Spatial planning and densification: the case of Glenwood, eThekwini Municipality, South Africa.
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Date
2021
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Abstract
The study examined the concepts of spatial planning, in the form of land use zoning and
densification, with the purpose of establishing possible solutions to the post-apartheid urban
residential land use in practice. According to Twinam (2018) and Calder (2017), zoning is
the subdivision of urban land for different use purposes, accompanied by specified lots and
building regulations. The zoning regulations include permissible lot sizes, the floor area ratio
(FAR), building height, lot coverage, and boundary set-backs. The lot size is indirectly
proportional to the degree of densification, whilst other specified zoning elements are directly
proportional to the degree of densification.
This study investigated the extent to which spatial planning encouraged densification and
land use change in the suburb of Glenwood in the Ethekwini Municipality, South Africa. The
use of a mixed methodology and triangulation provided pragmatic solutions to the spatial
planning matters investigated in this study. Effectively, the study answered the question of
how spatial planning encouraged/discouraged densification in the suburb of Glenwood. The
examination of the South African spatial development legislative framework for the Ethekwini
Municipality and the studying of the interface between the broader Ethekwini spatial planning
objectives with Glenwood's lot zoning brought to the fore possible zoning alternatives for
densification in the Glenwood area.
The national South African legislative policies that guide densification objectives in the
Ethekwini spatial planning policy framework are mainly the Constitution (Sections 24, 25, 26
and 154 ), the Municipal Systems Act (Sections 23 and 25), the Spatial Planning and Land
Use Management Act (SPLUMA) (Sections 7, 21, 25 and 28), and the Housing Act (Section
2). The policy objectives of these provisions directly and indirectly demand the densification
in the inner suburbs of South African cities by virtue of the inner city suburban areas'
proximity to areas of socio-economic vitality. For example, the Constitution prohibits any law
that allows arbitrary deprivation of property in ways that prevent the redress of past racial
immovable property discrimination. SPLUMA compels the scheme to promote economic
growth, social inclusion, efficient land development, and minimal impact on public health and
the environment. The Housing Act also directs higher housing development density to effect
economical use of the land and services. The prescriptions cited are features of
densification. Ethekwini's Spatial Development Framework (SDF) policies are conceived
within this national legislative environment.
Amongst the Ethekwini SDF policies are the Ethekwini Densification Plan, the Berea Urban
Core Extension Plan (BUCEP) and the resultant Ethekwini Land Use Scheme for the
Glenwood area. The Densification Plan leaves unclassified densification levels in some of
the strategically located residential areas like Glenwood. The Berea Urban Core Extension
Plan is a Local Area Plan (LAP) with the intention to retain the apartheid configured spatial
arrangement in the Glenwood area, and the land use scheme for Glenwood demonstrates
discouragement of densification outside the 400m buffer zone of a single provincial road, in
this instance the R102. The limited attempts at densification in the Glenwood area
demonstrate a contradiction between the national level spatial development policy
prescriptions and the local level practical objectives. The findings from key informants' data
and survey data also demonstrate relatively sparse spatial development in the Glenwood
suburb. The Ethekwini Municipality's density gradient for Glenwood also contradicts the
international trend observed from the Accra and Rome case studies. This study
recommends a study of the Berea Urban Core Extension Plan, with the specified intent to
density the Glenwood and surrounding areas, with pro-active zoning results that promote
pro-poor densifying of the residential developments in the area.
Description
Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.