New African Suburbanisation? Exploring the Growth of the Northern Corridor of eThekwini/KwaDakuza

Abstract

Suburbanisation, understood as ‘the combination of non-central population and economic growth with urban spatial expansion’ has been on the rise in African cities, as well as internationally, and has taken on diverse forms. This article contributes to an understanding of the dynamics of suburbanisation through exploring the growth since the 1990s of the northern corridor of eThekwini municipality and the adjacent KwaDakuza municipality. The article outlines the evolution of development in these areas, the role of various actors, agencies and institutions in shaping growth, and the influence of changing governance structures and rescaling. While the growth dynamics of the two municipalities are interrelated, the main agencies and actors, and thus the forms of growth, are rather different. Within eThekwini's north, a major landowner has been key in driving growth and in shaping development, in contrast to KwaDukuza where far more fragmented landownership patterns prevail. There are also contrasts in the way various parts of the state and forms of regulation, particularly urban planning, have influenced development in the area. The influence of private sector planning is also explored. The article shows the complexity of suburbanisation dynamics, and the way they vary even in two municipalities in the same region.