Van Rensburg, H. C. J.Beukes, E. P.Botes, Lucius Johannes Snyman2018-01-102018-01-101999-05http://hdl.handle.net/11660/7561English: The emergence of participation as an alternative paradigm of development has been phenomenal. All over the world, and in South Africa in particular, enthusiasm for community participation in development exists. Moreover, many development initiatives in South Africa aspire to be participatory and people-driven processes. However, the difficulties of achieving participation at grassroots level is not always fully recognised or analysed. Therefore, participatory development, specifically in urban upgrading in South Africa, was the focus of this research. This study attempted to move beyond both the development rhetoric and the lofty sentiments associated with participatory development, and to search for a deeper understanding of community participation in development. In this search for a more in-depth understanding of the dynamics of participatory development, the study firstly traced the roots of community participation back to some of the social and development theories and paradigms from which community participation originated. The acceptance of participatory approaches to development reflects an awareness of the inadequacy of previous development efforts that failed to communicate effectively with local persons and considers their felt needs and potential contributions. Participatory development was developed primarily in a Third World context, albeit with Western influences, and it grew out of a wide range of alternative and divergent ideas, theories and paradigms, from all over, and from a multitude and rich legacy of development forces and approaches that influenced and co-shaped it. Secondly, this thesis attempted to achieve conceptual clarity on community participation in relation to development projects. Community participation is for the purposes of this study, defined as a collective process that has its focus on the active collaborative involvement of keystakeholders in joint decision-making that will influence the outcome of development decisions and of actions impacting on the broader development context of an end-beneficiary community. Thirdly, this research paid some attention to community participation in low-income urban housing projects. Important impediments or obstacles to community participation were exposed, with some reference to their application in urban upqradinq contexts. This study highlighted the emergence and evolution of participatory housing processes in urban low-income communities, both internationally and in South Africa. The global nature of shelter poverty, specifically in urban environments, was explored and the extent of shelter poverty in South Africa's urban areas and related low-income housing initiatives was discussed. r,e emergence of participatory urban development in South Africa was also analysed. Fourthly, the research described and analysed the community participation dynamics of a selected case study of informal settlement upgrading. For this purpose Freedom Square (an informal settlement on the outskirts of Bloemfontein, the capital of the Free State Province in South Africa) was selected as a case study. The findings demonstrated that informal settlers do have the inherent ability to participate meaningfully in their own development, albeit not without conflict among the different stakeholders involved. Lastly, the study proposed some emergent guidelines for promoting or facilitating community participation in urban upgrading projects. These guidelines could serve as a developmental strategy of conduct for the practice of participatory development and also as a development ethical code. Participatory development, and for that matter human development, is about processes whereby people empower themselves to participate continuously in improving their own destiny. A constant reorientation of the thinking of development professionals is therefore necessary, during which process they should rather adopt the motto of planning with and not for the people. In this reorientation they should change from being implementers to being facilitators and enablers who foster the principle of minimum intervention and who respect the indigenous knowledge of ordinary community members. The participatory development paradigm is here to stay, but the challenge remains to make community participation more than an empty catchword. Although there are major issues and problems associated with community participation in development, the benefits of participation by far outweigh these problems. Despite its ambiguities and limitations, the participatory approach enables ordinary people to assume responsibility for policies and decisions, and also for actions which concern them.Afrikaans: Die opkoms van deelnemende ontwikkeling as alternatiewe paradigma is merkwaardig. Oral in die wêreld, ook in Suid-Afrika, is daar groot entoesiasme vir gemeenskapsdeelname in ontwikkeling. Boonop streef baie ontwikkelingsinisiatiewe daarna om deelnemende en mensgedrewe prosesse te wees. Desnieteenstaande word die probleme verbonde aan gemeenskapsdeelname op voetsool-vlak nie altyd genoegsaam erken of ontleed nie. Deelnemende ontwikkeling, en spesifiek soos dit in die Suid-Afrikaanse stedelike opgraderingstoneel vergestalt, is die fokus van hierdie navorsing. In hierdie studie is gepoog om verder as die blote ontwikkelingsretoriek en lofwaardige sentimente gekoppel aan deelnemende ontwikkeling te beweeg deur dit op die keper te beskou en tot 'n dieper verstaan van gemeenskapsdeelname in ontwikkeling te kom. In die poging om tot 'n dieper verstaan van die dinamika van deelnemende ontwikkeling te kom, het die studie eerstens gesoek na die teoretiese en paradigmatiese wortels waaruit gemeenskapsdeelname ontwikkel het. Die aanvaarding van deelnemende benaderings tot ontwikkeling reflekteer 'n bewuswording van die ontoereikendheid van vorige ontwikkelingspogings om effektief met plaaslike mense rakende hul behoeftes en moontlike bydraes te kommunikeer. Deelnemende ontwikkeling het hoofsaaklik in 'n Derde Wêreld-konteks ontstaan - alhowel met Westerse invloede - en gegroei uit 'n wye verskeidenheid van alternatiewe idees, teoriëe en paradigmas en vanuit 'n ryke nalatenskap van ontwikkelingskragte en -benaderings wat daarop ingespeel en daaraan gestalte gegee het. Tweedens het hierdie tesis gepoog om konseptueie helderheid ten opsigte van gemeenskapsdeelname in relasie tot ontwikkelingsprojekte te verkry. Vir die doel is gemeenskapsdeelname gedefinieer as 'n kollektiewe proses met die fokus van aktiewe samewerkende betrokkenheid van sleutelbelangegroepe in gesamentlike besluitneming wat 'n impak het op die breër ontwikkelingskonteks en die ontvanger-gemeenskap. Derdens het hierdie navorsing ook gefokus op lae-inkomste stedelike behuisingprojekte. Belangrike struikelblokke of probleme wat met gemeenskapsdeelname verband hou, is ook uitgelig, asook die relevansie hiervan vir stedelike opgraderingskontekste. Die studie het ook die ontstaan en ewolusie van deelnemende behuisingsprosesse in internasionale en Suid- Afrikaanse lae-inkomste stedelike gemeenskapppe beklemtoon. Die internasionale aard van "skuilplek-armoede" in spesifiek stedelike omgewings is verken en die omvang van skuilplekarmoede in Suid Afrika se stedelike gebiede en verwante lae-inkomste behuisingsprojekte is ook bespreek. Die ontstaan van deelnemende stedelike ontwikkeling in Suid-Afrika is ook ontleed. In die vierde plek het die navorsing die dinamika van gemeenskapsdeelname aan die hand van 'n geselekteerde informele nedersetting opgraderingsprojek beskryf en ontleed. Hiervoor is Freedom Square en informele woonbuurt aan die buitewyke van Bloemfontein, die hoofstad van die Vrystaat provinsie) as gevallestudie geselekteer. Die bevindinge het duidelik aanqetoon dat informele nedersetters die inherente vermoë het om betekenisvol aan hulle eie ontw kkeling deel te neem, alhoewel nie sonder konflik tussen die belangegroepe nie. Laastens het die studie riglyne vir die aanmoediging of fasilitering van gemeenskapsdeelname in stedelike opgraderingsprojekte voorgestel. Hierdie riglyne kan as 'n strategie vir optrede en as 'n etiese ontwikkelingskode dien. Deelnemende ontwikkeling en ook mensgesentreerde ontwikkeling omsluit prosesse waar mense hulself bemagtig tot voortdurende deelname om hulle eie toekoms te verbeter. 'n Voortdurende heroriëntering van die denke van ontwikkel- ingskundiges is nodig sodat hulle die gedagte om met mense en nie vir mense te beplan nie, ten volle aanvaar en uitleef. In hierdie heroriëntering moet ontwikkelingskundiges verander van implementeerders na fasiliteerders wat respek toon vir die inheemse kennis van die mense wat hulle poog om te ontwikkel en 'n aanvaarding van die beginsel van minimum intervensie. Die deelnemende ontwikkelingsbenadering het gekom om te bly, maar die uitdaging is steeds om dit prakties tot uitvoer te bring. Alhoewel gemeenskapsdeelname in ontwikkeling nie sonder dubbelsinnighede en probleme is nie, stel dit gewone mense by uitnemendheid in staat om beleid en besluit, en daarom ook handelinge wat hulle raak, te beïnvloed.enCommunityParticipationDevelopmentCommunity participation in developmentParticipatory developmentEmpowermentInformal settlementUrban upgradingLow-income housingPovertySquatter settlements -- South Africa -- Sociological aspectsCommunity development, Urban -- South Africa -- Citizen participationThesis (Ph.D. (Sociology))--University of the Free State, 1999ThesisUniversity of the Free State