Abstract
The purpose of the mini-dissertation was to investigate some of the necessary extents in urban public
transportation in South African cities.
The preliminary findings show a symbiotic relationship linking informal settlements and public transport
whereby issues of spatial planning and land use equally affect both elements.
This is explained twofold first; informal settlements continue to increase as South African cities continue
to experience rapid urbanisation resulting in lower net urban densities that ultimately make existing public
transportation systems unsustainable. Also, unviable due to high costs of maintaining the networks as
well as transportation subsidies. Second, due to the apartheid legacy, public transport in South Africa
served to promote fragmentation and exclusion of low-income and informal settlements.
The overall outcome of this is that inhabitants of informal settlements are forced to make expensive and
time consuming journeys to access and enjoy the socioeconomic opportunities and activities offered in
urban city centres. The core recommendation from this study is that the “development of a more spatially
compact urban form” (Ffc.co.za) in the country’s cities through innovative spatial planning policies that
aim to increase densities.
M.Eng. (Engineering Management)