A Spatial-Statistical Analysis of Urban Deprivation in Durban, South Africa

Abstract

Urban sustainability problems are of global concern as developing countries’ population get more urbanised. Examining urban deprivation, 18 socio-demographic variables were used to identify deprivation dimensions with principal component analysis and general deprivation index. Seven deprivation types were mapped with Geographic Information System to determine the spatial distribution of deprivation by census sub-places for Durban, South Africa. Results showed that deprivation was neither clustered nor confined to the inner city areas as would normally be expected. Key determining factors were the proportion of Black Africans and informal settlements occurring in a sub-place.

Keywords: Deprivation, Geographic Information System (GIS), General Deprivation Index, Principal component analysis, South Africa