Using spatial indices to measure dynamic racial residential segregation in Gauteng province (South Africa)

Abstract

Apartheid laws resulted in racial residential segregation that became entrenched into the urban morphology of South Africa. When apar-theid ended in the 1990’s, the new South African democratic government was resolved to bring about social and spatial justice, address inequalities and promote social cohesion. To determine progress towards racial residential integration, aspatial indices of segregation are widely employed despite their shortcomings and limi-tations. This study employs two spatial indices of segregation: the spatial information theory index and the spatial exposure/isolation index in order to measure and quantify the levels of racial residential segregation that individuals living in Gauteng province (South Africa) would experience on average within radii of 500m, 4km and 8km of their respective residential locations. The analysis is based on the 1996, 2001 and 2011 Census data. The results indicate that the levels of racial residential segregation have steadily declined between 1996 and 2011. The levels of exposure of Whites to Black Africans continue to increase while the levels of exposure of Black Africans to Whites have remained unchanged over the same period. These observations are true for the different geographic scales (i.e. within radii of 500m, 4km and 8km) of analysis considered in this study.