Robert Akowuah Dwamena

Potentials in the night city that never sleeps: Towards city competitiveness through the 24-hour hour city concept: A case study of Durban point precinct

Cities are ever evolving, blending the ancient with the present, and a transforming digital infrastructure with diverse social network just as its population. They are hubs to establishments, a cultural hub, a tech city and a de-zone mixed-use meeting point of people and ideas.  The pertinent question then is where will cities lead us next or more candidly, where will we take our cities in the 21st century? 

This study explores 24-hour city concept as a strategy to promote city competitiveness, using the city of Durban as a practical test-bed.

Understanding the propensity of South African cities towards implementation of the 24hour city concept, requires a background into the formation and transformation of the city’s urban morphology, which was influenced by various factors. Cities in South African do not only require spatial transformation to address past injustices for inclusiveness, but a radical spatial reorientation for competitiveness.  If apartheid cities are to be positioned tactically to compete with emerging world cities, it will require a blend of polices that promote spatial reorientation to deal with tomorrow’s global competitiveness and spatial transformation that tackle inequalities of the past. 

The aim of the research is to explore on the 24-hour city concept as a strategy to position cities competitively.  Clearly, cities compete. They do so globally, nationally and at the regional level, hence needs to pace appropriately to explore the determinants of urban competitiveness

This study adopts a mixed-method design, interdisciplinary and multifaceted research framework informed by history, social theory international precedence and South African policy to examine the 24-hour city concept as a strategy to promote city competitiveness. The study will be undertaken through exploratory design interlace with a case study design approach which is the preeminent methodology to in-depth study of a particular research problem. Secondary and Primary data collected from Spatial data – mapping, field surveys and inventory interviews including questionnaire surveys will be analysed through, logical analysis, Inductive analysis, Discourse analysis and  thematic analysis to report on  findings and recommendations.