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Quarried stone has a multitude of uses in the built environment. Often old, abandoned quarries near cities have become enveloped by urban expansion. This paper investigates what becomes of disused quarries, specifically in Cape Town, South Africa. The study is scaffolded by the theoretical underpinnings of urban materiality which, in turn, draws from assemblage theory. It is posited that the urban materialities of quarries, as one-time sites of material extraction, do not cease with closure. The infill, rehabilitation and repurposing of quarries for other uses result in continued contributions of quarries to the urbanscape, in addition to being historical sites of meaning and memory. The location of 77 quarries in Cape Town were mapped using data from various sources. Seventy-one quarries are in a post-extractive state. Thirty-five per cent of disused quarries have not been rehabilitated or altered by human activity after closure. However, they are sites of non-human use. Sixty-five per cent of the post-extractive quarries are sites for housing, commercial and educational activities; for recreational activities; have been infilled; or they store water for agricultural purposes. The reuse of quarries speaks to the creation of new urban materialities and assemblages by humans and non-humans which are worthy of further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contemporary literature on urban agriculture often analyses urban community gardens as 'existing' commons with the capacity to counter neoliberal urban development and resource management practices. However, the existing literature on 'political gardening' generally focuses on cities in North America and Europe, despite the prevalence of urban community gardens and neoliberal planning across other regions, including Southern cities. This paper examines urban community gardens in Cape Town, South Africa to assess their capacity to function as urban commons in six areas: infrastructure, inputs, land, produce, labour and immaterial components. This mixed‐methods study employed questionnaires, semi‐structured interviews and observations across 34 urban community gardens in the city. The findings and analysis demonstrate how the urban community gardens counter neoliberal privatisation and individualisation processes. However, their capacity to function as urban commons is significantly curtailed by an entrenchment within the neoliberal context. Thus, the urban community gardens are framed as 'experimental' commons, a valuable re‐conceptualisation of alternative resource utilisation in neoliberal Southern cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Like similar urbanised regions in the world, key ecological thresholds in the greater Cape Town area are being breached by the prevailing approach to growth and development, resulting in dysfunctional costs for the local economy. This condition of rising costs caused by a new set of material, ecologically driven variables creates the context for rethinking what growth and development means. This paper provides a synthesis of critical ecological flows and resources in the Cape Town region, drawing on the most current available data on energy, water, waste, transport, land, biodiversity and climate change. Rooted in emerging disciplines of ecological economics and the new institutional economics, it argues that investments in growth and poverty eradication will be undermined unless we recognise environmental resources and ecosystem services as binding constraints and move rapidly towards a sustainable resource use economy. The paper suggests some bold system changes and initiatives to position the Cape Town region as a global leader in the new sustainability revolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban growth boundaries (UGBs) or 'urban edges' as they are known in South Africa have been widely implemented by cities internationally with the intention of curbing urban sprawl. However, technical complexities and high levels of contestation frequently present challenges for their implementation. In particular, it is important to ensure that their demarcation includes appropriate land reserves to accommodate urban growth. Drawing the boundary too tightly can stifle economic growth and lead to land price increases, while including too much land within the UGB may result in unchecked urban sprawl and its associated environmental, social and financial costs. The aims of this paper are firstly to review international and local literature with reference to the merits and appropriateness of UGB policies and secondly to consider methods used by cities internationally to determine UGBs and describe the method used by the City of Cape Town to review its UGB in 2010. The Cape Town method evaluates land reserves against urban growth forecasts and is consistent with methods generally used by US cities. However, a number of adaptations for local and rapidly urbanising third world environments are outlined. The Cape Town method is evaluated with reference to the literature and lessons learnt are discussed. Key findings include the value of rigorous, defensible methods and clear policy guidelines in a contested environment, the value of integrating UGB reviews within broader land-use planning processes, the usefulness of information generated for broader urban planning processes and the utility of accurate information on past trends in moderating growth expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to show the reverse side of the (football) medal. The N2 gateway project in Cape Town is presented, by government and media, as a ‘flagship’ project of the new Breaking New Ground strategy, to fight the housing backlog of 400,000 houses in the city. But I want to argue that the fast-tracking of the project has to be understood as a beautification strategy to prepare the city for 2010. Massive slum eradication and the construction of ‘beautiful formal housing opportunities’ between the airport and the mother city are becoming a painful reminder of the forced removals under the apartheid regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]