ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the contradictory relationship between modern rational planning, the productive and transformation processes that accompany globalisation, and the sustainability discourse. It draws from the examples of two contemporary issues of increasing pertinence to urban spatial planning in South Africa: these are the impact of gated community developments, and the claim for space to practice initiation. The chapter deals with the two issues of Gated Communities (GCs) and the claim for space to practice initiation as instances of fragmentation that undermine sustainability. Urban planning in South Africa takes place in the context of unprecedented social and political changes. In the South African context, the principles of sustainable development are more encapsulated in the Integrated Development Plans (IDP) that all municipal governments are mandated by the Municipal Systems Act to prepare in order to access funds from central government for infrastructure, improvement of services and the delivery process.
