There is growing interest in integrated area development projects as a way of
responding to special problem areas, including ameliorating the geographic concentration
of social and economic disadvantage. This is expressed through the
move towards ‘joined up’ government and development ‘in the round’ at the
local level; and new forms of area-based initiatives aimed at neighbourhood renewal
and urban economic development. The growing influence of sustainability
concepts and developmental approaches to housing and urban development is
also leading to multi-faceted projects that incorporate economic, social and environmental
dimensions. In the South African context, the interest in integrated
area development manifests in the major urban renewal projects that are presently
being mounted, and reflects a search for ways of achieving integrated development
that are more grounded than the grand scale planning associated with
Integrated Development Plans and Spatial Development Frameworks.
