Civil Engineering October 2022 | Vol 30 No 9

Civil Engineering October 2022 1 From the Pres ident ’ s desk T he majority of the South African population has been living in urban areas since 1995, currently accounting for approximately 66% of all inhabitants. It is therefore not surprising that the development focus has had an urban bias, not only in South Africa but globally. In his February 2021 State of The Nation Address, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that several new post-apartheid “smart cities” were being conceptual- ised across the country. According to Carshif Talip, expertise leader for Urban Planning and Land Infrastructure at Zutari, “A smart city is a city where opportunity, amenity, safety, resilience, inclusivity and prosperity are imperatives, and innovation across financing, design, construction, operations and governance is embraced by all stakeholders to achieve these imperatives.” 1 Of course, it is not surprising that governments focus on urban development. Using population densities as a measure, the impact of investments is considered larger and faster. URBAN-RURAL LINKAGE What is often overlooked when discussing rural versus urban development is the undeniable linkages that exist. “Urban-rural linkages are spatial flows of individuals, natural, and financial resources, goods, services, and social and cultural values between urban and rural areas. For sub-Saharan Africa, increasing urbanisation, coupled with the challenges of population increase, climate change, food insecurity, unemployment, and weak economic growth, affects urban-rural linkages and sustainable development”. 2 Rural areas suffer from poor basic and economic infrastruc- tures, due to increased rural-urban migration, urban sprawl, industrial expansion, and population growth. Studies report high inequality and gender gaps in the development of urban and rural areas. “Urban-rural connectivity is also weak as a result of poor and inadequate transport systems”. 2 During a recent workshop I attended in Sydney, Australia on Mobility as a Service, the urban-rural divide was also discussed. Whereas public transport services are viable in urban areas, the demand does not often warrant them in rural areas. However, economic opportunity and social integration is still a right of rural inhabitants. Therefore, other options such as transport on demand were identified as solutions. The question is, what type of other civil engineering services can be amended to rural demand levels? Limited or absent information and communications tech- nology (ICT) infrastructure in rural areas hampers effective health, education, communication, and business services. The provision of reliable ICT infrastructure in rural areas is feasible and should be prioritised. Food and nutrition security dynamics are another challenge in sub-Saharan Africa due to ever-increasing urban popula- tions. Rural agriculture is the predominant source of livelihood for the rural community, and it plays a vital role in national food security. However, limited rural economic power and ar- able land availability, along with the impact of climate change, have led more people to migrate to urban areas in the search of new livelihoods. 3 “Consequently, a smaller number of farmers and producers have to meet the needs of a growing urban population. The increasing urban population affects the access to and the conti- nuity, quality, and quantity of the food supply. Food insecurity is also linked to poverty, poor infrastructures, and socio-economic instability, such as increasing numbers of female-headed households. The lack of access to affordable finance, funding for business ventures, technology, capacity building, and research/ education tend to be among the core issues for weak urban-rural linkages.” 2 Urban and rural areas enjoy different and often comple- mentary assets, and better integration between these areas is important for socio-economic performance. Potential solutions to strengthening urban-rural linkages include gender inclusive- ness, investment in infrastructure, sustainable agricultural systems, effective governance decentralisation, and financial inclusion. 2 So, the question is not where to focus development investments, but how they can be used to strengthen urban- rural linkages. REFERENCES BusinessTech. 2021. 3 smart cities planned for South Africa. Available: https://businesstech.co.za/news/technology/477240/3-smart-c ities-planned-for-south-africa/ . Somanje, A.N., Mohan, G., Lopes, J., Mensas, A., Gordon, C., Zhou, X., Moinuddin, M. & Saito, O. 2020. Challenges and Potential Solutions for Sustainable Urban-Rural Linkages in a Ghanaian Context, Sustainability , 12(2): 507. Barrios, S., Bertinelli, L. & Strobl, E. 2006. Climatic change and rural- urban migration: The case of sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of Urban Economics , 60: 357–371. Prof. Marianne Vanderschuren SAICE President 2022 marianne.vanderschuren@uct.ac.za Development investments – should South Africa focus on urban or rural areas?