Counterurbanisation: South Africa in wider context

Abstract

This study of South African counterurbanisation demonstrates, in line with recent views, that substream counterurbanisation can be a meaningful subject of scientific interest even within contexts of mainstream concentration, as is the case in much of the developing world. This is due to its proportional impact on regional growth poles at the lower end of the settlement hierarchy. Both the South African results and evidence elsewhere indicate that counterurbanisation may be far more significant in the developing world than commonly assumed, and also far more varied. Apart from similar forms of counterurbanisation found in the developed world, the research also finds two other distinctive forms of developing world counterurbanisation: agrarian counterurbanisation occurring in countries with struggling urban economies and under-utilized agricultural capital, and industrial sector-led counterurbanisation, which, contrary to the developed world, may well be the dominant form of counterurbanisation in developing countries. While the study clearly admits that evidence for the developing world is limited at present, that which exists strongly argues for further research, particularly on the clear implications of developing world variations for migration and rural development policy differentiation.