ABSTRACT
The new policy directions set by the South African National Department of Transportation demand significant, indeed radical, departures from past practices and urban forms. Those policy directions are laudable and necessary: current practices, particularly in relation to public transportation, are entirely non-sustainable. This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the concepts covered in the preceding chapters of this book. The book believes that most of the arguments, observations and conclusions of the study hold true for settlements globally. It is not overstating the case to argue that the current situation, if not significantly improved, has the potential to bring larger urban systems in South Africa to a standstill. Recent lessons from Harare, Zimbabwe, where, in a currently highly inflationary context, transport costs are absorbing up to 80% of the household income of the poorest of the poor, is a chilling testimony to the consequences of simply repeating historical practices.
