ABSTRACT
With the spread of capitalism - a socio-economic system that produces both wealth and poverty simultaneously - the spatial dynamics of the "global(izing)" city are creating more division between social classes, not less. This means that in the 21st-century, large cities around the world exhibit intensifying spatial inequality taking the form of a wealthy, privileged urban core ringed by a periphery of lower-income denizens far removed from the city’s resources and amenities.
This trend toward swelling socio-spatial division is especially pronounced in cities purporting to be "global", or in the case of Johannesburg, South Africa’s financial capital, a "world-class African city." Ironically, Johannesburg’s historical legacy of immense spatial inequality thanks to apartheid is the direction in which most "global(izing)" cities such as New York, Cairo, London, Shanghai, New Delhi, Jakarta, Lagos, Berlin, and São Paulo are headed. The globalization of neoliberal urban policy has made the city less welcoming, liveable, accessible and friendly for lower-income city residents.
This book asks if Johannesburg can unstitch its complex urban fabric to create a city with more democratic public transport, affordable housing in desirable locations and safe, socially and racially integrated public spaces. These pithy, solidly researched, accessibly written essays are instructive for all those who are interested in questions of spatial justice, urban development, history and planning and the general goal of making cities more livable and accessible for urban dwellers of all income levels.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part 11I|2 pages
Government programmes' unexpected consequences
chapter 1|11 pages
The micro-politics of state-led spatial transformation
chapter 2|11 pages
There's many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip
chapter 3|8 pages
Deconstructing and decolonising spatiality
part II|2 pages
Effects of private capital
chapter 6|13 pages
Red velvet cheesecake in Maboneng, Pap and Steak in Jeppestown
part 93III|2 pages
Architectural and urban design attempts to reframe the past and remake heritage
chapter 8|14 pages
Apartheid spatial plan
chapter 9|14 pages
Spatial transformation
part 123IV|2 pages
Apartheid's unintended consequences and grey spatial legacy
part V|2 pages
The small big picture