Urban peripheral growth takes diverse forms, including the development of new economic centralities, raising questions about access to employment for residents, especially in contexts where unemployment is high and economies are shifting towards more skilled and service-related employment. This article explores two case studies of residents’ experience of access to employment close to economic centralities on the urban edge in South Africa: the growing northern eThekwini area (Durban), which has developed major retail and office complexes since the 1990s and more recently a new airport and industrial spaces, and a declining industrial decentralisation point established in the 1980s on the eastern edge of the City of Tshwane (Pretoria). It shows the severe impact of industrial decline in the Tshwane case, but while unemployment is less in northern eThekwini, access to employment for low-income residents in these areas is still very limited and constrained. Experiences are however differentiated, suggesting a complexity of outcomes. The cases point to the vulnerability of these economic centralities to economic change and the limits of new developments on the urban periphery to addressing unemployment. These findings have implications for the current advocacy of ‘new cities’ in economic contexts such as South Africa.

城市外围增长采取多种形式，包括发展新的经济中心，这引发了居民就业机会的问题，尤其是在失业率高且经济正在转向技能更高和与服务相关的就业的情况下。本文探讨了两个案例研究，探讨了南非城市边缘附近经济中心的居民获得就业机会的经验：不断发展的北部 eThekwini 地区（德班），自 1990 年代以来开发了主要的零售和办公综合体，最近新机场和工业空间，以及 1980 年代在茨瓦内市（比勒陀利亚）东部边缘建立的工业分散点。它显示了茨瓦内案中工业衰退的严重影响，但是，虽然北 eThekwini 的失业率较低，但这些地区的低收入居民的就业机会仍然非常有限和受限。然而，经验是不同的，这表明结果的复杂性。这些案例表明这些经济中心很容易受到经济变化的影响，以及城市边缘的新发展在解决失业问题方面存在局限性。这些发现对当前在南非等经济环境中倡导“新城市”具有重要意义。这些案例表明这些经济中心很容易受到经济变化的影响，以及城市边缘的新发展在解决失业问题方面存在局限性。这些发现对当前在南非等经济环境中倡导“新城市”具有重要意义。这些案例表明这些经济中心很容易受到经济变化的影响，以及城市边缘的新发展在解决失业问题方面存在局限性。这些发现对当前在南非等经济环境中倡导“新城市”具有重要意义。