Urban renewal strategies for the Southernwood suburb of central East London

Abstract

As South African cities and central business districts physically deteriorate, this study explores strategies to renew Southernwood, a central suburb of East London within the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Southernwood is undergoing structural decline, necessitating the rehabilitation of its derelict urban stock. This process is known as urban renewal. This study has four objectives: to explore the successes and challenges of previous urban renewal strategies, to identify how these strategies influenced Southernwood, to explore alternative renewal strategies suited to Southernwood's context, and to compare three selected South African case studies to identify strategies applicable to Southernwood. Neoliberal city planning provides the theoretical framework for this qualitative study. It accounts for market-led urban initiatives aimed at restoring, improving, and managing central city spaces. Two methods of data collection were employed: semi-structured interviews and the use of existing data. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 103 respondents, 100 residents and 3 experts: the chief town planner and two estate agents. Existing data consisted of spatial planning documents. The study found that previous renewals, such as the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street, the Urban Renewal Tax Incentive, and the University Town Plan, had limited success, which is attributed to deficiencies in institutional urban renewal expertise, prioritisation of outer-city development, weakened service delivery, lack of a renewal framework, lack of strong partnerships and low public investment in the central city. The sleeper site, located outside Southernwood but part of the University Town Plan, underwent positive renewal with the construction of a new road and a new cluster of student residences in Southernwood. Alternative urban renewal strategies are proposed, including building additional residences for higher education institutions, functional specialisation, property tax cuts, a Southernwood development agency, a property owners' association, a new pedestrianisation scheme, and tax-free renewal zones. Three case studies were used to identify urban renewal strategies that can be applied to Southernwood, and the strategies from Florida Road mostly informed Southernwood’s residents’ choice of development. The study highlights the strengthening of Public-Private Partnerships and a more significant market role in city planning, guided by an inclusive public framework, as the best avenue for urban renewal due to the city’s fiscal constraints and prioritisation of the city fringe.