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Wetlands Encroachment and the Spatial Resilience of Ecosystems in Peri-Urban Areas: the Case of Budeli, Mutoti and Mphego in Nandoni, Limpopo Province, South Africa
Get PDFThe study examines the effects of encroachment on wetlands in peri-urban areas on the spatial resilience of
peri-urban areas‘ ecosystems. This is against the background that there are continued encroachments on
wetlands in peri-urban areas that are resulting in reduced size and quality of wetlands.The consequential
effects include disappearance of wetlands creating an imbalance in nature that compromises the resilience of
the peri-urban ecosyttems. Informed by the social-ecological systems theoretical framework, the study
adopts the post-positivists philosophy and the mixed methods research approach to guide the collection of
data. Key informant interviews with purposively selected spatial planners, enviromentalists and traditional
leaders were used to collect data. Mapping to establish the extent of how wetlands have been affected by
development was also employed. Findings reveal that various activities have affected wetlands in the
respective villages severely and these include brickmaking, coversion of wetlands into farmlands and
expanding residential development onto wetlands areas.These activities have led to water pollution, erosion
of wetland escarpments, natural vegetation loss, reduction in wetland inhabitant species and alteration of
wetland sites. Wetland designated sites have dimisinshed showing the impact of these human activities. It is
recommended that sustainable practices be adopted that sustain both the community and the enviroment to
reduce the impacts of wetland encroachment by human activities coupled with strong partneships by
community, local leaders and local authority. Recommndations are that concerned stakeholders should work
together and form strong partnerships, an intergrated or inclusive approach in land allocation issues between
the local authority and the traditional leaders be adopted and practiced, incorporation of community
participatory initiatives that raise awareness on wetlands importance and the extent of how human activities
compromise wetland habitat quality such as Imbizo and Mayor Mahosi Forum, continual enforcement by the
local authority and local community engagement on the best practices that help sustain the enviroment at the
same time that meet their livelihoods
Spatial and Settlement Development Adapted to Climate Change in Strasshof an der Nordbahn (Lower Austria)
Get PDFClimate change, increasing urbanisation and densification, not only in inner-city areas, require new
approaches and solutions to improve liveability and act against the consequences of climate change,
primarily noticeable in cities and their surrounding areas. The introduced projects "Strasshof 2021" and
"Strasshof. Klimafit!" (both funded by the Austrian Climate and Energy Fund, Klima- und Energiefonds,
under the Smart Cities Initiative in Austria) deal with climate change adaptation measures, exemplified by
the Austrian municipality of Strasshof an der Nordbahn, using instruments of spatial planning, such as land
development plans, construction plans, zoning plans etc., focussing on soil bioengineering measures to
infiltrate rainwater as well as climate-effective design of roadside greenery using a selection of plants
appropriate to the climate.
Within the exploratory project "Strasshof 2021. Preparation of climate change-adapted planning instruments
and processes for a Smart Village" the municipality of Strasshof examined in cooperation with the project
team, how certain climate change adaptation measures could be specifically requested and regulated in the
municipality's development plan, including how compliance and implementation of these measures could
then be monitored by the municipality. At the level of the land development plan, criteria were developed
suitable for implementing climate change-adapted settlement developments. Existing experiences were
transferred to Strasshof and measures and options for climate change-adapted rainwater management were
developed. For example, potential implementations of the sponge city principle, adapted to the local
conditions (no canal for draining rainwater, very permeable soil) were examined in Strasshof. Based on the
assessment of potential areas to establish green structures and roadside greenery in Strasshof, measures and
options for climate change adapted planting and vegetation in public spaces and on buildings were analysed.
A list of "climate-fit" trees (trees that are well-adapted to the changing climate) for public areas as well as for
private gardens was drawn up.
"Strasshof. Klimafit! Strasshof as a lighthouse: EVAPO+ green walls, green infiltration troughs,
empowerment and practical transfer" is a lighthouse demonstration project that stimulates processes for
climate change measures by empowering other municipalities and small towns. The project aims to
implement resilient, multifunctional and "climate-fit" solutions that respond to heat and heavy rain, improve
the microclimate, increase the quality of life and living while promoting biodiversity and species diversity in
existing areas of the municipality. With these measures, Strasshof can act against climate change
consequences and improve the liveability of the population. The transferability of the demonstrations shall be
guaranteed with the help of various regional, national and international exchange forums. In cooperation
with other Austrian municipalities, the lessons learned from Strasshof will be reflected and transferred to the
regional network "Climate-Fit Small Towns and Municipalities" along with step-by-step instructions for
climate-fit municipalities
Awareness about the Relevance of Cascading Effects in Urban Critical Infrastructure Networks under Climate Change – a Participatory Impact Matrix Approach
Get PDFAddressing climate change adaptation in urban areas is increasingly urgent. To achieve sustainable and
climate-adapted fields of action requires fundamental transformations of supply chains and infrastructures
such as transport and mobility, electricity and water supply, or telecommunication as well as an improved
understanding of their interactions. Practical experiences show, that in general there is an increasing
awareness about this, but for example emergency plans or crisis communication often falls short regarding
the indirect impacts of climate change on potential infrastructural failures. Hence, there is also a growing
need for applied research and systemic approaches to overcome the current prevailing isolated sectoral view
of climate change impacts to gain a holistic understanding of the critical infrastructure networks. Against this
background, the paper highlights the relevance of climate change impacts on critical infrastructures,
infrastructure interdependencies and potential systemic cascading effects. The analysis uses a participatory
approach that has been applied within a case-study for the metropolitan area of Hamburg, Germany. It is
based on transdisciplinary research methods, connecting the realms of scientific knowledge about regional
climate change with real-world experiences. A strong focus lies on the use of a specific impact matrix
approach carried out with key stakeholders from different sectors to identify climate-related drivers causing
the most severe failures and losses in the system – either directly in the same sector or indirectly due to
breakdowns in other sectors. In sum, the case-study enables a first categorization of the role single key
variables play in the infrastructure system. Furthermore, it introduces the topic of adaptation to climate
change as a starting point for a better understanding and management of systemic risks in order to build and
maintain resilient critical infrastructures and to make urban areas safe, resilient and sustainable
GIS-based Identification of Densification Types
Get PDFDue to the prevailing settlement pressure and the increasing demand for living space, land consumption is
draining the limited land reserves in the alpine region. From 2018 to 2020, an average of 11.5 hectares of
land per day were used in Austria1
. Until 2020, while the population grew by just 10.9 percent, land use in
Austria has increased by more than 27 percent since the turn of the millennium2
. As urban sprawl increases,
green spaces decrease and are more and more sealed by asphalt and concrete. To avoid the constant
exploitation of open and green spaces, promoting higher land-use efficiency by densification within existing
settlement areas is pursued as an alternative, more sustainable path of settlement development. It is therefore
essential to provide decision-makers, planners, developers, and architects with a detailed overview of the
densification potential within current settlement areas. This paper introduces a GIS-supported methodology
to facilitate this task.
In our research within the Alpine Building Centre – Simulation of Settlement Systems (Zentrum Alpines
Bauen), we first developed a GIS-analysis model for the automated identification of theoretical densification
potentials on building plot level while taking legal building regulations and local specifications for structural
density into account. In a further step, we elaborated a building-related typology for the classification of
these potentials, by integrating the geometry and cubature information of the existing building stock and
building plots. GIS analysis models were then developed in accordance with this typology to identify and
quantify these potentials theoretically, and to model their generalized three-dimensional (3D) shapes. The
proposed typology characterises current densification potentials in Salzburg state into four types: building
replacement, roof stacking, building extensions, and independent building annexes. As a case study, this
analysis was implemented on a test municipality in Salzburg state - Henndorf am Wallersee. Experimental
outcomes are visualized in an interactive 3D web map that provides an overview of the result. The outcome
data provide important information and a planning basis that support local planners and decision-makers in
achieving more sustainable, resource-efficient future settlement development
Automated Mobility and Inclusion as Educational Topics for Children and Juveniles and as Tasks and Responsibilities of Mobility Planning: Work-Report on the Project AM4Kids
Get PDFAutomated mobility (AM) involves the increased use of digital information and communication technologies
in all areas of traffic and mobility, particularly in the vehicle and mobility sector, in the infrastructure,
transportation and the management of mobility-related processes (pre-, on- and post-trip). To ensure that the
potentials of AM, like higher efficiency and improving accessibility, meet the demands and mobility patterns
of different types of people, especially vulnerable ones like kids and people with disabilities, it is essential to
make children and young adults aware of this complex and diverse topic already today. Therefore, planning
and development activities in the mobility sector should involve this future generation and consider their
ideas and concerns.
Planning and development activities should be considered from a holistic and inclusive perspective,
considering a wide variety of traffic participant groups. In this context, the Austrian project AM4Kids
1
creates a direct interface between children and young adults and mobility planning. The scientists and
planners take the role of facilitators of knowledge and accompany an inter and transdisciplinary, multi-level
exchange between disciplines, such as transport planning, social science, mobility research, and actors from
the inclusion sector. In the project, age-appropriate and gender-sensitive workshops, input lectures, and
educational materials were developed and implemented by the interdisciplinary consortium of sociologists,
transportation planners, landscape architects, civil engineers, software developers, and legal experts for the
needs of people with disabilities.
This paper presents the methods applied in the corresponding project phases. Furthermore, a reflection on the
achieved results and experiences from the activities in project phases 1 and 2 is provided
Strukturiertes Vorgehen zur Entwicklung von Szenarien für die Entscheidungsunterstützung
Get PDFDer Demographische Wandel stellt Politik, Wirtschaft, Verwaltung und Gesellschaft vor vielfältige
Herausforderungen, insbesondere durch den raschen Anstieg des Altenquotienten: Standen 1950 noch 16
Personen im Rentenalter 100 Erwerbstätigen gegenüber, waren es 2020 bereits 37 (Statistisches Bundesamt
2022). Für das Jahr 2030 wird ein Altenquotient von 47 prognostiziert (Statistisches Bundesamt 2021). Die
Ausprägungen unterscheiden sich wesentlich zwischen verschiedenen Raumtypen sowie zwischen den alten
und neuen Bundesländern (Statistisches Bundesamt 2022).
Bevölkerungsentwicklung und -verteilung unterliegen diversen Einflussfaktoren, die gleichzeitig auch
Bedürfnisse und Lebensweisen der Gesellschaft verändern. Alterung, Klimawandel und auch
unvorhergesehene Ereignisse wie Corona-Pandemie oder Ukraine-Krieg gehören zu den Faktoren der
Veränderung und erschweren gleichzeitig genaue Prognosen über deren Entwicklung. Ein Ziel der
Bundesregierung ist es, „gleichwertige Lebensverhältnisse überall“ (BMI 2019: 3) zu schaffen und die
Grundfunktionen im Sinne der Daseinsvorsorge zu sichern (BMI 2019: 9). Die Stadtplanung befasst sich
bereits seit einigen Jahren mit dem Demographischen Wandel und dessen Folgen für Städte und Gemeinden.
Der Fokus liegt hierbei häufig auf der Entwicklung geeigneter Ansätze für das Wohnen oder der Anpassung
sozialer Infrastruktur (Hochstadt 2006: 553 ff., von Mackensen 2007: 317ff.). Damit sich die Stadtplanung
zukünftig zielgerichteter, begründeter und präventiver auf veränderte gesellschaftliche Anforderungen
ausrichten kann, könnte ein Ansatz sein, Lösungsansätze auf verschiedene mögliche Zukünfte auszurichten.
Im Sinne eines „Was wäre, wenn?“ müssen entsprechende Szenarien für eine frühzeitige Unterstützung von
Entscheidungen entwickelt werden.
Der vorliegende Beitrag knüpft an dieser Stelle an und stellt ein strukturiertes Vorgehen zur Entwicklung
von Szenarien mit Hilfe von Geoinformationssystemen vor, das Kommunen dabei unterstützen kann,
Entscheidungen in Bezug auf die Ausstattung und Gestaltung der Daseinsgrundfunktionen zu treffen. Als
erste Annäherung wird die Daseinsgrundfunktion „sich versorgen“ betrachtet.
Am Beispiel der Gemeinde Remshalden wird die Erreichbarkeit von Nahversorgern im Bereich Lebensmittel
untersucht. Anhand von Szenarien wird die bestmögliche räumliche Anordnung und deren potenzielle
Veränderung in Lage, Art und Anzahl aufgrund der Verteilung der Kohorte der Babyboomer im Stadtgebiet
dargestellt. Durch diese Methode können Kommunen Erkenntnisse darüber gewinnen, welche Einrichtungen
sie entsprechend der Bevölkerungsentwicklung in den Quartieren möglichst optimal verorten und in welcher
Form diese ausgestaltet sein müssen, um die Daseinsvorsorge zu sichern.
Die Forschung findet im Rahmen des Projekts „Ageing Smart – Räume intelligent gestalten“ statt, das durch
die Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung gefördert wird
Exploring Neighbourliness and Social Cohesion in Two Residential Gated Developments in Johannesburg, South Africa
Get PDFThe growth of privatised residential territories through the concept of ‘gating’ has become a global
phenomenon and a distinct feature of the urban landscape of cities. There has been much debate around their
existence. Justifications for these developments have been largely associated to the fear of crime, the
expressed need for a defensible space, ineffective security provisions by government institutions, a search for
an enhanced residential lifestyle and inadequate municipal service provision and governance. In the South
African context, it has been argued that they have generated a “neo-apartheid” and serve as a façade,
concealing the elitism and privilege that they offer residents. Similarly, questions have been raised around
the benefits of living in a gated community, including whether or not they nurture or limit social cohesion
among their residents. Current literature and studies on gated communities tends to focus on their physical
form and function with little emphasis on the internal dynamics that take place within such developments.
Given the growth and popularity of such developments in South African cities, the paper employs a
qualitative approach using in-depth interviews with residents of two gated communities in Greenstone Hill to
examine how living in a gated community influences daily social interactions among neighbours. The
findings of the study identified four key themes that influenced social cohesion in the gated developments.
Furthermore, contrary to expectations, interview data revealed that gated communities are socially diverse
living spaces allowing for interactions of individuals from various cultural, religious, racial and class
backgrounds which is unique given South Africa’s legacy of apartheid that has resulted in the persistence of
residential segregation and mono-racial communities. The implications of the study are that these
developments provide platforms for different races, classes, and cultures to unlearn past prejudices which has
key implications in the process of re-building and uniting the country and its communities. The paper makes
recommendation for gated communities to be viewed from a different perspective that focuses on their
potential to contribute to social change and cohesion in the era of democracy
Regeneration of Routes in Cities to Meet Pedestrian and Two-Wheeler Demands by Utilizing Space Syntax Theory
Get PDFThe rapid growth in cities has led to new city patterns specially in third world countries. With the
development and progress in technology, new demands have appeared. The future of technology and the
digital transformation have led to the request for faster and cheaper means of transport that need to fulfill
new demands. One of these challenges is the usage of two wheelers to quickly support delivery demands in
crowded cities. In addition no pedestrian routes are considered. Modification in the infrastructure needed to
be done to meet these demands. In this study the coastal city of Alexandria in Egypt is studied as an example
of a quick expanding city. First, investigation of the direct impact of currect routes on the built environment
whether main or secondary routes two-wheelers movement is done. Followed an analysis of integration and
choice of current routes in order to help in suggesting safe pedestrian and two-wheeler paths and roads. The
research aims at providing regeneration of roads in cities and for guiding the design of new ones in existing
projects based on simulation results. Green and energy saving is what is needed to collaborate with the
digital era. The significance, magnitude, and consistency of integration and choice measures justify their
relevance in built infrastructure interventions to promote pedestrian and two wheelers. The main aim of this
study is to optimize decision making by using the space syntax theory. The research aims at providing a pilot
sample of responsive routes in existing cities and for guiding the design of new ones in the future
Geographic Proximity between Older Adults and Adult Children in Flanders (Belgium)
Get PDFMost European countries do not only prioritise policies focused on ageing-in-place, but also re-emphasise the
role of informal caregiving which, in reality, is mostly provided by children. Thereby it is often overlooked
that organising informal care at home gives rise to complicated and multilayered negotiations between
people and their home environments. Distance can be seen as one of the decisive factors regarding informal
caregiving. At least, international literature suggests that distance between older parents and adult children
(still) matters in receiving and providing informal care, which was further highlighted during the pandemic
in which some countries forbid non-essential travel outside the neighbourhood (incl. informal caregiving and
support). Altogether, not much is known about the geographic proximity between older adults and adult
children. We aim to contribute to the discussion regarding the impact of geographic proximity to provide or
receive informal care in the context of a policy of ageing-in-place and the socialisation of care. To realise
this, we calculate distances between parents (65+, living in Flanders) and adult children (across Belgium)
based on the national population register of Belgium, using a cohort study for the period between 2002 and
2017. We researched ways in which physical distances differ across several dimensions, such as the number
of children, age, gender and civil status. Although we found that older adults and adult children in Flanders
in general live close by, there are signs pointing to an increase in geographical distance over time, potentially
challenging the possibility to age-in-place and to negotiate informal care, while a differentiation of the
pattern can be recognised according to dimensions mentioned above
South Africa’s Pursuit of Sustainable Urban Development: a Reality or Rhetoric?
Get PDFThe attainment of sustainable urban development is one of the biggest challenges that contemporary
governments face across the world. Despite many governments adopting and pursuing sustainable
development goals following their adoption in the past years, there is still a huge gap in the implementation
of the sustainable development principles and the public declarations that these governments ratified. It has
been observed that the implementation and efforts being exerted towards the achievement of the SDGs in
most cities of the developing world do not reflect the promises that were made in the declarations. The aim
of this paper is to assess South Africa’s pursuit of sustainable urban development and make an attempt to
determinine the level of sincerity by the government and be able to conlude whether its a reality or rhetoric.
The paper looks at sustainable urban development practices and how sustainable urban development has
evolved within the South African urban policy context. An analysis of the policies aimed at promoting longterm growth that influences sustainable urban development in the country was conducted. The results
showed that in South Arica, there is widespread adoption and growing interest in sustainable urban
development principles by government. However, with regards to implemenation, particularly at city levels,
sustainable development still needs concerted efforts and commitment to make it reality. In conclusion, the
paper opines that there is need for political, economic, institutional and social commitments to support
innovative strategies to enhance possibilities for sustainable urban development in South African citie