Volume II - The Northern Cape Provincial Spatial Development ...

2.1.3 Criteria influencing growth and development of towns
Towns originate to meet a particular need or provide a specific service for a specific
community at an appropriate location. In this process urban settlements can be classified into
a variety of functional types. The majority of towns in the Northern Cape fall into the group
of central places, being service centres or market towns that meets the needs of the rural
farming community for goods and services (Van der Merwe et al, 2005). Other settlements
may have much more specific functions, such as those focussing on mining activities or
tourism attractions. It is a well-known fact that not all towns grow at a uniform rate or to the
same size. Certain economic functions offer more opportunities for growth and prosperity than
others. Over time natural resources may become exhausted and spatial economic relations
could change due to technological innovations or altered political and economic policies.
Some urban settlements may be adversely affected and stagnate or decline while others may
flourish, giving rise to regional inequalities and a sub-optimal functional settlement system.
Certain growth energy is inherent in an urban settlement’s location. A town’s location with
respect to infrastructure, main transport routes, natural resource base and large population
concentrations influences its growth trend in a specific manner. Settlements are thus
encouraged where there are better living, working, marketing, labour and investment
opportunities. Such opportunities usually exist in towns close to metropolitan centres and
secondary centres as the towns benefit from the big city’s population concentrations,
economic agglomerations, overflow effects and positive externalities. The expansion and
improvement of transport systems have also contributed towards a reduction of distance as a
barrier in the development and growth of towns. Small and medium-sized settlements located
on traffic nodes or along prominent transport corridors should be among the first to intercept
or channel extensive economic activities away from the more isolated towns.
Apart from the population migration patterns to and from towns, there is also inherent growth
energy for a town in the natural increase of its inhabitants. In this regard the particular
demographic and socio-economic structures (i.e. race, sex, age, occupation, income and level
of education) have an effect on the birth and death rates of a town. A large and growing
population, however, does not guarantee healthy economic growth, especially if the
inhabitants are not able to apply economic initiative and labour force productivity. If the
Human Development Index (HDI) of a settlement is very low, a large and growing population
can become a huge economic burden for a town and inhibit its development.
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