Limits of urban transition models in understanding South African urbanisation

Abstract

The author's research experience gives rise to a sense that the social character of urbanisation in South Africa is poorly understood. Furthermore, the emergence of a substantial International scholarly literature on circular migration raises significant questions concerning present dominant views of urbanisation processes in South Africa. Those questions concern the direction and rates of change affecting urbanisation as well as household behaviour and preferences, all of which, unless correctly understood, might hold upsetting consequences for positive urbanisation policies in both short and long term futures. This paper briefly reviews the recent international literature with a view to defining the initial research questions which might follow.