A critical evaluation of the operational application of various settlement typologies in South Africa

This article critically evaluates the definition and operational application of various settlement typologies across selected government departments for the purposes of the planning, implementation and monitoring of development programmes. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods are applied and informant and group interviews are conducted with 21 different government departments or entities. Nine different typologies are identified and compared on the basis of the requirements highlighted during the group interviews and international best practice. Discussions with the various interest groups highlight the need for a functional typology that consists of a number of categories or classes that can be combined as needed and not be restricted to a simple urban-rural dichotomy. A more dynamic and accessible linkage between the spatial units of analysis of the various typologies is also required. It is found that the South African City Network/ Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) settlement typology meets most of the criteria set by the literature as well as the groups interviewed. In view of the widespread use of the Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) data and typologies, it is recommended that the South African City Network/CSIR typologies should dovetail as much as possible with the 2011-census data and classification system.

Serapa sena se shebisisa polelo le tshebediso ea malulo a fapaneng hara mafapha a fapaneng a mmuso ka mabaka a ho rera, ho etsa le ho shebella hoa manane a tswelopele. Mekhoa e mebedi ea ho phethahatsa patlisiso e leng oa ho batla taba tsa dinomoro (quantitative) le ho batla taba tsa maikutlo (qualitative) e sebedisotsoe serapeng sena. Tlhatlhobo ea sehlopha sa difapha tse 21 tsa mmuso di ile tsa phethahala. Mekhoa e robong e ile ea fumanoa ea ba ea bapisoa le ditlhoko tse ileng tsa buoa mahareng a tlhatlhobo tsa dihlopha. Dipuo le dihlopha tse amahanang le ditaba tsena di bontshitse ho hlokahala e se ke ea ba le ho felloa ke sebaka sa hore di chenchoe. Kamahano ea dibaka le mefuta ea bolulo e hloka ho ba teng le eona. Ho fumanehile hore South African City Network kapa Council for Scientific and Industrial Research e leng (CSIR), ke eona e shebehallang e le eona e khonang ho etsa tsena tsohle tse sehlopha se hlahlobiloeng se buileng ka tsona. Ka baka la sena, ho bonahala hore palo ea sechaba ea 2011 e kenyelletsoe e be e sebelletsane le CSIR ho phethahatsa mosebetsi oa ho akaralletsa dibaka.