Polycentric development in the Cape Town city-region: Empirical assessment and consideration of spatial policy implications

The concept of the ‘polycentric urban region’ has been popularised both as a theoretical concept for understanding regional urban systems in an era of reduced transport and communication costs, and as a normative policy objective in its own right. This paper explores its relevance to the rapidly urbanising Cape Town city-region. First, empirical evidence for the emergence of polycentric regional development patterns was considered. Shifts in relative settlements sizes (morphological polycentrism) over the period 1991–2011 were examined using population data, and patterns of inter-settlement interactions (functional polycentrism) were explored by analysing commuting information. Contrary to expectations, trends toward polycentric development were found to be weak. Second, the paper considers the relevance and value of polycentric development thinking for regional economic and spatial planning policy, concluding that there are insufficient grounds for policy intervention aimed at encouraging polycentric regional development or countering the dominance of Cape Town in the region.     

Breaching the barriers: The segmented business and innovation system of handicraft exports in Cape Town

Twenty years after apartheid was formally abolished, black handicraft exporters in Cape Town still innovate significantly less than their white counterparts. This study explains these differences based on the segmentation of business and innovation systems, a novel approach that aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of path dependency in South Africa. The study concludes that the business system is segmented between formal and informal firms and that such segmentation is correlated with race. Despite path dependency, a group of black entrepreneurs has managed to breach the barriers, owing to the ongoing support of an intermediate organisation, intense networking and risk-taking.