A quarter century of urbanisation, 1965 - 1990

Abstract

This article seeks to survey changes in South African urbanisation since the mid-sixties, to explore how they have come about and to consider implica­tions of present trends for planning. It is argued that the complex nature of urbanisation processes, including, for example, the persistence of circular migration patterns, demands more adequate explanation. A better under­standing of urbanisation in South Africa will obviously contribute to the formulation of more appropriate and more confidently based proposals for positive urbanisation policies. Appro­priate planning depends on the incor­poration of a sophisticated under­standing of urbanisation into planning education and practice.