396 / 2019-02-26 17:48:00

The Smart Urban Land & Property Index (SULPi) as a Planning Support Systems to foster Local Economic Development in South Africa

LED,Smart townships,Planning Support Systems,MCDA,AHP,Development Planning,Smart Cities

全体主题 > Planning Support Systems

The economic situation in South African cities has over the years been characterised by uneven, jobless economic growth. This paradox of ‘jobless economic growth’ has had detrimental effects particularly in black townships. As these areas were hitherto ‘condemned’ by the colonial/apartheid state as dormitory towns for housing cheap labor, their economic potential was systematically undermined. With the ad-vent of democracy in 1994, we focus on at black township areas es-tablished during the colonial/apartheid era can optimise space and lo-cation to advance economically. The paper outlines the potential of Multi Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) as GIS-based planning support instruments that can contribute to the study of townships (also known as locations) as via-ble spaces for local economic development. The primary objectives of the SULPi is to assist both the public and private sector in identifying urban land that can be unlocked to promote Local Economic Devel-opment. The results indicate that land must be made available for cre-ating integrated public transport routes for commuter taxis and future Bus Rapid Transport routes linked to Integration Zones are ideal loca-tions for Local Economic Development. Moreover, land adjacent to areas with economic opportunities must be released for low-middle income housing.