South Africa as understood in SDG 11.
SDG 11 is the world’s first
123
stand-alone goal for sustainable development in the urban context.
The
goal is ambitious and requires a fundamental paradigm shift in how cities are
124
governed, financed and planned.
Nevertheless, it may be argued that if
the attempt to attain it is appropriate, the goal will provide a roadmap for
125
more balanced and equitable urban development.
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
South African Cities Network State of South African Cities 28.
South African Cities Network State of South African Cities 47–81.
Especially in smaller localities.
Department of Planning, Management and Evaluation Twenty Year Review South Africa
1994–2014: Background Paper on Local Government (2015) 30–40.
As especially reflected by policy lever’s 1–7. See the discussion in s 4 above.
As reflected in policy lever’s 8–9. See the discussion in s 4 above.
See s 1 above.
Parnell 2016 78 World Development 530.
UN Habitat Roadmap for Localising the SDGs: Implementation and Monitoring at
Subnational Level (2016) 6–8.
Kanuri, Revi, Espey and Kuhle Getting Started with the SDGs in Cities: A Guide for
Stakeholders (2016) 1.
SOUTH AFRICA’S INTEGRATED URBAN DEVELOPMENT
573
South Africa’s IUDF is specifically informed by SDG 11 and sets the policy
framework for transforming and restructuring South Africa’s urban spaces
into more “liveable, safe, resource-efficient cities and towns that are socially
integrated, economically inclusive, and globally competitive, where residents
126
actively participate in urban life”.
The IUDF includes nine policy levers
developed to achieve this vision. A review of the policy levers has revealed
that the IUDF matches well with SDG 11’s requirements of cities in the
127
pursuit of urban sustainability. Of the nine policy levers, seven aim
to
128
promote the sustainable city as envisioned in six of the SDG 11 targets.
129
While the IUDF does not address the entire bouquet of SDG 11 targets, it
may be argued that the targets that are addressed by the policy levers may
contribute in part to the broader sustainability goals in South Africa as
130
included in the country’s NDP. The IUDF also follows a wider approach to
fostering urban sustainability by introducing matters that are significant in
achieving sustainability but that are not necessarily referenced or included in
SDG 11. These matters, namely, good urban governance, sustainable
131
financial management and
urban safety, are arguably equally important
for promoting sustainability in general and in the South African context in
particular.
It is promising to see the South African government take seriously the
international agenda for sustainable urban development. The IUDF is a
respectable attempt to interpret SDG 11 and its targets in terms of South
Africa’s national developmental agenda for urban areas and in terms of its
unique urban challenges, including the framing of a necessary and effective
response to the legacy of apartheid urban planning.
126
127
128
129
130
131
See the IUDF 40.
Albeit to a limited extent.
See the discussion in 4 above.
See the discussion in 4.1 above.
Ibid.
Although this is described in more general terms.