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Economic nodes
Economic nodes include commercial and industrial nodes as well as inner city areas within integration zones. A metropolitan area’s economic nodes, where employment is generated at scale; i.e. in commercial, industrial or mixed use precincts, are critical elements in the urban network and their fortunes are impacted on by the performance of this network. The spatial location of these economic nodes relative to the availability of different modes of transport and the proximity of residential areas catering to different income segments determines the time and money spent by people to commute to work and the knock-on cost to employers.
The cyclical growth and decline of these areas over time demands adjustments to the network which comes at a cost to the urban networks and systems. If the public sector understands the performance and potential of these areas it is able to anticipate the needs and actions that may retain and grow investment confidence in these nodes as thriving nodes with significant sunk investments on the part of the private and public sectors. They have significant needs but also present substantial opportunity for creating a more inclusive economy.
Clearly, the integration zone’s anchors, the CBD and urban hubs may be important economic nodes. There may also be economic nodes which serve as intermediate nodes along the transit spine of the integration zone. In other cases there are economic nodes elsewhere in the integration zone or are significant in relation to the integration zone.
Either way, these nodes are significant to the functioning and performance of the urban spatial economy and maintaining sustainable livelihoods and should be identified and prioritised based on a robust diagnostic model.
Types of nodes or precincts
For the purposes of this Toolkit, there are four main types of nodes or precincts:
Activity center or node
Urban corridor
Station precinct
Industrial park
Activity center or node
![](https://spatialtargeting.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/economic-nodes-images-01-1024x1024.jpg)
01
Activity center or node
Description:
- Areas of concentrated mixed use such as commercial, retail, food and hospitality, civic/community, higher-density housing, entertainment services.
- Vary in size and function
- Good accessibility
Scope:
- CBDs
- Secondary CBDs or primary nodes
- Secondary nodes
- Neighbourhood activity centers
Urban corridor
![](https://spatialtargeting.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/economic-nodes-images-02-1024x1024.jpg)
02
Urban corridor
Description:
- Urban corridors both connect activity centres and strengthen major routes including public transport.
- Offer opportunities to accommodate nodes of higher density residential and mixed use development near good quality, high frequency public transport, thereby increasing urban accessibility and the viability of public transport systems.
Scope:
- Integration zone nodes
- Corridors along main urban arteries
- Activity spines
- Local area high street
Station precinct
![](https://spatialtargeting.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/economic-nodes-images-03-1024x1024.jpg)
03
Station precinct
Description:
- Areas that feature transit-oriented development surrounding railway stations and other transport interchanges.
- These precincts range from major centres of transit and urban activity, to smaller centres focussed around local stations and taxi ranks
Scope:
- Transport interchanges
- Urban hubs
Industrial park
![](https://spatialtargeting.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/economic-nodes-images-04-1024x1024.jpg)
04
Industrial park
Description:
- May be general purpose or purpose/theme-specific with a particular economic focus, e.g. automotive manufacturing and related services, technology development, agro-processing etc.
- Various models exist e.g. privately-owned parks, associations of tenant companies, PPPs and government-owned parks
Scope:
- Industrial parks
- Logistics parks
- Special economic zones (SEZs)
- Ports
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