How Cities Learn traces the circulation of bus rapid transit (BRT) to understand how and why it was widely adopted in South Africa. Investigates the global proliferation and localization of BRT Examines the production and distribution of transportation knowledge in the global south Addresses the spatial and social legacy of apartheid in South African cities Reveals a new way of understanding the intersections between policy, people and place Essential reading for scholars of geography, politics, sociology and transportation, as well as urban planners and practitioners

Table of Contents:
List of Figures viii List of Abbreviations x Series Editors’ Preface xii Acknowledgements xiii 1. Introduction 1 BRT Arrives in South Africa 1 Understanding the South African City 2 Transport Geography, Policy Mobilities and Learning in and from the South 5 Using Policy Mobilities as a Methodology 9 Structure of the Book 13 2. Geographies of Knowledge 16 Building an Analytic for Tracing 16 Tracing through Policy Models 18 Tracing through Actors and Associations 20 Tracing through Cities 23 Tracing through Temporalities 25 3. Translating BRT to South Africa 27 Introduction 27 The Geography of BRT 28 Forming the Bogotá Model of BRT 31 Introducing BRT in South African Cities 35 Johannesburg’s Rea Vaya 36 Cape Town’s MyCiTi 39 Tshwane’s A Re Yeng 41 Rustenburg’s Yarona 44 Nelson Mandela Bay’s Libhongolethu 45 eThekwini’s Go Durban! 46 A South African Interpretation of BRT 48 About the Station Platform 51 About the Bus 52 About the Bus Lane 53 About the Route 55 BRT and Taxi Transformation 58 The South African Taxi Industry 59 State Intervention in Transportation 61 Negotiating with Taxi Operators 65 Conclusion 68 4. Actors and Associations Circulating BRT 70 Introduction 70 An Analytic for Studying Policy Actors 71 Redefining the Role of Policy Actors 74 Policy Mobilizers of BRT Circulation 75 Intermediaries of BRT Circulation 78 Local Pioneers of BRT Circulation 81 Learning through Networks 85 Networks of Internationals 86 Networks of South Africans 88 Power Dynamics of Networks 94 Conclusion 96 5. The Local Politics of BRT 97 Introduction 97 The International Context of BRT Circulation 98 Learning from South America 99 Learning from Africa 102 Learning from India 105 Learning from the North 106 The National Context of BRT Circulation 107 Political Interactions between South African Localities 108 Technical Exchanges between South Africa Localities 111 The Municipal Context of BRT Circulation 114 Conclusion 117 6. Repetitive Processes of BRT Adoption 119 Introduction 119 Tracing Transportation Innovation in South Africa 120 Planting the Seeds of BRT in South Africa 124 Gradual Processes of Learning 127 Repetitive Processes of Circulation 128 Delayed Processes of Adoption 130 Transportation Innovations Not Adopted 133 Conclusion 138 7. Conclusion 140 Introduction 140 Reflecting on How Cities Learn 141 Reflecting on BRT in South Africa 145 Appendix A: Interview Schedule 147 Appendix B: Features of BRT systems in South Africa 154 References 166 Index 185