Doctoral Degrees (Urban and Regional Planning)

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Browsing Doctoral Degrees (Urban and Regional Planning) by Subject "Community development"

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    Public open space planning and development in previously neglected townships
    (University of the Free State, 2013-02-01) Mashalaba, Yandisa Bavulele; Nel, Verna
    English: 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.