Business clustering along the M1-N3-N1 corridor between Johannesburg and Pretoria, South Africa

X Pillay,H.S Geyer

doi:10.4314/sajg.v5i3.6

Abstract

As a communication axis between Pretoria and Johannesburg the Old Pretoria Main Road always served as a linear force of attraction of urban development. This force was subsequently strengthened, first by the construction of the M1 and N1 motorways and later by the N3. Anecdotal evidence points to these sections of the motorways being one of the fastest-growing urban corridors in South Africa. Using available aerial photography, together with the information from zoning and cadastral data, footprints of buildings within a 500 metre buffer from the centre line of the corridor were established. These footprints were used to identify 15 areas in which significant clusters of industry, commerce and services occur. A survey, combining different sources of information was subsequently conducted to distinguish between different groups of businesses along the corridor. Based on this information the types and rates of business clustering along these sections of the corridor from 2001 to 2012 were determined. Keywords: Urban morphology; business clustering; corridor development; metropolitan development

Highlights

A vast array of businesses lines the sides of the N1, M1 and N3 highways between Pretoria and Johannesburg
The business clusters situated along the different sections of the highway represent a thriving development corridor with the highways serving as communication axes
The analysis has shown that the M1-N1 motorway has clearly been serving as an effective communication corridor along which corridor development have occurred over the study period

Summary

Introduction

A vast array of businesses lines the sides of the N1, M1 and N3 highways between Pretoria and Johannesburg. This spatial economic phenomenon may guide us in our understanding of why, based on the trade-off between cost savings related to energy, labour, land, external economies, and amenities on the one hand, and risk factors and access to markets on the other, firms tend to cluster in certain locations along the corridor. In Gauteng, office developments are moving out of the city centres and are generally locating in higher-income and predominantly suburban areas such as Sandton.

Results

Conclusion