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Waterfall City (Johannesburg): Privatized Urbanism in Extremis

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  • Martin J Murray

    (Department of Afroamerican and African Studies, Urban Planning, Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1045, USA)

Abstract

Located halfway between Johannesburg and Pretoria, the mixed-use megadevelopment called Waterfall City is a master-planned, holistically designed, urban enclave built entirely from scratch on 2200 ha of vacant land. This expansive city-building project at Waterfall City combines a hypermodernist stress on ‘smart’ growth, cutting-edge technologies, and state-of-the-art infrastructure with the New Urbanist focus on mixed-use facilities, a human-scale built environment, and pedestrian-friendly precincts. By performing all the conventional functions expected of a municipal administration, the real estate developers at Waterfall City have effectively replaced public authority with private management and control. With its private governance structures and ‘go-it-alone’ mentality, Waterfall City is an exemplary expression of a privately managed municipality that falls within the broad tradition of company towns, treaty concessions, free ports, and independent city-states. Apart from its sheer size and scale and administrative autonomy, the outstanding feature of Waterfall City is its unique blend of stern religious conformity (grounded in a traditional interpretation of Islamic principles) combined with a forward-looking commitment to private enterprise and consumerist consumption.

Suggested Citation

  • Martin J Murray, 2015. "Waterfall City (Johannesburg): Privatized Urbanism in Extremis," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 47(3), pages 503-520, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:47:y:2015:i:3:p:503-520
    DOI: 10.1068/a140038p
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Martin J. Murray, 2013. "The Quandary of Post-Public Space: New Urbanism, Melrose Arch and the Rebuilding of Johannesburg after Apartheid," Journal of Urban Design, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(1), pages 119-144, February.
    2. Saskia Sassen, 2008. "Introduction to Territory, Authority, Rights: From Medieval to Global Assemblages," Introductory Chapters, in: Territory, Authority, Rights: From Medieval to Global Assemblages, Princeton University Press.
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    Cited by:

    1. Christien Klaufus & Paul Van Lindert & Femke Van Noorloos & Griet Steel, 2017. "All-Inclusiveness versus Exclusion: Urban Project Development in Latin America and Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(11), pages 1-15, November.

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