Desegregation and Integration as Linked or Distinct? Evidence from a Previously ‘White’ Suburb in Post-apartheid Cape Town
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[1] University of Cape Town
University of Cape Town
City of Cape Town, Sudáfrica
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- Localización: International journal of urban and regional research, ISSN 0309-1317, Vol. 30, Nº. 3, 2006, págs. 564-586
- Idioma: inglés
- Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
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Resumen
This article analyses whether the physical desegregation of a residential neighbourhood ultimately facilitates the social integration of its residents. Desegregation is measured quantitatively (i.e. using census data for a suburb in which no single race comprises more than 50% and at least one other racial group comprises 25%), and social integration is assessed qualitatively using indicators such as friendship, common local identity, sharing local facilities and involvement in local institutions. Essentially this research is concerned with whether labelling a suburb ‘desegregated’ is a superficial term that whilst implying racial mixing actually masks social segregation; and also whether assumptions that urban policies of desegregation ultimately facilitate social integration are accurate. This desegregation/integration nexus is explored by examining the lives of residents of a desegregated Cape Town neighbourhood. South Africa provides a timely context because the legacy of apartheid’s spatial and social design continues to dominate the urban scene despite policy efforts to promote both desegregation and integration.
