Garside, Jayne Margaret2018-07-112018-07-111994https://hdl.handle.net/10539/24914A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Arts University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, for the degree of Master of ArtsA neglected focus in South African urban geographical studies over the last two decades has been the changes taking place in the inner city. The objective in this study is to examine residential change in one inner city suburb of Cape Town, namely Woodstock. The time period for this investigation is the era of late apartheid prior to the repeal of the Group Areas Act. The theoretical framework for this dissertation is provided by international Iiterature on ethnic segregation and the gentrlflcatlon issue'. The majority of research undertaken on gentrification has concerned the cities of North America. Western Europe or Australia. With few exceptions, gentrificatl. has been little researched outside of the devaloped world. The South African context therefore provides a developing world setting for research on gentrification. is argued that between 1900 and 1980 the case study area of Woodstock experienced considerable change in its residential complexion. In particuIar, the ethnic composition of the suburb shifted throughout the twentieth century with waves of new immigrants to the suburb, including Jews from Eastern Europe and the settIement of a Portuguese community from Madeira. These shifts in the ethnic make-up of Woodstock reinforced the 'respectable', working class character of this mixed race, inner city zone of Cape Town. During the 1980s, however, a change in the class composition of the area was triggered by the onset of processes of gentrification. The advance of gentrification was taking place at the same time as apartheid legislation, in the form of the Group Areas Act, was posing a threat to the multi-racial character of the suburb. The research documents the relationship between gentrification and the community struggle mounted to retain the multi-racial status of this inner city Area. It is shown from this South African study that the 'gentrification issue' is of relevance to research on developing world cities.enCape Town (South Africa) -- Social conditions.Thesis