Urban Development in Gauteng

Economic Heartland

Despite its small geographic extent, Gauteng is the most urbanised province in South Africa. It is home to approximately 8,8-million people (or 20% of the national population), with the number of households growing at 6,7% per year. It is the country’s economic powerhouse and plays an instrumental role in driving economic growth for both the region and the African continent.

The province’s economy grew at an average of 3,3% per year from 1994 to 2003, with its contribution to the national GDP growing from 32,6% in 1995 to 33,9% in 2002. Its economy is diverse, ranging from high-tech manufacturing and industry; growing services and construction sectors; and a thriving informal component. As such it is the base for policy- and decision-makers whose strategies determine the nature of development in the grasslands.

Gauteng’s Global City Region Strategy aims by 2014 to increase the province's economic growth to 8% through investment, tourism and business. If this strategy is realised, it will be the 12th largest city region in the world with 14,6 million people.

Biodiversity

Some little-known facts about Gauteng's biodiversity include:

• 71% is grasslands, while 29% is savannah.
• More plant species occur here per unit area than in any other province.
• Of its eight grassland vegetation types, 2 are critically endangered.
• It is a centre of distribution for components of grasslands biodiversity, including the critically important Bushveld-Bankenveld vegetation type.
• 443 endemic plant species are found here, with 3 critically endangered, 8 endangered, 10 vulnerable and 19 listed as rare.
• It has 42 animal species of special concern within select taxa.

Gauteng's biodiversity and ecosystem services play a vital role in ensuring a healthy population in a viable, liveable city. Biodiversity priority areas are green spaces where residents can relax. These are also critical refuges for indigenous fauna and flora, which also help to purify the air and absorb significant quantities of carbon dioxide. The wetlands contained within these assist in purifying the water that comes from taps, while also buffering communities from floods. The threat to these and over exploitation of natural resources does not only affect biodiversity, but causes a decrease in economic productivity and the ability to contribute to poverty alleviation; the degradation of water resources, landscape quality and amenity value; and a decline in tourism revenue.