1,720,984 research outputs found
An investigation into digital place marketing practices of selected South African local municipalities and communities
No full textPlaces such as town or city municipalities and communities should market themselves to
attract and retain skilled middle and higher income residents, businesses, investors and
tourists because these typical place marketing target audiences are key role players in
local economic development. However, as the world economy becomes increasingly
globalised, these target audiences are more mobile than ever and therefore places
compete directly with each other to attract and retain them. It is therefore increasingly
important for places to deliberately engage in place marketing, and to do so efficiently.
Modern place marketing practices necessitate the use of digital marketing channels
because these are the media channels most used by the desired target audiences, as
opposed to traditional media for information searches to make place selection choices.
Today, the most efficient place marketing channels are websites, blogs, social media,
online review and directory sites, wikis and mobile apps.
The research hypothesis for this study is that South African municipalities and typical
stakeholder groups within those municipal areas that naturally assume the role of
marketing of their towns or areas do not make proper use of digital place marketing
practices. Twenty South African municipal areas (local municipalities and their main
towns) were selected as case studies to test this hypothesis. The actual digital place
marketing activities of these municipalities or towns were compared to digital place
marketing best practice, using evaluative web content analysis research methods. This
entailed searching the internet and social media for the places’ web and social media
presence and digital marketing practices and to assess the quality thereof. Actual digital
marketing practices of the case study places were measured against a list of criteria using
a rating scale devised by the author. This enabled the comparison of actual practice
against ideal digital marketing strategies as identified during the literature research part
of the dissertation. The results clearly show that digital place marketing practices are
poorly adopted by the case study places
A sustainable spatial planning and resources use management system in rural Eastern Cape, South Africa: toward an African solution
No full textThe Eastern Cape of South Africa has throughout the colonial and apartheid period been a geographic zone of contestation and resistance. The struggle for freedom in this country emanated from this region with perhaps the most famous of its sons being Nelson Mandela. The Xhosa people have a rich tradition and culture, whose existence has for centuries been nurtured in the rural regions of the Eastern Cape. With the advent of modernisation and more specifically urbanisation, two distinct systems of land use management and land delivery have evolved. One based on the prescripts of modernism and the other on the prescripts of traditional Xhosa culture. The two are very distinct and opposite. The South African Constitution, (1996) mandates especially those officials in government to pursue policy and courses of action that will promote unity, respect and embrace diversity and transform South African society into one that fosters equality and social justice. This too is a Constitution that is not only built on rights and freedoms, but is also one built on human integrity and dignity. It embraces the concept of ‘Ubuntu’: ‘I am because you are’. This ethos has an important role to play in the transformation agenda of which spatial planning as an activity of governance is a fundamental part. The modern counterpart, largely inherited from the Eurocentric north has enjoyed a measure of dominance and at this current point in time looks set to overshadow the rural Afrocentric domain which is the home of Xhosa culture and its people. This intersection of the two different systems and the inherent values that support each is creating a new space for contestation, or is it? This zone of contestation could also be regarded as a zone of eclecticism in which it is possible to construct a new approach to land use management by embracing not only culture, but also complexity theory and the current status of the evolution of planning theory, which focusses on the concept of collaboration. Such collaboration embraces the concepts of facilitation, negotiation, conflict management and learning. The complexity however deepens in that the Eastern Cape Provincial Spatial Development Plan (2010) has identified climate change and the sustainable agenda as being critical issues demanding attention going forward. Since the communal rural areas cover almost half of this Province it becomes absolutely critical that any new system must add value to the aims and objects of the sustainable agenda. It is also under this banner that the provision (quality and quantity) of certain natural services e.g. water and air become focal issues. Without these, existence ceases. The rural zone is the source of much of these. Here to success will depend on nurturing an ability to learn. In the light of the above the rural areas take on significant importance and hence new meaning. Not only are these rural zones inhabited by a specific culture, they are also zones upon which the urban zone depends. This interdependency must grow and as this happens there is an ever increasing need to integrate. Within the context of the above it becomes critical to engage in the collaborative and learning agendas in order to realise a land use and resource management system that respects diversity and its role in the sustainable paradigm. Spatial planning needs to embrace the dominant ethos of the rural zone and hence refrain from using a position of imposition i.e. creating conflict. It needs to embrace its own transformation and develop a more sensitive regulatory system that is born out of Africa, using African realities and a vision that has been developed by Africans for Africans. The rural zone must on an equal footing inform the urban. ‘I am because you are’
Indigenous knowledge systems, spatial planning and planning legislation: the case of Windhoek, Namibia
No full textThesis (Ph.D.(Urban and Regional Planning))--University of the Free State, 2021Since the independence of Namibia in 1990, the social problems of the low-income areas persist despite the amendments of the laws to improve their well-being. However, planning in Namibia adopted a market-led approach to solve urban problems, and the good intentions of the various new policies and programmes did not reach all the residents in urban areas. The case study of the Havana settlement, a low-income area in Windhoek containing both formal and informal sections, exemplifies the skewed relationships between planning officials and residents. Although planning focuses on the provision of services and housing in low-income areas, the Havana case study demonstrated that there are other pressing needs which planning does not take into consideration. The lack of accessible and useful community open spaces for various sociocultural activities is a major concern. As a result, increased stress levels were observed in the Havana community, with negative consequences for the well-being of both the area and its residents.
Having adopted an indigenous knowledge system (IKS) lens, the study first elaborated on the past planning practices to illustrate how planning was involved in creating such deficits in the low-income areas, and how such approaches were re-adopted by the post-apartheid administrations and continue in different forms, despite amended legislation and policies. The evolution of the conventional modernist planning approaches was elaborated upon, followed by various post-modern critiques raised against planning tools such as collaborative and participatory planning practices.
To foreground IKS as an alternative or complementary planning approach, the study explored various cultural open spaces of two indigenous communities as case studies. The exploration was to identify which spatial IKS, still existing and useful, could be harnessed by planning as important tools that can assist in improving the well-being of the communities in low-income areas. The two cultural open spaces, the of the Ovawambo community, and the with its of the Ovaherero community, provided important insights in this regard. Aspects such as community respect, well-being, cooperation, environmental respect and care, are all issues which are being taught, lived and experienced at these cultural open spaces; hence their foregrounding in this study as essential spaces. The spatial IKS aspects revealed that planning, despite being caught up in neoliberal market-led policies, could still engage local knowledges to address the plight of the majority residents in low-income areas. These spatial IKS include cultural frameworks that empower local communities to help themselves and craft a better future for themselves and their long-term well-being. The study thus proposed for these spatial IKS to be included in legislation, policies and practices in Windhoek and the rest of the country.
The study was largely qualitative research. Interviews, informal discussions, group circles (focus groups) storytelling approaches, and participant observation in various traditional events were engaged to obtain as much information as possible. The findings and analysis deduced that planning policies and practices continue to exclude the marginalised urban communities such as those in Havana, some due to reliance on a single rational process of solving problems. The study revealed that spatial IKS does exist and could help planning in addressing the well-being of low-income residential areas and their residents.
It is hoped that the recommendations made in this study will enable, and lead to the improvement of relations through additional IKS input, between planners and their local communities, which could eventually lead to low-income areas such as Havana to be treated differently than in its current practice form. It is in this light, and the low levels of spatial IKS research and awareness in Namibia, that suggestions were made for further research on this topic be given increased consideration
An exploration of the sustainability of a public transportation system for a smaller metropolitan area in South Africa: a case study of Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality
No full textThe South African public transportation system is often associated with words such as ‘poor service delivery’, ‘unreliable’, ‘inaccessible’, ‘unsafe’, ‘unaffordable’, and ‘uncomfortable’. Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality currently has a state-subsidised transportation system which residents can use to travel between and within the various towns and cities of the metropolitan region (Chobokoane & Horn, 2015:81). Urban sprawl is a common phenomenon in South African cities, and Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality is no exception, which results in low density areas on the edges of the city that have limited access to basic services such as public transportation (Knaap & Talen, 2005:108). Although the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality’s Bus Rapid Transit project has many constraints (e.g. limited funding and expectations of high performance and quality) and is far behind on its original operation timeline, the value that this project may bring to the community is not doubted. This study aims to explore the factors that will promote a sustainable public transportation system for a medium size metropolitan area in South Africa such as MMM. The four research objectives derived from the aim guide the empirical and non-empirical facets of this study. The first objective calls for the non-empirical exploration of the literature on spatial planning and transportation development guidelines which may influence the sustainability of public transportation systems. The theoretical foundation of the first objective informs the empirical investigation expressed in the second and third objectives. The second objective investigates the transportation needs of the population of the study area, whereas the third objective identifies the spatial planning, transportation and sustainable development parameters of the current public transportation system of the study area. The fourth and final objective involves the convergence, synthesis and integration of the findings obtained through the investigations pertaining to the first three research objectives in order to propose plausible policy guidelines for the development of a sustainable public transportation system for the study area. The research is conducted within the interpretivist paradigm with a single case-study approach. Although this study employed a mixed method research design, the interpretivist paradigm was chosen since the individual commuter’s opinion is of particular value in this research study. Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality is the metropolitan municipality with the smallest population and the lowest density of all the metropolitan municipalities within South Africa and has a population of approximately 750 000 people (Stats SA, 2012). A purposive sampling method was used to select the first round of research assistants in the study area as a starting point for a snowball sampling technique. The data collection tool of this study employed a self-administered, self-explanatory mixed method questionnaire which was informed by the literature. A total of 550 questionnaires were distributed, with 447 respondents completing and returning the questionnaires (81.24% response rate). The contribution and significance of this study are the generation of new knowledge regarding sustainable public transportation systems for smaller cities and metropolitan areas on which there is limited published research, and to address the gap in knowledge between the areas of spatial, transportation and sustainable development practices in South Africa. The proposed plausible policy guidelines acknowledge the need to protect the environment, contribute to the economic development of the country and provide social justice to the residents of the area. Although the policy guidelines might be generalisable to other public transportation systems of other metropolitans or secondary cities such as George, Buffalo City, Ekurhuleni, Msunduzi and Polokwane, the purpose of this study was to investigate the specific transportation needs of the population of Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality. Future research pertaining to the policy guidelines for the design of a sustainable public transportation system in smaller areas can be conducted through in-depth interviews with spatial and transportation planners to expand on the proposed guidelines derived from this study. If the proposed policy guidelines discussed in section 8.5 are implemented, it may open the way for the exploration of the feasibility and effectiveness of the application of these guidelines into the national policies of South Africa
Public open space planning and development in previously neglected townships
No full textEnglish: The focus of this research was on the use of urban open spaces in the revitalisation of Galeshewe Township. It is an in-depth analysis of community perceptions, the provision of open space, land use planning and development of urban open spaces in the township. The study does not compare the Galeshewe Township to any other township that has successfully rolled out an urban renewal programme using public open spaces.
The hypothesis of this research was that “by understanding the contextual meaning of the urban open space concept in Galeshewe Township; the perceptions of the Galeshewe community and the most important factors that affect the functionality of urban open spaces in Galeshewe, town and regional planners could improve the outcomes of the revitalisation of previously neglected townships”.
The results proved that there is enough reason to believe that the current approach to urban open space planning in Galeshewe is out of context, i.e., it does not respond to the community’s values and needs. The results also showed something that is contrary to existing literature about the benefits of urban open spaces in urban areas, i.e., the value of urban open spaces. The community of Galeshewe Township does not regard urban open spaces as valuable, both in ecological; social and economic sense.
The study concludes that the purpose of township revitalisation is to improve the quality of life and to decrease urban poverty. The provision of unsuitable types of urban open spaces in previously neglected townships will not lead to the improvement of the quality of life for township dwellers, mainly due to the low value that is associated with the main benefits of urban open spaces, i.e., ecological; social and economic benefits.. Urban open spaces in the townships are mainly used for pedestrian movements. It is suggested that the creation of urban greenways that are connected to unavoidable types urban open spaces (e.g., heritage sites; aquatic; and geological open spaces) and institutional open spaces is one way that will bring success to the use of urban open spaces in the revitalisation of previously neglected townships.Afrikaans: Die fokus van hierdie navorsing was op die gebruik van stedelike oop ruimtes in die vernuwing van die Galeshewe dorp. Dit is 'n, in-diepte analise van die gemeenskap se persepsies, die voorsiening van oop ruimtes, grondgebruik beplanning en die ontwikkeling van stedelike oop ruimtes in die dorp. Die studie vergelyk nie die Galeshewe dorp aan enige ander dorp wat ‘n suksesvolle stedelike vernuwing program ontwikkel het, vir die gebruik van openbare oop ruimtes nie.
Die hipotese van hierdie navorsing was dat "deur die begrip van die kontekstuele betekenis met betrekking tot die stedelike oop ruimte konsep in Galeshewe Dorp te verstaan, sal die persepsies van die Galeshewe-gemeenskap en die belangrikste faktore wat die funksionaliteit van stedelike oop ruimtes in Galeshewe verstaan moet word, sodat stads-en streekbeplanners verbeterde uitkomste in die vernuwing van voorheen verwaarloosde dorps kan bewerkstellig"
Die resultate bewys dat daar genoeg rede is om te glo dat die huidige benadering tot stedelike oop ruimte beplanning in Galeshewe, buite konteks is, dit wil sê, dit reageer nie op die gemeenskap se waardes en behoeftes nie. Die resultate het ook getoon dat daar faktore is wat teenstrydig is met die bestaande literatuur oor die voordele (waarde van stedelike oop ruimtes) van stedelike oop ruimtes in stedelike gebiede. Die gemeenskap van Galeshewe Dorp beskou nie stedelike oop ruimtes as waardevol nie, beide in die ekologiese, sosiale en ekonomiese sin nie.
Die studie het tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat die doel van die dorp vernuwing program is om die kwaliteit van lewe te verbeter en stedelike armoede te verminder. Die gebruik van ongeskikte tipes van stedelike oop ruimtes in voorheen verwaarloosde dorpe, sal nie lei tot die verbetering van die kwaliteit van lewe vir die dorp se inwoners nie, hoofsaaklik as gevolg van die lae waarde wat geassosieer word met die belangrikste voordele van stedelike oop ruimtes, d.w.s., ekologiese; sosiale en ekonomiese voordele. Stedelike oop ruimtes in dié dorp is hoofsaaklik gebruik vir voetganger beweging. Daar word voorgestel dat die skepping van stedelike groen-voetpaaie, aan onvermydelike tipes stedelike oop ruimtes (bv., erfenisterreine, waterlewend; en geologiese oop ruimtes) verbind moet word en dat institusionele oop ruimtes een manier is wat sal lei tot die sukses vir die gebruik van stedelike oop ruimtes, in die vernuwing van voorheen verwaarloosde dorpe
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
An assessment of practitioners opinions on the principle of spacial resilience
No full textDissertation (M.U.R.P. (Urban and Regional Planning))--University of the Free State, 2016Colonial and apartheid planning left a legacy of rigid, control-oriented, top-down spatial planning and land use management and fragmented and inequitable settlements. Despite many policies and the interim Development Facilitation Act of 1995, it was only in 2013 that a new Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act (SPLUMA) was enacted creating a single national framework of for spatial planning and land use management in South Africa. This statute heralds a move from a rule-based approach to a normative, principle based approach to spatial planning and land use management. SP LUMA lays down five development principles which form the foundation of the new national spatial planning, land development and land use management system. Spatial Resilience - a new South African construct - is one of the five development principles. Spatial resilience does not enjoy a theoretical foundation of its own; rather it is intimately associated with the theory of resilience and both the broad concept of resilience and the narrower concept of urban resilience. With increased uncertainty and unpredictability of what the future holds, the concept of resilience, and resilience thinking, is a potential tool to deal with constant change, uncertainty and unpredictability providing a way of thinking about managing socioecological systems such as urban systems. Urban settlements, towns and cities are complex socio-ecological constructs, thus demanding an evolutionary or socioecological approach to resilience in building their adaptive capacity and resilience. Spatial resilience within the broader context of SPLUMA should thus be seen as an important contributor to achieving urban resilience and broader societal re silience. It is a way of thinking about how the spatial planning and land use management system can deal with change by adapting, innovating and transformin g, where needed, into more desirable configuration s. This study employed a cross-sectional survey methodology, to assess the opinions of professionals and practitioners within the spatial planning and land use management and development planning sector in the Western Cape on their understanding of spatial resilience and its implementation. Of the one hundred and twenty-three (123) questionnaires emailed to potential respondents based on purposive sampling, fifty (50) responses were returned. The questionnaire was a self-completing survey questionnaire with twenty-one (21) questions of which just on half were open-ended and the remainder were structured yes or no questions. The findings indicate that while there is no clear consensus amongst respondents on what the concept or principle of spatial resilience is or what it entails, there is agreement that spatial resilience is generally not well understood in South African society as a whole and particularly within the broader spatial and development planning sector, that South African settlements on the overall, even though there are pockets of excellence, are not resilient. Furthermore, there are concerns with regard to the knowledge, skill, expertise and will of both the politicians and professional planners to implement a spatial resilience approach and the will of all three spheres of government to the implementation of a spatial resilience approach. The study concludes by making a variety of recommendations to address the various conclusions
Planning for affordable housing through inclusionary housing against the apartheid spatial landscape in the Western Cape Province, South Africa
No full textEnglish: Past segregation-policies have left a profound imprint on the spatial landscape of the country, as well as the thinking of urban planners over the past six decades. Stuck in a rut, the planning and delivery of housing still replicates that of apartheid, rather than the desired integrated and sustainable human settlements plan. The continuation of unsustainable settlement patterns has a persistently negative effect on communities, the urban fabric and infrastructure; despite the recent policy and legislation geared towards integrated and sustainable human settlements. Instead, settlements and communities remain fragmented and disjointed, prone to social and economic ills linked to the distorted spatial structure. Thus, the aim of this research is to investigate more effective means for planning for integrated and sustainable human settlements through affordable and inclusionary housing in addressing the apartheid landscape and its related symptoms.
In this study, the researcher used qualitative research. Interviews and focus group discussions formed the tools used to investigate the potential of affordable and inclusionary housing to contribute to sustainable settlements, in Cape Town, the study area. Interviews were conducted with professionals and town planners in the built environment across different platforms to determine their perceptions regarding integrated and sustainable human settlements, inclusionary housing and apartheid planning. The perceived thoughts, understandings and perceptions of professionals and town planners were tested against international (Birmingham, USA) as well as local (Cape Town) case studies, and brought into relation with the focus groups’ experiences in these settlements.
Through this pollination of research methods, and gaining insights at different levels, the research proved that there are inconsistencies in the perceptions, understanding, implementation, and evaluation of broad definitions of key concepts, such as integrated and sustainable settlements, affordable housing, and inclusionary housing. These may contribute to the continuation of apartheid style development, despite many policy developments requiring well-located land for integrated settlements. Furthermore, the research results prove that there is a need for clarity as to what each of those concepts entails and how to apply them in practice, as well as measure them. Besides researching issues around the persistence of sustainable and inclusionary settlements, and the lack of integrated and affordable housing, this study also makes recommendations towards turning the situation around and developing settlements that unlock human and economic potential. Part of this is to acknowledge the contribution Habitat III will make towards the integrated and sustainable human settlement and housing environment, in South Africa.Afrikaans: Vorige segregasie wetgewing het ʼn onsegbarende impak op die ruimtelike landskap van die land, en ook die denkpatrone van stad- en streeksbeplanners oor die ses dekades, vasgelê. Die beplanning en lewering van behuising is nog steeds in ʼn groef vasgevang; meer verteenwoordigend van die apartheidbeplanning en nie van die verlangde geïntegreerde en volhoubare menslike nedersettings nie. Die voortslepende onvolhoubare nedersettingspatrone het ʼn volgehoue negatiewe effek op die gemeenskappe, die stedelike uitleg en infrastruktuur, dit is ten spyte van die huidige beleide en wetgewing gerig tot geïntegreerde en volhoubare menslike nedersettings. Daarom bly nedersettings en gemeenskappe gefragmenteerd en ontwrigtend; sensitief tot sosiale en ekonomiese uitdagings verwant aan die verwronge ruimtelike struktuur. Die doel van hierdie navorsing is om meer effektiewe beplannings maatstawwe vir geintegreerde bekostigbare en geintegreerde behuising te ondersoek, om sodoende die apartheidlandskap en sy verwante simptome aan te spreek.
Die navorser maak gebruik van kwalitatiewe navorsing. Onderhoude en fokus groep besprekings was van die instrumente wat die navorser gebruik het om die potensiaal vir geintegreerde en volhoubare nedersettings, In Kaapstad (studie area), Wes-Kaap provinsie te ondersoek, deur middel van bekostigbare en geintegreerde behuising. Onderhoude was geskeduleer met professionele beroepslui asook stads- en streeksbeplanners, in die beboude omgewing oor verskillende platforms om die persepsies aangaande geïntegreerde en volhoubare menslike nedersettings, geintegreerde behuising en apartheid beplanning, te bepaal. Hierdie indrukke en persepsies is getoets teen internasionale (Birmingham, Alabama) asook plaaslike (Kaapstad, Wes-Kaap provinsie) gevalle studies waarby die professionele persone en stads- en streeksbeplanners se persepsies in verhouding gebring word tot die van die fokus groepe se ervarings.
Deur die kruisbestuiwing van verskillende kwalitatiewe navorsingsmetodes, en deur die bekoming van insigte op verskillende vlakke het getoon dat daar teenstrydige en omsamehangende persepsies, begrip, implementering en evaluering van wye definisies van sleutel konsepte soos volhoubare nedersettings, bekostigbare behuising en geintegreerde behuising betaan. Hierdie wanpersepsies kan lei tot die verdere apartheid styl van ontwikkeling, ten spyte van vele beleide wat spreek van goed geleë grond vir geïntegreerde nedersettings. Die navorsingsresultate het verder getoon dat daar ʼn dringende behoefte vir duidelikheid omtrent elk van hierdie konsepte nodig is, hoe dit geimplimenteer moet word, asook hoe dit gemeet gaan word. Hierdie navorsing maak verdere voorstelle tot die verandering in stedelike nedersettings wat menslike en ekonomiese potensiaal ontwikkel. Deel hiervan is om erkenning te verleen aan Habitat III, soos dit ʼn bydra sal maak tot die geïntegreerde en volhoubare menslike nedersettings en behuisingsomgewing, in Suid-Afrika
Participative spatial planning on marginalised campuses during transformational processes
No full textAbstract not availabl
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