ABSTRACT
This chapter seeks to evaluate recent morphological trends in South African cities against background of two schools of thought. Based on the outcome of centrifugal and centripetal market forces on urban form, two opposing schools of thought have developed over time. Compact cities with high levels of mixed land use do not necessarily make public transport more viable or cheaper. Fundamentally, urban densification and fusion of businesses and residential space in cities do not necessarily reduce need to travel but they do undermine minimum transportation thresholds because of fragmentation of economic space. The implementation of compact city approach can lead to increased consumption of open spaces in cities, especially agricultural land. Implementing the compact city format also exposes inhabitants to unnecessary financial and environmental externalities. Policies of urban compaction could discourage the attraction of large-scale commercial and industrial investments because parcels of land of sufficient size and at desired locations are not always available at affordable prices at inner-city locations.
