Inclusive urban space production model for sustainable development in South Africa

Abstract

The year 1994 marked the dawn of the new, democratic South Africa. It also brought its own sets of challenges to the country. One such challenge was urban space. Regrettably, the new dispensation inherited still very much race-based urban areas. The distinguishing feature of urban space in South Africa is the phenomenon of exclusion, which causes deformity, and disappearance of urban structure. Exclusion has become a permanent visual reality in cities in which walled and gated communities divide the urban tissue and take up a large part of the urban space. The aim of this paper is to present results of a study that sought to examine the factors that influence urban space production, and with particular focus on the roles of the state, private sector, and community. Participation by all of them is essential to enhance inclusive urban space production for sustainability. The study demonstrated a concurrent mixed method design (case study and survey questionnaire). Results from these two concurrent approaches were merged to yield the final model. Both sets of results indicated that the intention to promote inclusive developments is predicted by seventeen dependent variables categorically presented under urban development characteristics, exclusive development enablers, inclusive development barriers, and sustainability criteria. The results of this inquiry are significant because they bring together the interdisciplinary perspectives to discern comprehensively the idea of inclusivity and sustainability in urban space production. The responsive model developed as a key product of this study aims to assist policymakers, planners, designers, landscapers, and developers as a guideline for facilitating inclusive and sustainable urban development.