6. Urban regeneration and mega-projects in Durban
6.3. Mega-projects and their role in urban regeneration
development to the North, including the Dube Tradeport and Cornubia are further areas which the city will be focusing on (Sim, 30/04/2010; Moonsammy, 12/09/2011).
Urban regeneration has thus been identified as a significant aspect of planning and development in the city; and from the above discussion, it can be ascertained that large scale projects appear to play an important role within the city’s urban regeneration strategies. This is consistent with Swyngedouw et al’s (2002) assertion that mega-projects are one of the most visible and influential urban regeneration strategies which are pursued by contemporary cities in the context of the prevailing competitive landscape.
allocated to them. She also stated that in terms of the city’s expenditure, a large amount of capital is being channelled into these large scale projects (Foster, 05/05/2010). Another respondent emphasised that this mega-project agenda coincided with Mike Sutcliffe’s term of office (Maharaj, 11/07/2011), once again emphasising the role of the local state in development and urban regeneration.
According to Moonsammy (12/09/2011) however, Durban is “not really in the game of mega- projects”. She asserted that they do not have a particular focus or discourse on large scale projects that change the landscape, as they do not have the funds, or a specific agenda relating to this.
Large projects are rather considered based on demand and their relevance for the city; whereby
“some might be smaller but equally important, others might be bigger but sufficiently important”
(Moonsammy, 12/09/2011). The focus is therefore rather on how to grow and sustain the city, and create a balance, as spending resources only on “delivering a city to the lowest denominator”
is not conducive to the long term sustainability of the city (Moonsammy, 12/09/2011).
6.3.1 Mega-projects on the Durban landscape
As has been identified, in recent years Durban has been experiencing the development of a number of large scale or “mega-projects”, depending on who is defining them. These have included the King Shaka International Airport; the ICC, which was identified by one respondent as the first pro-growth project (Scott, 22/04/2010); uShaka and the Point Development; the inbound and outbound flyovers over Warwick Junction; Suncoast Casino; Moses Mabhida Stadium; the upgrading of the “Golden Mile” along the beachfront; Riverhorse Valley; Bridge City; upgrading of the roads for 2010, such as the Inkhosi Albert Luthuli Highway (southern freeway); and the planned expansion of the port. Many of these projects have been undertaken as part of a neo-liberal growth agenda, and some were a result of planning for the 2010 World Cup as noted in 6.2.1. Many of them are also being undertaken through public-private partnerships, which involve an array of actors from the public and private sectors (Foster, 05/05/2010; Moolla, 25/08/2010; Robbins, 22/04/2010; Scott, 22/04/2010; Sim, 30/04/2010; Iyer, 03/08/2011;
Maharaj, 11/07/2011; Moonsammy, 12/09/2011), including the proposed Warwick Mall and the Point Development.
From the above discussion it can be ascertained that whether or not the Municipality has a specific ‘mega-project agenda’, there has been an increase in their planning and implementation within the city in recent years, and they appear to be at the forefront of development, driving further growth and inflicting dramatic change on the landscape of the city. Many of them have
however met with criticism and conflict, resulting in many of them being surrounded by controversy.
6.3.2 Criticisms of Durban’s “mega-project focus”
There has been some criticism of the development agenda of the city, and the focus on mega- projects from a variety of people. Maharaj (11/07/2011) asserted that Durban has gambled with mega-projects over the past ten years and “gambling is a high risk activity under any conditions or circumstances”. As the “mega-project, big business agenda” forges ahead, the poor and the disadvantaged are being pushed out of the city; and there has been “a rhetorical lip service that these projects will benefit the poor and disadvantaged, and the reality is that they do not”
(Maharaj, 11/07/2011). Maharaj (11/07/2011) further stated that:
“There is an obsession in Durban about being world class, and for me, it means a subliminal disconnection from Africa, and a hankering to become like New York or London or Amsterdam. In this focus on world class, we forget the history, the legacy of apartheid, and the agenda to create a city that is fair, just and more credible”.
Thus, while post-apartheid restructuring was posited on fairness, justice and addressing inequalities of the past; many of the projects in Durban appear to reinforce the social, spatial and economic inequalities of the past, rather than challenging them (Maharaj, 11/07/2011). In Maharaj’s (11/07/2011) opinion, it could in fact be argued that, despite Durban’s slogan of becoming the most caring city in Africa, it is one of the most uncaring cities in terms of the way it deals with issues relating to the poor and disadvantaged, bypassing very basic aspects of service delivery.
Scott (22/04/2010) stated that she was concerned about the real intent driving development in the city, and that the “acceptance of the neo-liberal growth paradigm is questionable” as many of these projects are exacerbating social polarisation by making the rich richer and the poor poorer.
Foster (05/05/2010) questioned whether channelling money towards these mega-projects would give you the best return on your money, and speculated that it should rather be spent on something more developmental; while Albert (20/04/2010) asserted that he found the development of Durban very disappointing, as within the planning climate gestated by Mike Sutcliffe, tender norms and participation which are meant to ensure a fair tender process and effective participation have been circumvented in development planning, including in the case of mega-projects.
It is therefore evident that the current development path in Durban, with a focus on mega-projects, is surrounded by uncertainty and debate. Hence it is crucial to gain an understanding of the reasons behind their implementation as well as important aspects of the role they may play in development in the city. The following two themes are related to these aspects, and provide further insight regarding the proliferation of these projects. Each of these themes has distinctive features, but they are also linked in certain ways in their role in urban regeneration and development of the city. The first one examines mega-projects as locally strategic, and the second explores mega-projects as tools of entrepreneurialism. Some projects are developed based on elements of being locally strategic, some are focused on the elements of entrepreneurialism, and others may combine elements of both.