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122 4.4.1. Economic zones
Economic precincts within KwaMashu are primarily concentrated in KwaMashu’s primary town centre/town hub due to the fact that these land uses are the heart of KwaMashu’s economic sector (see figure 4.10 above). These zones or precincts are identified as being KwaMashu’s busiest areas with a high density of businesses. As with a big city and regardless of any differences in layout patterns, the ‘Bid Rent Curve’ model (figure 4.11 below) of economic science also applies in the township (Bochnovic, 2014). What this means is that the services in the area close to an economic hub are expensive, as explained by Alonso’s Bid-Rent-Model.
In the context of economic activities the model mentions that the closer you are to the central border of a district/area the higher the rent you pay (Bochnovic, 2014). This is due to increased accessibility to the market and to customers, and the fact that there is a mixture of economic zones which are dominated by commercial activities (low and high order activities). The figure below shows the strategic layout of the city, in keeping with Alonso’s description, so KwaMashu’s strategic spatial layout falls under this design. However, this research only concentrates on the KwaMashu town centre hub (high rent to be closer to the town hub centre).
Figure 4.11: Bid Rent Curve representing the consequence of land use Source: https://www.e-education.psu.edu/geog597i_02/node/585
123 4.4.2. Industrial Facilities
Heavy industrial facilities are located on the outskirts of KwaMashu due to excessive pollution production, which is liable to contaminate the environment in a negative manner.
One of the areas in which these facilities are located is Phoenix, just outside of the township, and another reason for this location is the traffic congestion that occurs around these facilities. They are located on land that is flat, has ready access to bulk transport and is cheap to rent since it is far from the CBD (eThekwini Municipality, 2016).
Light industrial facilities are located within KwaMashu itself, near the town centre/nodes.
These small zones can be categorised as unplanned due to the fact that the majority of the service providers are informally active and have occupied land that has not been allocated for light industrial use. The light industrial zones are also close to residential areas, with some actually in the residential areas. This economic initiative has also affected the transition of KwaMashu, as houses are now being sold, renovated and changed to serve a different function of mixed occupations that is more related to light industrial activity, producing business opportunities for the community.
4.4.3. Other business zones
Other business operations within KwaMashu consist of isolated clusters of stores separate from the main town centres. These neighbourhood centres provide accessible services to the citizens who find it hard to access the services in KwaMashu’s primary town centres due to distances that they have to travel to reach them (Msunduzi Municipality, 2016). The location of these businesses forms secondary nodes in various parts of KwaMashu (secondary meaning less economically active areas). These secondary nodes also form a ribbon of less important, commercial and retail developments around KwaMashu’s outskirts.
Planned local shopping centres or malls are found within the borders of the town centre hubs, making these neighbouring centres secondary nodes on the outskirts of the main town centres.
Usually these economic activities on the outskirts are distanced from the main primary centres, as mentioned above, and their location results in their rent being lower than that of businesses within the town centres’ borders, although it works differently for informal activity participants (Trussell, 2010). These outlying centres are one of the key causes of land use changes (transition of the urban form) as they act as business opportunities for various individuals. These local neighbourhood centres turn into focal points of attraction, and this
124 results in neighbouring land uses gradually changing in response to the social and economic needs of the people in that particular location.
4.4.4. Residential zones
High Income households are identified by their extended houses on land of the same plot size as the rest of the community. There are very few open spaces in the community for uses related to housing dynamics. The area is a high density area and residential units are built on small plots with an approximate average residential erf size of 200m2. Bigger plots of land are usually found outside the KwaMashu area due to the fact that there is no space within the area to accommodate larger plots for single detached residential units. Within the township one finds rental high-rise buildings, rural urban suburb units in many parts of the area and informal settlements in parts once vacant. These are little informal housing structures, informally titled as ‘shacks’. In most cases they are made out of wood and zinc, services are limited in terms of sanitation, electricity, water, etc. and they are often found in the backyards of formal houses.
There is no middle or high income residential housing, however, there are various units that could be considered as middle income units. Their designation as such is mainly based on price and not the area in which these units are constructed (price is usually determined by investments made by the owner of the house via extensions and renovations to the unit). In recent years households have been relocating and coming closer to the CBD so as to be closer to places of employment. This usually occurs as some family members manage to find a good job and then take responsibility for their families (eThekwini Municipality, 2016).
4.4.5. Rural-urban fringe
KwaMashu Township is experiencing various transitional factors that involve the rural urban fringes being included within the operational stance of the township. A change is emerging where the township’s urban income functions are invading the rural areas, including the informal settlements in the surrounding environment. This results in the maximising of profit, expansion of the township limits into valued space and population, and exposure to a lateral platform for employment opportunities and small business ventures.
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