LivingtheurbanperipheryinvestmentinfrastructureandeconomicchangeinAfricancity-regionsSarahCharltonforUniversityoftheWitwatersrand(SoAP,CUBES,GCRO,SA&CP)andUniversityofSheffield

IVWPSC2016

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Livingtheurbanperiphery

3-yearresearchproject

•  howtransformaLonintheperipheriesofAfricanciLesisshaped,governedandexperienced

•  toinform–  urbangovernance–  strategiesforurbanpoverty

reducLon.

•  ESRC+NRFfunding,(2016-2018)

Ø  theneedforresearch

focusedontheperipheriesofAfricanciLes

Ø  caseforamixedmethodsapproach,withafocusonlivedexperiences

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Casestudies:threeAfricancity-regions

(Bealletal2015) Ø  Ethekwini(SA)

Ø  Gauteng(SA)Ø  AddisAbaba(Ethiopia)

–  rapidbutvariableurbanisaLon

–  concurrenteffortstoestablishworkablemetropolitanjurisdicLons

–  varyingdynamicsofsegregaLonandintegraLon

–  largeneighbourhoodsofnewstate-providedhousing

–  large-scaleinfrastructureinvestmentinrecentyears

A

E

G

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1)PeripheriesofAfricanciLes

Spaceswherecomplexsocio-poliLcal,spaLalandeconomicprocessesareatwork

•  spacesofdynamicchange,intervenLonanddecline

•  areasaZracLngstateandnon-statedevelopments

•  challengeofperipheralgovernanceandpovertyreducLon

Ourstudy

•  peripheralgeographicallocaLons

•  butrecognisingsubjecLvityin‘beingperipheral’

•  notnecessarilyeconomically,poliLcallyorculturallyperipheraltothecity-region

–  weincludewealthierinvestments,spacesofpowerandcomfortablewaysofliving

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1)PeripheriesofAfricanciLes:

underresearched,inadequatetheoreLcalframings

•  framingsfocussedonlyongrowtharemisleading–  edgescanbeplacesofeconomicand

populaLondecline.–  governancecanbeweakerontheedge,or

dividedbetweenadjacentauthoriLes.

•  ‘peri-urban’framingsalsolimited(Mbatha&Mchunu2016,Mbiba&Huchzermeyer2002)–  asareasofdeprivaLon,poverty,lackofaccess

toservicesandinfrastructure–  concepLonsfocusedonchangestolanduse

andfarming

•  literatureonedgecitydevelopment(Stern&Marsh1997;McKee&McKee2004;Phelps2012)haslimitaLonswrtAfricanciLes–  focusonprivatecar,privatesectorinvestment,

andtheperipheralisaLonofeconomicopportuniLesandfuncLons

Ø  TheorisaLonsfromacontextualisedsouthernperspecLvearethusessenLal(Parnell&Robinson2012;Watson2014).

Ø  Buildingonthesmall,butgrowing,researchexperLseonAfricanurbanperipheries–  Bealletal2015;Mabinetal

2013;Todes2014;YnLso2008–  includingrecentresearchon

‘globalsuburbanism’

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Casestudy:GautengcityregionPeripheries:examplesof

A.  EconomicstagnaLonand/ordecline(manufacturingandmining)

B.  ReinforcementofdistantapartheidseZlements

C.  Privatesectorandstatenewinvestments

+

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B

A

A

C

C

A-EconomicstagnaLonand/ordecline(manufacturingandmining)B-ReinforcementofdistantapartheidseZlementsC-Privatesectorandstatenewinvestments

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A

A

C

C

B

Plannedhousingprojects(‘megaprojects’):manyareperipheral

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‘Wheredreamstakeroot’

•  largescalehousingdevelopment

•  economicbase?agriculture

•  asignificantpopulaLonofverypoorpeople

•  contextof–  unemploymentand

joblessness–  costly,Lme-consumingpublic

transport

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2)amixedmethodsapproach

comparaLveanalysisspanning•  countries•  primaryandsecondary

ciLes

casestudyapproach•  city-regionsofGauteng,

eThekwiniandAddisAbaba.+•  sub-casesforspecific

invesLgaLon–  twosub-caseseachin

eThekwiniandAddisAbaba,threecasesinGautengcity(duetoitscomplexityandscale).

•  nouniformcaseselecLoncriteriaforallthreecity-regions

•  mindfuloflocalcontextand

dynamics

–  allcasesperipherallylocated–  eithersubstanLalpublicor

privateinfrastructureinvestmentsalongsideeconomicchange(growth/decline)

–  expectaLon:suchprocesseswillimpactonresidents’livesincomplexways:importanceoflivedexperiencecomponent

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2)amixedmethodsapproach,withafocusonlivedexperiences

quanLtaLvemethods•  staLsLcalanalysisand

mappingtoobtainbase-linedata(whatchangeishappening,whatinvestments,whatdevelopments)

+mixedqualitaLvemethods:keyinformants,andresidents

Ø  ‘livedexperiences’:afocusonordinary,everydayfromtheperspecLveofdiverseresidents

Using:Ø  narraLve-based,solicited

diariesalongsideotherqualitaLvemethodssuchasinterviewsandautophotography(Meth2003,2015b;Meth&McClymont2009).

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2)…afocusonlivedexperiences

Mixed,mulLmethods•  ‘providesdifferentways

fordisclosuretotakeplace’Meth&McClymont2009

Canreveal–  diversity,conLngency,

complexityinexperience–  wayofallowing

expressiontoemergetorevealdifference,nuance,

–  possibly..‘unpalatabletruths’

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Diaryextract,byVusiMajola,CatoCrest

AutophotographyHammondsFarm:Mengatheringaroundshebeen,Source:♂M

Examplesoffindingsfrom‘lived

experience’research1.  Crime,violence,gender

dynamics-andspaLality

2.  PosiLvedimensionsofstatehousinginacontextofconcernsaboutcosts,limitaLonsandfailures

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“TheviolenceatCatoCrestishappeningbetweenthefamilieswhentheyreceivetheRDPhouses.ThewomanandthemanarefighLngforthehouse…intheshackeverythingarefinefortheirrelaLonshipbutwhenthedevelopmentstartstheproblemalsostartandfighLngfortheownership…”(MandlaDiaryCC2015)

GautengandeThekwini:‘livedexperience’research

3.ComplexspaLalstrategiesashouseholdcopingdevices

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Inconclusion:Livingtheurbanperipheries

Afocusontheurbanperipheries–  throughcomparaLvecasestudyandamixofmethods

–  includingsomewhichexplore‘livedexperiences’

Ø howisurbanchangeintheperipheriesofAfricanciLes,focusingoninfrastructuralinvestmentsandeconomicchange,shaped,governedandexperienced,andhowdotheseprocessesthenimpactonurbanpoverty.

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