Geographical patterns of warehousing facilities in the Cape functional region, South Africa

Abstract

Despite improvements in the deployment of a geographical lens in logistics studies, more research is required on the connections between spatial planning policy and the positioning of warehousing facilities. This paper aims to analyze the locational patterns of warehousing facilities in the Cape functional region, South Africa. The region comprises three municipalities, namely, City of Cape Town, Drakenstein and Stellenbosch. The aim is addressed through answering the following research questions: (1) what is the relationship between the placement of warehousing facilities and the transport infrastructure in the Cape functional region? (2) What is the relationship between the placement of warehousing facilities and the industrial areas in the Cape functional region? The paper is based on spatial analysis, which used geographic information system data in ArcGIS. Optimized hot spot cluster analysis and kernel density analysis were used to determine the level of spatial clustering of warehousing facilities. With the clustering higher in the City of Cape Town municipality, the warehousing facilities were found to locate in the vicinity of major transport routes, Cape Town International Airport, the Port of Cape Town and within the industrial areas. It is recommended that a regional plan (with a logistics strategy) be developed, as opposed to the siloed approaches, which do not appreciate the proximity and functional relationships between the constituent territories. The strategy should centre on the clusters in the City of Cape Town while acknowledging that not all logistics facilities have to be located in the vicinity of the transport infrastructure.