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Item Open Access Towards “pro-poor” urban development in South Africa: the case of urban agriculture(University of the Free State, 2003) Rogerson, ChristianEnglish: Planning for urban agriculture can be one element in the development of “pro-poor” urban strategies in South Africa. This article examines international and South African writings and research on the role of urban agriculture in poverty reduction. It is argued that there is a need for policy guidelines to support emerging local-level initiatives aimed at encouraging urban agriculture across South Africa. The foundation for a set of policy guidelines for South Africa may be found in the best practice of international policy interventions for urban agriculture.Item Open Access Socio-demographic transformation in the Bloemfontein inner-city area(University of the Free State, 2003) Jurgens, Ulrich; Marais, Lochner; Barker, Charles; Lombaard, MarisaEnglish: This article examines residential desegregation in the Bloemfontein Central Business District (CBD) within a theoretical framework and in comparison with other desegregation patterns in the CBDs of other major cities. Although desegregation in the Bloemfontein CBD started later, is less extensive and on a smaller scale than that in other urban areas in South Africa, it has increased rapidly since 1991 and had reached levels of just above 50% by 2001. The low level of desegregation can be attributed to the historically conservative character of Bloemfontein, but also to the compactness of the city of Bloemfontein/Mangaung, where desegregation is not necessarily required as a mechanism for saving on transport costs. It is also argued that the repeal of the Group Areas Act and the consequent desegregation of the inner city have not necessarily resulted in an integrated area with a new South African culture. In fact, this article points out that the opposite has occurred: in the CBD a new level of segregation has emerged, as the degree of desegregation in the northern parts is limited, while a relatively high level of segregation, concomitant with the outflow of white people, is found in the southern parts.Item Open Access Inner-city change in Pretoria: social and spatial trends(University of the Free State, 2003) Donaldson, Ronnie; Jurgens, Ulrich; Bahr, JurgenEnglish: The Pretoria inner-city area and, more specifically, the high-density Sunnyside residential area have experienced major social and spatial changes since the mid-1990s. As in other metropolitan areas, the city’s spatial structure has been shaped by urban developmental processes such as decentralisation, desegregation and deconcentration. This article’s assessment of these changes in the context of the ways in which the inner city is transforming and positioning itself sheds some light on what we consider an inner-city success story in terms of adaptation to radical changes.Item Open Access Unvoiced and invisible: on the transparency of white South Africans in post-apartheid geographical discourse(University of the Free State, 2003) Visser, GustavEnglish: Over the past decade South African urban geographers have developed a rich body of research ably narrating the changing spatialities of post-apartheid society. It is the contention of this paper that in mapping this transition the “white” geographies of the apartheid era have merely been replaced by “black” geographies and that situation is frustrating the development of truly post-apartheid geographies since the many-sided dialectic relationships that constitute South African spatialities are being overlooked. Drawing on poverty research as an example, the paper considers ways in which “white South African lives” may be reintroduced to the research practices of South African geographers. To attain this objective it first contextualises the “disappearance” of white geographies with reference to poverty research in South Africa. It then suggests some reasons why South African geographers have failed to offer any analysis of white communities and, in particular, of the marginalised among them. Its final section provides some pointers to possible research themes that might address this oversight.Item Open Access Environmental management in the city: electricity supply in Hillsboro, Bloemfontein(University of the Free State, 2003) Kruger, EldalizeEnglish: Environmental management necessitates a holistic view of the environment and how we, as human beings, impact on that environment. To apply environmental management, any one of a number of tools may be employed. Environmental impact assessment (EIA), as one of these tools, refers to the assessment of the likely environmental impacts arising from a major project or any other actions that will significantly affect the natural or man-made environment. The ultimate objective of an EIA is to provide decision-makers with an indication of the likely consequences of a proposed project. The South African EIA was developed in such a way as to be applicable to large-scale as well as smaller projects. This article focuses on environmental impact assessment (EIA), the legislation governing it, and applying the process to a small case study, while examining the various stages of an EIA and briefly touching on public participation. The main findings are that an EIA can be applied quite successfully to smaller projects and that an effective public participation process will help consultants and developers to identify key issues and alternatives.Item Open Access The impact of a developing community on the water quality of an urban river(University of the Free State, 2003) Pretorius, Lize; De Villiers, GawieEnglish: The influence of a developing community on the water quality of an urban river is illustrated in this article. Testing revealed high chemical, physical and microbiological variables, indicating relatively serious pollution. A pollution cycle exists which can only be destroyed by addressing the socio-economic issues influencing water quality.Item Open Access Changing economic bases: Orania as a case study of small-town development in South Africa(University of the Free State, 2003) Kotze, NicoEnglish: The economic base is the most fundamental factor controlling the growth of a town. Orania’s economic base has changed three times. The town came into existence as a result of the development of the Orange River Project. After completing the project, the Department of Water Affairs withdrew from the town in 1989, with the result that it lost its economic base. The town was sold to the Afrikanervryheidstigting (AVSTIG), which saw it as the first town in an envisaged Afrikaner homeland. This provided the impetus for the second, political economic base. The farm Vluytjeskraal, adjacent to Orania, was bought in 1991 and subdivided into smallholdings, which provided the stimulus for the third, agricultural economic base.Item Open Access Coloured migration in the Cape region at the beginning of the twenty-first century(University of the Free State, 2003) Bekker, Simon; Cramer, JosefEnglish: The nature of the urbanisation process among members of the coloured ethnic group in the Western and Northern Cape is changing. Previously, in this region, urbanisation could be described as a process of step-wise gravity flow migration from Cape Town’s hinterland to the metropolitan area. This rural-urban process of migration continues, but the favoured destinations are now regional towns rather than Cape Town itself.Item Open Access Gentrification: prospects for urban South African society?(University of the Free State, 2003) Visser, GustavEnglish: The objective of this paper is to highlight some of the current international trends in the study of gentrification and assess its potential as the research site in a postapartheid urban context. In the light of international experience and the changing spatialities of post-apartheid cities, it is argued that recent developments in South Africa’s city-centres present classic opportunities for gentrification processes to emerge as part of urban regeneration. This exploration assesses this claim in four sections. The first deals with issues of definition, while the second reviews the main theoretical approaches currently employed in understanding gentrification processes. The third section relates this to gentrification research undertaken in South African cities, with the concluding section considering the types of gentrification research issues we might address in the post-apartheid context.Item Open Access Upgrading informal housing units: preliminary evidence from Sejake Square(University of the Free State, 2003) Maishoane, Moeketsi; Marais, Lochner; Barker, CharlesEnglish: A fierce debate has prevailed until the present time as to just what role low-income households can play in providing their own housing environment. The main question is whether it can be assumed that low-income households should be held responsible for their housing needs, or whether the state should be more actively involved in providing housing for these households. In this paper it is argued, by means of a literature overview as well as empirical evidence from Sejake Square, that low-income households, given the right environment, are in fact actively involved in upgrading their informal housing units to better, more formal units. The two most prominent aspects that play a role in this regard are the period of residence and the size of the household in the area. The availability of funding also plays a role in formalisation. The conclusion reached in this paper is that government could consider providing only the infrastructure, and leaving the construction of housing units to low-income households.