Tracking peri-urban changes in eThekwini Municipality – beyond the ‘poor–rich’ dichotomy

Abstract

Conceptualization of peri-urban has always been argued from the dichotomy between the ‘poor’ and ‘rich’ paradigms. Peri-urban literature is underpinned by the periphery vs. the urban core stratification. Prevailing consensus is that peri-urban represents deprivation, poverty, lack of access to services and infrastructure. This preoccupation with the negative conceptualisation of the peri-urban misses the opportunities brought by these peri-urban areas to city growth. The paper uses eThekwini as a case study by tracking peri-urban growth in Adams Mission between 2003 and 2013. Research findings reaffirm the peri-urban as an area of opportunity and dispel the widely accepted negative sentiments about peri-urban development.