| The built environment is the consequence
of the process of urbanisation. Urbanisation is a complex process of change affecting both
people and places. A key dimension of this process is the progressive concentration of
people and activities in towns and cities. Urbanisation requires the continual consumption
of space to accommodate urban growth and the dynamic expression of spatial patterns and
infrastructural developments over time. (See a
map of the historical development
of the Cape Metropolitan Area.) Urbanisation brings with it both costs and benefits. On the one hand there
are undesirable by-products such as poor housing, congestion and environmental pollution,
whereas for many people the move to an urban settlement can mean significantly higher
living standards. The built environment mirrors the dynamic nature of urbanisation and is
constantly being adapted and re-developed to meet changing human needs.
In 1996, South Africa’s level of
urbanisation was 57% and expected to rise to over 60% in the next 15 years. This
country-wide process of urbanisation is however a relatively recent phenomenon,
effectively taking place during the 20th century (CDE, 1995). Over the last 15 years urban
growth in the CMA has been significantly affected by in-migration from other parts of
South Africa, the main stream being Xhosa-speaking rural households from the Eastern Cape
Province (Bekker, 1995). A number of factors including poor economic prospects in the
Eastern Cape Province and employment opportunities and perceived higher quality of life in
the CMA have contributed to higher in-migration. The rapid influx of people has given rise
to a higher demand for land, infrastructure and service delivery.
The level of urbanisation in the Western
Cape Province is high when compared to the other provinces of South Africa. In 1996 it was
estimated that nine out of ten residents in the Western Cape Province lived in an urban
place (DBSA, 1994). Population growth and continued in-migration are the main contributing
factors to this high rate of urbanisation.
See the various Information sections
relating to the Built Environment in Contextual Information.
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