The South African Urban System

Solène Baffi , Ivan Turok (1) , Céline Vacchiani-Marcuzzo (2)

1 Urban Studies [Glasgow]
2 GC (UMR_8504) - Géographie-cités

South Africa is often considered an unusual and extreme case in geography. One difficulty is whether to label this a developing country (like its neighbouring countries), a former colony (like the United States and Australia), or an emerging economy (like the BRICS group), because of its highly diverse and unevenly developed character. South Africa also bears a strong imprint of its colonial and apartheid history, with long-lasting, path-dependent effects. This special status alludes to the complex territorial trends that characterise the country. The heterogeneous settlement dynamics and differentiated social, economic and political systems have exerted a powerful influence over urbanization trends. The chapter explores whether these trends are distinctive compared with other countries, and what specific socioeconomic challenges are faced in the urban areas.

Mots clés: urban trajectories; social exclusion; South Africa; urbanization trends

Mots clés: COUV; PARIS team

Domaines: Géographie

Solène Baffi, Ivan Turok, Céline Vacchiani-Marcuzzo. The South African Urban System. Rozenblat C., Pumain D., Velasquez E. International and Transnational perspectives on Urban Systems, Springer, pp.285-314, 2018, 978-981-10-7798-2. ⟨halshs-01774707⟩