In response to public criticism of proposed changes to the Municipal Planning By-Law, mayoral committee member for spatial planning Eddie Andrews said, "The cost per square metre in areas like Rondebosch and Constantia prevented the private sector from meeting the objectives of delivering affordable housing opportunities". Andrews' statement shows the City's cop-out and contradiction regarding affordable housing, and that the by-law is a transparent ruse to give developers carte blanche under their "red-carpet" policy. It also reveals their inherent dishonesty about these changes despite outwardly having good intentions. It's common cause South African urban centres are spatially sparse. But one cannot change the status quo, as Prof. Ivan Turok who was approached for comment (Incidentally, he lives in a sparse province and city - Free State) and Andrews suggest, with blanket densification without upsetting the extant spatial, social and environmental or...