the gauteng spatial development framework - Gauteng Online

The geographic model that currently best describes the urban system is a combination of:i. Multiple Nuclei - the spatial organisation of the urban system where the landusepattern is built around several discrete centres or nuclei, rather than arounda single centre. In some instances the nuclei are the initial origins of the urbansystem, in other instances they have established themselves as the urbansystem has grown and expanded. Typically the original nucleus may be theurban system's initial central business district. As the urban system hasexpanded, surrounding districts have emerged (e.g. wholesale and lightmanufacturing, industrial, residential of varying types and values) and othersecondary nuclei such as university centres, cultural and recreational centres,outlying business districts (nuclei) and small industrial centres, as well as suburbsand satellite cities.ii. The multiple nuclei characterises the internal pattern of the urban system. ThePeripheral Model describes the belt that forms part of the metropolitan areaoutside of the central parts of the urban system. Its patterns are defined inits relations with other parts of the peripheral zone. The latter includes diverseclusters of economic activities, both in new developments and in recentlytransformed older centres. A circumferential transportation artery (in many instancesa freeway ring route) ties the peripheral band together, and is connected backto the internal areas of the urban system through radial freeways, which also formthe routes into the wider region. The land-use pattern is structured on large landparcels and similar social, economic and housing characteristics, includingrelatively homogenous private homes and residential clusters, with somespecialised communities (e.g. residential estates and the like). There are newcentres for employment, comprising shopping centres and expansiveindustrial districts; distribution and warehousing clusters; office parks; homeoffices and national corporations in landscaped surroundings, recreationalcomplexes, including theme parks; traffic interchanges and service centres;(international and national) airport clusters, and linear corridor serviceestablishments, with extensive parking areas. The consequence of thisurban form, in which the private motor vehicle continues to be the dominantmeans of transportation, where the central business district is nolonger the urban focus, and the manufacturing, office and peripheral retailactivities are spread throughout the region is that the urban system continuesto sprawl as the land-uses consume more and more space to accommodateprivate mobility and the desire for residents to live in low density residentialenvironments. The sprawl is exacerbated by computer and relatedtelecommunications technology, enabling people to work from (almost) anyplace they choose. The sprawl makes it difficult to establish public masstransit systems that serve the central activity nodes, or that connect the independentnodes.The approach in this study, which focuses on a morphological model, as outlined alreadyin the GSDF Concept and discussed in Section 4, recognises that the urban system comprisesan interwoven set of typical morphological elements that make up the combined multiplenuclei and peripheral urban system. It defines each of the typical characteristics of theseelements according to its performance in terms of land-use activity, development intensity,land-use mix, residential density, street infrastructure, public transport, economic andemployment activity, and urban form. It also identifies additional elements to those referredto earlier, the nuclei and clusters or nodes and the districts, for example various types ofactivity spines, which recognise that various movement routes and movement modes attractdifferent levels of development and activity and combinations of elements that form eitherurban corridors or consolidation zones.ANNEXURE A: THE 5 GIS-BASED MODELSGAUTENG SPATIAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK 2011GAUTENG GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT AGENCY82