THE RIGHT TO THE CITY IN A SOUTH AFRICAN CONTEXT

Since 1994 the state has attempted, in many guises,
to achieve greater coherence in planning the
development and governance of South African
cities. However, the majority of initiatives it has thus
far pursued have been relatively ineffective, overly
technocratic, and lacked popular support from
either government officials or communities. The
Right to the City has been increasingly prominent
in the discourse of international organisations,
national and city governments across Latin America
and Europe and the organising of civil society and
social movements across the world. It is being used
to emphasise the full gambit of rights that urban
citizens should be able to claim, the importance
of truly democratic processes of planning and
decision-making, and the need for social solutions
in the realization of the right of the urban poor to
land and housing.