Conceptualising the Gauteng City Region
A conceptual starting point for the GCRO is that the broader region of towns and cities needs to be thought about as an integrated regional space, which requires coherent territorial policies to promote economic competitiveness, social cohesion, and sustainability. But further research on what constitutes the Gauteng City-Region is required, and particularly research which advances our understanding of the city-region beyond the original economic footprint designed by the Gauteng Province. This includes theoretical and analytical work on the ‘construct’ of the GCR – to better define its footprint, and the flows of people, goods and services that structure it. Further empirical work is also needed to understand the geographies of everyday life of the people who live in the GCR, to better understand how the region’s residents conceive of the place in which they live, and define their social, economic and political identities in relation to it. There are two key aspects to his project: conducting a set of focus groups with role players from all tiers of government as well as residents of the city-region space which will test the relevance of the concept; and undertaking a series of research papers which will interrogate the city-region from a number of different perspectives.
As this kind of analytical thinking is central to the core intellectual work of the GCRO , we will be using this project to define thematic focus areas going forward. This will present us with the opportunity to help develop policy that reflects and supports the functioning of the city-region.
As part of this project Annsilla Nyar led a delegation of officials from the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) to the Hague in the Netherlands, and Paris, France in October 2010.
In the Hague a series of meetings was held with two key Dutch ministries in order to learn about planning in what is called the Randstad city-region. The delegation was welcomed by Mr Arjen van der Burg and Mr Peter Petrus from the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment. The following day the delegation met with Mr Michiel Ruis and Mr Wilbert de Kok from the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management.
With the strategic guidance of Professor Alan Mabin, the delegation then met with a number of institutions in Paris, France, including with the IAU-IdF (the Institut d’Amenagement et d’urbanisme), the planning agency for regional development. Here, a vibrant discussion was held about the strategic plan for the greater Paris-region as well as questions about boundaries and identities in the Paris-region. The challenges of data collection and monitoring were also discussed. GCRO was also hosted by the South African Embassy in Paris, where there was a discussion on possible future engagements between French and South African tertiary institutions.
At present this project involves two interwoven strands of work. On the one hand GCRO is currently planning a series of strategic dialogues with individuals across the spectrum of stakeholders in the city-region, from labour, to business, government, civil society and academia. These dialogues will seek broader input on the understanding of the Gauteng City-Region, and key issues that arise in attempts to build Gauteng as a city-region.
On the other, GCRO is commissioning a number of academic works that will help us deepen our understanding of the GCR. A first piece has been commissioned from Prof Alan Mabin. He is writing an historical perspective on how the idea of Gauteng as a region of cities has evolved in government plans and frameworks over the last century.
