OP-ED: Apartheid legacy of urban sprawl is the challenge our cities face By Ann Bernstein
As elections approach, political parties need to set out their visions for a national revival in which the opportunities for poor people to move out of poverty are transformed. Turning cities into generators of hope and opportunity is the most effective way to achieve this.
Citizens should ask political parties key questions about their urban growth strategies. How do you plan to encourage investment and raise levels of growth in major cities? What is your strategy for urban infrastructure spending? How will you work with private business to promote urban-led growth? Where urban infrastructure is inadequate, it sets “speed limits” on the growth of urban economies. The constrained national fiscus places a premium on new strategies, including partnerships with business, for maximising urban infrastructure delivery.
Cities also need greater power. They have been treated as the junior partners of the national and provincial government for too long. They need greater control over city personnel and their local business environment. They must have a bigger say in national policies that affect urban-led growth. Many if not all of the eight metropolitan governments have the capacity to start right now.
Cities should be given proper representation in the national policy development process and they should be represented in the extended cabinet. The voice of big cities must be heard directly in the national budget process.
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