South Africa

High-rise buildings are coming back into vogue in South Africa, and planners are trying to balance iconography with urbanism.

The pace of development in Cape Town, South Africa, is too fast for the city to keep up with infrastructure improvements. Officials are calling for increased gas taxes to generate funding for maintenance of roads and other infrastructure.

Delays in construction have cased FIFA officials to remove Port Elizabeth from the list of host cities for the 2009 Confederations Cup, the dress rehearsal tournament before the 2010 World Cup. Concerns remain about the country's readiness.

Posh gated communities are juxtaposed with shanty towns in South Africa, where a constitutional housing guarantee is seen by many as a far-off dream.

As the country prepares for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, officials in Cape Town, South Africa, are considering plans for a citywide bus rapid transit system. BRT pioneer Enrique Penalosa was recently in town to stump for transit.

With the first game of the 2010 World Cup exactly two years away, many in host country South Africa are concerned about rising inflation, increased violence, and skyrocketing costs of stadium construction.