Boundary Study as a Tool in CBD Analysis: An Interpretation of Certain Aspects of the Boundary of Cape Town's Central Business District

Abstract

T >HE nature and structure of Central Business Districts (CBDs), in particular those of American cities, have been the subject of considerable research in recent years within a number of related fields. Urban geographers have played their part in building up a body of knowledge, not only with studies of individual CBDs but also, more recently, with comparative studies. From the latter have been developed certain standardized techniques of delimitation, description, and analysis which have allowed a start to be made on the formulation of academic theories that may, in turn, be applied to the practical problems which now beset the typical CBD. In this article an attempt is made to interpret some of the more important aspects of the CBD boundary in Cape Town, the legislative capital and one of the two leading ports of the Union of South Africa. It is hoped to show that some of the character and problems of a CBD can be analyzed by the study of its boundary. It is hoped, too, that this approach will be found to have some application to other western CBDs. With this in mind, the delimitation techniques adopted were carefully selected for their applicability to other cities. THE SITE AND URBAN SETTING