Book review: "Rethinking Urban Transport after Modernism. Lessons from South Africa"

Rethinking Urban Transport after Modernism: lessons from South Africa
David Dewar, Fabio Todeschini
Ashgate, 2004
ISBN 0 7546 4169 4
This book gives an interesting approach about urban planning and road infrastructure
deployment. South Africa, and more in particularly the Cape Town area (where the
authors are based as researchers) is taken as a case study, but the authors' findings are
applicable to other cities both in developing and industrialized countries.
The authors consider the implications of the modernist approach to urban planning which
has invariably been based on strict zonal division and a transport infrastructure planning
based on the primacy of individual motorized transport and car ownership.
One of the main themes highlighted is the distinction between "roads" and "streets": the
first being a strictly mono-functional entity, the other one being an integrated and
multifunctional part of a living community. The focus on motorized traffic in city planning
has led to an emphasis on the "road" part, leading to a reduced liveability of the city,
particularly in areas where individual car ownership is low such as in developing
countries. Planned settlements thus often turn out rather dysfunctional, and the most
successful communities often are the older ones which predate the era of "scientific"
planning which have grown organically towards a complex and highly functional whole.
The modernist ideas based on a programmatic system of strict zonal division that have
dominated urban planning during the last three-quarters of a century, have thus created
an overall negative landscape of urban sprawl, fragmentation and social and economical
problems. The disadvantages of this approach are particularly clear in South Africa, where
the notorious "apartheid" policy reinforced the symptoms of the problem. New policies
that have been proposed for this country however should create a paradigm shift towards
better life quality as well as sustainability, based on creating decentralised patterns of
accessibility and defining pedestrian-friendly environments incorporating efficient public
transit systems. The idea of the multifunctional "street" space has to be reappraised in
order to improve spatial quality, within the framework of a holistic, non-programmatic
approach. All these issues are typically applicable in developing countries where rapid
urban development and transition is coupled with extreme social stratification. However,
the basic outcomes of the work are also valuable globally, as the influence of an unbridled
development concentrated on road transport and car use have been detrimental to the
quality of life in cities worldwide. An integrated approach becomes more than necessary
to come to a sustainable urban transport environment, which is a difficult but unavoidable
process.
The work is presented in a clear and readable style and is richly illustrated with photos,
maps, and drawings highlighting the issues covered and focusing on various characteristic
aspects of the South African urban landscape, with examples from other countries where
appropriate. An extensive reference list and additional biography provide the interested
reader with an access to further research. This book is a recommendable and inspiring
lecture for everyone concerned with urban planning and more particularly land use and
urban transport planning.
dr. ir. Peter Van den Bossche