Urban policy in post-apartheid South Africa: context, evolution and future directions

Against a backdrop of definitions and conceptual clarifications of the term urban policy, including its expression in the developing world and Africa, in particular, this paper reviews the trajectory of urban policy in South Africa post-1994 and comments on future directions and plausible scenarios. In a highly specific context-dependent analysis, the paper argues that, in the first 10 years of democracy, we have seen the creation of democratic, integrated development local government, mass delivery of housing and services, a finely crafted array of capital and operating subsidies for delivery to low-income households, and a number of programmes intended to enhance the capacity of local government to undertake delivery. All of these have been centrally driven. The counterpoint to the national perspective and frameworks, the paper argues and in evidence over the past 5 years, in particular - the increasingly robust role and influence of cities in setting the urban agenda and, in effect, leading urban policy. The paper concludes by examining the many points that contribute to this view.