Town and Regional Planning

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Town and Regional Planning is the accredited academic journal of the department of Town and Regional Planning of the University of the Free State.

Alternative title(s): Meralo ya Ditoropo le Mabatowa | Stads- en Streekbeplanning

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ISSN 2415-0495 (Online), ISSN 1012-280X (Print)

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Now showing 1 - 20 of 97

Open Access
Access envelopes: a new accessibility mapping technique for transport and settlement planning
(Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of the Free State, 2014) Venter, Christo; Cross, Catherine
English: The article describes the application of a GIS-based accessibility measurement technique suited to assessing the impact of both transport and spatial development strategies on the location-specific affordability of job access for poor households. The access envelope methodology extends existing accessibility measures by: explicitly accounting for public transport service patterns; including transport costs as a dimension of accessibility; and deriving a single intuitive measure of access reflecting the potential income earnable by a person living in a certain location, after paying for transport. Several case studies from the City of Tshwane are presented, illustrating its use for assessing spatial integration and transport initiatives. The cases demonstrate how Tshwane’s emerging Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system selectively enhances accessibility to jobs, although its marginal accessibility benefit is reduced by the part-duplication of existing rail lines to core employment areas. While the BRT improves the net earning potential of low-income workers in certain areas, its ultimate benefits will significantly depend on its achievement of network effects – especially via the reduction of first/last-kilometer trip costs – and its ability to leverage higher density development within walking distance of the route. Accordingly, results obtained with the access-envelopes method carry significant implications for current transport planning in the main metro cities.
Open Access
The alignment between spatial planning, transportation planning and environmental management within the new spatial systems in South Africa
(Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of the Free State, 2015) Schoeman, Carel
English: The debate and discourse for the need to integrate spatial planning, transportation planning and environmental management strategically, functionally and operationally is ongoing since the early 1990s. This includes the articulation of the planning instruments used by the professionals within these functional fields and the way in which it is coordinated and applied as to enhance planning, development and delivery in an integrated fashion. With the approval of the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act (SPLUMA) (Act 16 of 2013) and the SPLUMA Regulations (23 March, 2015), the last bastion of spatial and statutory planning legislation reform from the previous political dispensation within municipalities was transformed (RSA, 2013, 2015). Although this process is still being concluded at provincial and municipal levels of government by formulating its own new transformation structures, guidelines, policies and regulations, the question remains as to whether the disjointedness in municipalities and lack of alignment between spheres of government of the past will be addressed efficiently and effectively on strategic, functional (planning) and operational levels within the new policy and legislative provisions and frameworks underpinning improved alignment processes within the new spatial systems in South Africa?
Open Access
Assessment of spatial data infrastructures
(Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of the Free State, 2014) Cooper, Anthony K.; Van Huyssteen, Elsona; Das, Sonali; Coetzee, Maria; Mans, Gerbrand
English: A Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) is an evolving concept, essentially consisting of policies, institutional arrangements, Geographical Information Systems (GISs), data bases, networks, Web services and portals to facilitate and coordinate the availability, exchange and sharing of geospatial data and services between stakeholders from different levels. This article aims to provide some information on the role and value of SDIs and their potential relationship with, and contribution to other geospatial and evidence-based tools and technologies within the South African planning context and system. For this, it provides a brief overview and comparison of the key characteristics of the SDIs in South Africa, China, Brazil, Australia and India. The article highlights some of the complexities and use of an SDI and the value of, and need for an SDI to support the spatial and land development planning envisaged in the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act (SPLUMA).
Open Access
An assessment of the quality of shared outdoor spaces in three South African social housing complexes
(Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of the Free State, 2015) Sebake, Nosizo; Breed, Ida; Kruger, Tinus
English: This article presents a study that assessed the extent to which the quality of shared outdoor spaces in social housing complexes in the City of Tshwane conformed to specifications of the Social Housing Policy. To conduct this assessment, criteria and indicators were identified from a literature review. Specifications for guiding this assessment were also identified from the Policy. These criteria, indicators and specifications were used to develop an assessment framework. The study found that the quality of the shared outdoor spaces in three case studies only conformed to some extent to the specifications in the Policy. The study concludes that, despite good intentions, the Policy does not contain sufficient detail to guide this assessment and is too ambiguous to have a noteworthy impact on the development of goodquality shared outdoor spaces in future and existing social housing complexes. Recommendations are made related to further research that could possibly address this shortcoming.
Open Access
Backyard housing in Gauteng: an analysis of spatial dynamics
(Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of the Free State, 2014) Shapurjee, Yasmin; Le Roux, Alize; Coetzee, Maria
English: This article examines the phenomenon of backyard housing in Gauteng, a prominent driver of urban spatial change in South Africa’s housing market. Backyard housing in South Africa increasingly attracts the attention of policymakers because of the large number of households that this sector accommodates. Moreover, the role played by backyard housing in the overall small-scale rental-housing sector is significant, particularly in Gauteng where a large proportion of households rent their primary dwelling. Drawing on quantitative geo-demographic data from GeoTerraImage (GTI) (2010), Knowledge Factory’s Cluster Plus (2010) as well as StatsSA Census 2011, this article documents the spatial footprint of backyard housing in Gauteng and examines the implications of the findings for infrastructure service planning at the municipal scale.
Open Access
“Biophilic” planning, a new approach in achieving liveable cities in Iranian new towns – Hashtgerd case study
(University of the Free State, 2017) Ebrahimpour, Maryam; Majedi, Hamid; Zabihi, Hossein
Urbanization development in Iran has caused increasing critical problems, with the result that there is a need to review urban planning in this country. This article aims to explore the impact of biophilic planning on liveability, with special focus on the role of nature as part of society. The study was done in Hashtgerd, an Iranian new town, where an environmental analysis showed that this town can be developed on the West, North and North-West, due to the natural potential of the area. Based on the literature review and content analysis (selective coding), components of biophilic planning and liveability of new towns have been identified and used to test the opinions of 382 residents in Hashtgerd on biophilic planning and liveability of a new town in Iran. The data from the questionnaire were collected and processed, using SPSS software. The final dependent and independent variables were identified and analysed. Correlation coefficients in the regression analysis were used to analyse the effects on each other between the identified dependent and independent variables. According to the results and findings, urban management (a component of biophilic planning) has the biggest effect in achieving liveable cities. The outcome of the study is crucial for construction and urban planning team members, clients and environmentalists. Another reason, that is particularly relevant to developing countries, is the natural potential and related industries to create beneficial social and economic impacts.
Open Access
Cape Town’s central city development: a strategy of partnership and inclusion
(Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of the Free State, 2013) Fleming, Andrew; Makalima-Ngewana, Bulelwa
English: The legacy of South Africa’s past continues to upset the country’s drive towards inclusive and democratised spaces. This is particularly true in Cape Town, perhaps more so than in any other city in the country, where the spatial divides of colonialism and apartheid contribute to a most unequal and segregated geospatial existence. In order to address this urban challenge, the Cape Town Partnership developed the Central City Development Strategy (CCDS), a ten-year plan that calls for the densification of the central city to re-plan Cape Town into a more liveable, inclusive, democratic, and sustainable urban space. By critically examining the role that inclusionary housing policies, public transportation, and increased economic opportunities play in a more sustainable form of urban development, this article emphasises the need to expand the way in which planners approach urban design to take on a more holistic and partnership-based approach.
Open Access
Communicative mapping as a means for promoting legal land tenure: the case study of the Goedverwacht Moravian Mission Village, in the Western Cape, South Africa
(University of the Free State, 2018) Pinfold, Nicholas
The newly enacted Western Cape Land Use Planning Act (Act No. 3 of 2014) repeals the Rural Areas Act (Act No. 9 of 1987) and requires that all land within a municipality be incorporated into an existing municipal zoning scheme. The prospect of this has created uncertainty among the residents of the Goedverwacht Moravian Mission Village (Goedverwacht) in the Western Cape regarding the future of its communal church lifestyle. In anticipation of change, students from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) have embarked on a community mapping service-learning project at Goedverwacht to explore the usefulness of communicative mapping as a means for promoting legal land tenure. This article argues that communicative mapping is a valuable way of creating spatial awareness in a communal settlement. The findings show that creating an interim cadastral map using general boundaries at an accuracy fit for purpose is a feasible way of creating spatial awareness and provides a means for promoting legal land tenure.
Open Access
Compiling a land audit in large rural areas: results from the methodology applied in the non-urban areas of the Matzikama municipal area
(Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of the Free State, 2015) Stephenson, Garth; Donaldson, Ronnie; Van Niekerk, Adriaan; Du Plessis, Danie
English: To compile a comprehensive land audit in large, mainly rural-based municipalities such as the Matzikama Municipality in the Western Cape warrants an alternative methodology than that conventionally done through exhaustive property visits. This study attempts to showcase such an alternative methodology to compile the land audit for the municipality. The end result of the audit was a geographical information system (GIS) database that contains a wide variety of information required for spatial planning and land use management purposes. Each of these elements required a unique data-collection methodology that included spatial data collection; aerial photography and satellite image pre-processing; mapping of property boundaries; defining area of interest; determining land ownership through property valuation rolls; establishing the status of access roads and routes; mapping current land uses, and overlaying land use control measures in order to infer land uses and deriving potential land use zoning. The methodology applied succeeded in successfully linking land parcels as follows: valuation data: 3 731 out of 4 176 (89.3%) were linked; state land audit: 378 out of 4 176 (9.1%) were linked, and deeds data: 1 680 out of 4 176 (40.2%) were linked. The study found that creating and updating land audits require advanced skills in GIS and it is recommended that municipalities employ suitably qualified officials in this regard. Working with outdated planning scheme legislation/ policy can become a time-consuming and costly exercise for municipalities.
Open Access
Conceptual commentary of public spaces in Durban, South Africa
(University of the Free State, 2018) Cloete, Magdalena; Yusuf, Salena
Within the context of African cities that are considered to have poor economic prospects and are failing its inhabitants, this article explores and assesses the quality of Durban’s open public spaces through a phenomenological lens, by applying the concept of the sociality of public space and drawing on different theorists’ ideas of what constitutes a good open public space. Various factors have led to the corrosion of open public spaces, including modernism and globalisation and their resultant effects as well as spatial apartheid in South Africa. The following theories are used to understand open public spaces: Jacob’s “eyes on the street”, which supports safer public spaces; Massey’s theory of thrown-togetherness, which advocates for a range of different elements present in public spaces, and Parkinson’s democracy of public space, which encompasses the way in which people express themselves in public spaces. The research methodology includes a literature review, phenomenological ethnographic observations, mapping, and drawing with written narrative. The spaces considered in the study include a range of Durban’s successful and less successful public spaces, including the beachfront, parks, gardens, and a public square. The article concludes that open public spaces are a necessity for quality civic life and are still considered a luxury in Africa.
Open Access
Considering spatial planning for the South African poor: an argument for ‘planning with’
(University of the Free State, 2018) Cilliers, Juanee; Victor, Hestia
This article considers the notion of ‘spatial planning’ in South Africa, elaborating on the challenges relating to the wide disparities between formal and informal areas. Town and Regional Planning theory and anthropological approaches are fused together in this article in an attempt to provide a more integrated approach to spatial planning, arguing in favour of ‘planning with’ poor South Africans, in contrast to ‘planning for’. By using qualitative participant observation, an ethnographic fieldwork study conducted in Marikana informal settlement, Potchefstroom, South Africa, helped form reflections that offer valuable insights in support of the ‘planning with’ approach. Marikana residents’ innovative DIY-formalisation plan of installing communal taps is considered a vivid example of pragmatic local solutions to service-delivery issues and it is argued that these solutions should be considered when ‘planning with’ the poor. The research argues that, despite being different in context, ‘planning with’ approaches have a prominent role to play in both formal and informal settlements. As such, the research elaborated on the value of ‘planning with’ approaches in South Africa, relating to environmental, social, economic, political and broader planning considerations. The article does not offer a generalizable solution to all planning challenges in South Africa. It concludes with a reflection of the ethnographic fieldwork conducted in the case study linked to broader themes of the possible planning interventions, considering the delineation of social power, context-based needs, ownership and accountability, and the importance of environmental education for all socio-economic classes, in an attempt to inspire planners, policymakers and anthropologists to find new ways of ‘thinking with’ and ‘planning with’ each other.
Metadata only
Considering urban green space and informal backyard rentals in South Africa: disproving the compensation hypothesis
(Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of the Free State, 2016) Lategan, Louis; Cilliers, Juaneé
English: This research reflects on planning for urban green space and the related impact of informal backyard rental densification in South Africa, based on the ‘compensation hypothesis’. Informal backyard dwellings may increase densities substantially, occupying private green space, but often without reciprocal increases in public urban green space area. According to the compensation hypothesis, residents with limited access to private green space are more likely to seek compensation elsewhere. This research employs qualitative and quantitative analyses to investigate access to, and use of green spaces in the Bridgton and Bongolethu townships, Oudtshoorn. Findings disprove the compensation hypothesis, showing that proximate public green spaces are used sporadically, not correlating to increased densities. The number of backyard dwellings does not result in compensation behaviour, but an increased number of backyard tenants affect perceptions of green space availability and privacy. Although the compensation hypothesis is disproved in this case, findings probe the need to reconsider urban green space planning within low-cost areas, particularly considering densification impacts, linked to quality of life. As such, accessibility to public green spaces, as well as their function and form should be questioned as part of broader spatial planning approaches.
Open Access
Contemporary statecraft for sustained and ‘sustainable’ growth
(Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of the Free State, 2013) Khan, Firoz
English: Focusing on state structure and behaviour, the ‘good governance’ agenda, political settlement, and the current path, this article describes and elaborates – in a problematic manner – the hurdles we will encounter in simultaneously walking and making the road of state construction that is messy, complex and replete with contradictions. Some implications for planning are outlined related to issues of governance and working with clientelism and patronage as enablers and contributors to growth rather than pathologies to be ‘corrected by administrative reforms’. Whether we can carry through and successfully deliver socially inclusive and empowering developmental programmes and projects hinges on understanding and negotiating social change and transformation.
Open Access
Contextualising the National Development Plan for enhanced service delivery: considerations for planning in KwaZulu-Natal
(Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of the Free State, 2016) Subban, Mogie; Theron, Henk
English: Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) are the planning instruments directed at strategies for enhancing service delivery in local government. As a consequence, capacity initiatives are driven by these plans to address prioritised developmental needs. The key to establishing such initiatives is informed by the National Development Plan (NDP). This Plan changed the planning regime in South Africa, culminating in a comprehensive planning hierarchy for local, provincial and national spheres of government. In light thereof, the paper theoretically examines the alignment of planning work procedures in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) in ensuring that development planning is ‘on track’. To this end, the KZN Provincial Planning Commission (PPC) developed a Provincial Growth and Development Strategy (PGDS) aligned with the National Plan. It follows then that District Municipalities formulated a District Growth and Development Plan (DGDP) with the same time horizon as the National Plan leading to 2030. Municipal Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) then become instruments to implement the Provincial Strategy in five-year periods. Against the background of action-based Batho-Pele Principles as necessary determinants, key issues may be addressed, whilst contextualising long-term development planning and implementation as the NDP-PGDP-IDP praxis. Cumulatively, planners in KZN must respond to this new plan hierarchy innovatively by integrating and aligning with the NDP at other planning levels in an ethical, accountable and socially responsible manner addressing poverty, inequality and unemployment. The article concludes that the trajectory of development planning in KZN is strategically linked to national and long-term initiatives and work procedures for enhanced service delivery.
Open Access
A critical evaluation of the operational application of various settlement typologies in South Africa
(Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of the Free State, 2013) Schmidt, Isabel; Du Plessis, Danie
English: This article critically evaluates the definition and operational application of various settlement typologies across selected government departments for the purposes of the planning, implementation and monitoring of development programmes. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods are applied and informant and group interviews are conducted with 21 different government departments or entities. Nine different typologies are identified and compared on the basis of the requirements highlighted during the group interviews and international best practice. Discussions with the various interest groups highlight the need for a functional typology that consists of a number of categories or classes that can be combined as needed and not be restricted to a simple urban-rural dichotomy. A more dynamic and accessible linkage between the spatial units of analysis of the various typologies is also required. It is found that the South African City Network/ Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) settlement typology meets most of the criteria set by the literature as well as the groups interviewed. In view of the widespread use of the Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) data and typologies, it is recommended that the South African City Network/CSIR typologies should dovetail as much as possible with the 2011-census data and classification system.
Open Access
Deprivation among unemployed South African youth: intergenerational or transitional?
(Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of the Free State, 2013) Booysen, Desmond; Van Eeden, Amanda
English: The troika of poverty, unemployment and inequality are hallmarks of the South African socio-economic landscape. With approximately one out of every four young people between the ages of 15 and 35 being employed, unemployment is a fact of life experienced by the majority of South African youth. This study sets out to explore this phenomenon, particularly whether the factors giving rise to youth unemployment are transitory or intergenerational in nature. The study is based on a sample of 3.236 unemployed youths originating from four provinces together with data extracted from a dedicated poverty survey conducted by Statistics South Africa from 2008 to 2009. Instead of focusing on the rather narrow income-poverty viewpoint, the study follows a multidimensional approach, using a range of social and material deprivation indicators to measure poverty. Results show that only transitory factors are significant in explaining the prevalence of deprivation among unemployed youths, suggesting that their poverty is temporary in nature. Of particular significance is the fact that provinces with quite disparate conventional poverty profiles displayed rather similar results in their range of material and social deprivations. In addition, the more prosperous provinces such as Gauteng performed worse than poorer provinces such as Limpopo and Eastern Cape. This research contributes to the National Development Plan vision for 2030, which recognises the issues of social security and supports an understanding of a minimum level of social protection. Among the study’s many recommendations is that certain components of the survey instruments be improved, that the role of households in mitigating against the ravages of poverty among the young be appreciated, and that state intervention to alleviate youth poverty be emphasised.
Open Access
The dilemma of Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) in South African higher education - the case of Town and Regional Planning at the University of Johannesburg
(Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of the Free State, 2010) Lewis, Martin; Holtzhausen, Natasja; Taylor, Susanne
English: The South African Higher Education Qualifications Framework (HEQF) gazetted in 2007 sets a revised qualifications framework that necessitates the re-evaluation and redesign of programmes to align with the new framework. For the first time the HEQF introduced the term 'Work-Integrated Learning' (WIL) into a Department of Education document with possible legal consequences for institutions of higher education, as the framework document provides that higher education institutions offering qualifications with a WIL component must place the students. This has led to a dilemma as placements are not always readily available. In addition, there is 'pressure' within institutions and from certain faculty members to eliminate the WIL component from curricula. This article aims to answer the following questions: - Is it worth retaining WIL in the Town and Regional Planning academic programme? - If it is found that WIL should remain part of the qualification, when should the students engage with this component? - If it is found that WIL should remain part of the qualification, for how long should this component be offered? This article presents the findings of the qualitative study aimed at finding a solution to the dilemma relating to WIL, with students from industry being surveyed for their input. It, therefore, forms part of what is an ongoing dialogue concerning all aspects relating to appropriate education.
Open Access
Do social grants contribute to the jobless population growth in the former South African homelands?
(University of the Free State, 2018) Geyer, Herman; Ngidi, Mawande; Mans, Gerbrand
The former homelands and tribal authorities have large populations and high densities with low levels of economic activity and low employment. Population growth in these settlements is in contrast to expectations of population declines, due to urban migration. A possible reason could be the high level of dependency on social grants in the former homelands. The article analyses population growth rates, economic growth rates and the ratio of social grant recipients within former homeland settlements between 1996 and 2011. By using weighted multiple regression tests, the article determines whether the phenomenon of population growth, in the absence of significant economic activity, is linked to welfare transfers. The results indicate that population growth is the product of increases in age cohorts qualifying for social grants in rural areas, due to high birth rates and pensioner in-migration from urban areas. By contrast, other age cohorts show population declines.
Open Access
Economic and demographic trends of municipalities in South Africa: an application of Zipf’s rule
(Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of the Free State, 2013) Morudo, Hlabi; Du Plessis, Danie
English: There are vast differences among South African local municipalities, with a limited number of large municipalities (both in terms of population size and economic activity) and a seemingly disproportionate number of intermediate-sized and small municipalities. No clear systematic national approach has yet been adopted to assess the distribution of core variables at municipal level in South Africa. Zipf’s rule, which postulates a consistent regularity in the size and rank of cities, is applied to disaggregate the performance of South African local municipalities in terms of three variables (population, Gross Value Added and municipal income) within the overall national settlement pattern. The results indicate that the Zipf rank size rule distribution is applicable to municipal level population data in South Africa, but less so for Gross Value Added and municipal income. The position and relative changes of municipalities along the Zipf curve between 2001 and 2011 also provide plausible indications of potential future trajectories of the three variables classified according to the dominant settlement typology within each municipality. The results also emphasise the significant conceptual limitations when using only legally defined administrative municipal boundaries for analysis purposes without also considering economically functional boundaries.
Open Access
The economic importance of migrant entrepreneurship: An application of data envelopment analysis in The Netherlands
(Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of the Free State, 2011) Sahin, Madiha; Baycan, Tüzin; Nijkamp, Peter
English: In the Anglo-Saxon literature in the past decade, much attention has been paid to the economic importance of ethnic (migrant) entrepreneurship. This type of self-employment appears to provide a vital and creative contribution to the urban economy. The rising size and importance of ethnic entrepreneurship has recently prompted much policy and research interest regarding migrant business in Europe. Also in The Netherlands this new phenomenon is increasingly recognised and regarded as an interesting focus for the city’s Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) policy. Migrant entrepreneurs do not only have a substantial impact on the urban economy, but they also act as role models for socio-economic integration. They often operate in interesting market niches and provide a positive stimulus for creative business-making in modern cities. The present article offers first an overview of the literature on this issue and investigates next empirically the economic performance of Turkish migrant entrepreneurs in the highly skilled and hightech sector in the Netherlands through the use of data envelopment analysis (DEA).