The impact on public transportation by the growth of informal settlement in South African cities

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