Rebranding Umhlanga as an intelligent city.
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Date
2017
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Abstract
The notion of the ‘intelligent city’ has gained popularity over the last two decades in the urban realm. It
is an urban movement towards creating cities which are more adaptable to the fast-paced changes and
associated challenges of 21st century cities, with much emphasis on technology. Thus, this study
emphasises the importance of researching the case study of Umhlanga as an Intelligent City within a
localised context of a developing country, due to the varying adjustment capabilities of ‘developed’ and
‘developing’ countries to respond to 21st century city challenges, effectively. The aim of this study was
to establish the extent to which Umhlanga embodies the principles of the intelligent city, in response to
the traditional city challenges of the 21st century. The main theories which were explored for the purpose
of this study included: New Urbanism, an urban design notion which is sustainability-centred, promoting
mixed-use activities within a compact-city design; Nodal Development, a spatial restructuring tool which
aims to purposefully encourage development in earmarked areas as outlined in municipal integrated
development plans (IDP) in a bid to minimise the developmental gap between areas of high
development and areas with development disadvantages; Neoliberalism, a governmental policy which
gives the market the upper-hand in determining supply and demand, by the government playing a
facilitative role whilst the private sector invests directly into developments, thereby creating the
necessary and highly dependent-on public-private partnerships (PPPs) for the success of the intelligent
city, and; the Non-Place Urban Realm looks at the Umhlanga Ridge Town Centre’s ability to offer itself
twofold – as a physical meeting place well-equipped for face-to-face encounters, as well as its presence
as a non-physical realm through the necessary infrastructures which allow for cross-boundary
transactions which occur via cyberspace and ICTs. A mixed-method research approach was adopted
throughout this research paper. Secondary data sources which were explored included journal articles,
books, municipal documents such as eThekwini’s IDPs and the URTC design framework; whilst the
primary sources included a snowball approach to key-informant interviews, questionnaires, GIS
mapping and general observations. The main findings of this paper render the Umhlanga Ridge New
Town Centre as an intelligent city within a localised context, based on the New Urbanism and Non-
Place Urban realm theories, aligned with Hollands’ three framing principles of the intelligent city:
Infrastructure-based Services; Social Inclusion, Learning and Development, and; Business-led Urban
Development. The recommendations for this research includes a new technology which has not yet
been adopted in the URNTC, but has been implemented in parts of Durban’s CBD, referred to as Light
Pole Installations (LPI). These LPIs will ultimately provide ultra-fast cellular communication, ultra-fast
Wi-Fi to local traffic environments, and give Wi-Fi connectivity to the public environment. Moreover, it
is proposed that stricter parking measures be adopted within the Town Centre so as discourage the
use of the automobile between such short distances and optimise the benefit of the New Urbanism
design which does put much of its emphasis on walkability within the precinct, as sustainability is a
major drive of the intelligent city.
Description
Master’s Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.