Unlike many cities of a similar stature and status, Msunduzi lacks a clearly articulated City Development Strategy (CDS). Accordingly, the urgent need for such a plan, as a growth path directive and scenario planning instrument, has been called for. The CDS will help realise a developmental and sustainable Msunduzi (metropolitan) complex and a globally
competitive city. The primary purpose of the CDS is to:

• Describe the desired 2030 outcomes in terms of the city’s vision, goals and objectives.
• Agree on the set of indicators for measuring the progress being made to achieve the desired outcomes.
• Agree on the targets and the city growth path in respect of each of the indicators.
• Agree on the strategic interventions required to achieve the set targets.
• Describe the catalytic projects that, where possible, support the strategic interventions.
• Agree on the monitoring, evaluation, reporting and review framework.

The overall intention of the CDS is to guide and manage urban development and growth, and to balance competing resources and land-use demands, by putting in place a long-term, logical development path that will shape the spatial form and structure of the city. In the context of climate change and resource depletion, the future growth path needs to underline the importance of sustainable growth. This proposed development path must be flexible and adaptive, as economic, environmental, and social forces are unpredictable, and it is impossible to determine accurately how fast the city will grow. The proposals may take decades to realise and, from time to time, will need to be reviewed to ensure that they remain relevant, realistic and informed by changing dynamics and local, national and global events.