Assignment 2 Semester 1 2026
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Due Date: 2026
Detailed solutions, explanations, workings
and references.
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, SPATIAL PLANNING AND HUMAN SETTLEMENTS IN SOUTH AFRICA
Introduction
The spatial planning and human settlement patterns in South Africa cannot be
understood without looking at apartheid era legislation. These laws were deliberately
designed to control where people could live, work and move. Housing and land
access were used as tools to maintain racial separation and economic inequality.
Even after the end of apartheid, the physical layout created by these laws remains
largely unchanged. This continues to create serious housing and settlement
challenges for government and communities today (PUB1602 Study Guide 2020).
The Group Areas Act and Urban Separation
One of the most influential apartheid laws was the Group Areas Act of 1950. This law
enforced strict racial zoning in towns and cities. Black African, Coloured and Indian
communities were forcibly removed from well located urban areas and relocated to
the outskirts of cities. These new areas were far from jobs, schools, hospitals and
economic opportunities. White areas, in contrast, were well serviced and centrally
located.
The long term impact of the Group Areas Act is still visible today. Many low income
communities continue to live far from city centres and places of work. This results in
high transport costs, long commuting times and limited access to services. Post
apartheid housing projects have often been built on cheap land at the urban edge,
repeating the same spatial patterns created under apartheid. As a result, poverty and
inequality remain strongly linked to location (PUB1602 Study Guide 2020).
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