Research Articles (Architecture)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/4808

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Latent potential? Searching for environmental justice in South African landscape architecture praxis
(Routledge, 2024) Shand, Dayle Lesley; Breed, Christina A.; dayle.shand@up.ac.za
Landscape architecture is not formally affiliated with environmental justice in South Africa. This is concerning given that the country is the most socio-economically unequal worldwide and that local cities contain dire urban realities and climate-related risks with degraded and unsafe green open spaces. We explored the potential within local professional praxis for addressing inequities related to green open spaces in the urban environment. Narratives were collected via 25 in-depth interviews from a diverse sample. We found that though landscape architects have yet to be exposed to ‘environmental justice’ as a term and as a movement, practitioners have an implicit awareness of environmental inequity as a lived reality. We argue that these professionals have the potential to actively promote environmental justice, evidenced by how practitioners currently address justice concerns and challenges. We call for more active and authentic engagement around environmental justice within the profession here and internationally.
Future proofing health in response to climate change and rapid urbanisation in Africa
(BMJ Publishing Group, 2024-04) Kamkuemah, Monika; Ayo-Yusuf, Olalekan Abdulwahab; Oni, Tolu
Community oriented, integrated climate and health systems should include indigenous knowledge systems and capitalise on Africa’s young demographic, harnessing mobile technology to unleash a cadre of youth community climate health workers, argue Monika Kamkuemah and colleagues.
The efficacy of roof-based adaptations to reduce heat stress exposure in informal dwellings
(University of the Free State, 2024-12-10) Viljoen, Ethan; Hugo, Jan; jan.hugo@ up.ac.za
While climate change represents a universal threat to the sustainable growth efforts globally, its impacts are not experienced equally with marginalised population groups, especially informal settlement residents, being highly exposed to its negative effects. Despite being widely acknowledged that the built environment is a major driver of inhabitants’ exposure to climate change-related hazards, limited research has been undertaken on developing heat stress adaptation measures for informal settlements in Southern Africa. Furthermore, Africa’s projected rapid urbanisation and limited adequate housing provision point to a significant growth of informal settlements, particularly within the Southern African context. The dearth of available information on household level climate change adaptation in informal settlements prompted this study to investigate the efficacy of roof-based adaptation strategies to lower heat stress exposure in informal dwellings in Tshwane, South Africa. As an explorative study with a quantitative focus, the study uses a digital simulation research design to assess the efficacy of four climate change adaptation strategies to lower heat stress exposure in two typical informal dwellings as case studies. While informal settlements have diverse building typologies, informal dwellings – frame structures cladded with steel sheeting without any thermal insulation – are widely used and highly vulnerable. In contrast to typical adaptation measures proposed for informal dwellings, the main findings highlight the benefit of high thermal mass coupled with shading strategies to lower thermal amplitudes and lower excessive heat stress exposure. Consequently, the article contributes to the current climate change adaptation discourse, in particular its application in informal settlements.
Ecological and societal trade-offs of living a good, safe and green life in urban ecological enclaves
(Elsevier, 2024-12) Schoulund, Dario; Breed, Christina A.; Pasgaard, Jens C.; Pasgaard, Maya; ida.breed@up.ac.za
This paper provides a critical cross-disciplinary perspective on urban ecological enclaves as attempts to fulfill the dream of a good life in a safe and green urban context. We take advantage of fertilizing fields of strategic urban planning and design with fields of human geography to unfold potential ecological and societal trade-offs across different scales for the realization of such developments. Based on empirical cases across geographical regions, we exemplify such trade-offs in relation to the displacement of ecological and climatic effects, increased social discrimination and inequity among the urban population and beyond. As a way forward, we seek to intensify awareness of the shortcomings of enclave designations versus the potentials and challenges of traditional, more holistic upgrading strategies through a framework that exposes shortcomings and spans across urban sustainability scales. We propose a more nuanced approach to urban ecological enclaves, in which the regional perspective dominates while avoiding security framings. We challenge the trend of such green initiatives being planned dominantly in upper-class districts, in turn compromising collective rights. By exemplifying the shortfalls of this popular development trend, we aim to contribute to deeper-rooted societal transitions that consider more inclusionary framings of sustainable cities.
A conceptual analysis of the public health-architecture nexus within rapidly developing informal urban contexts
(Frontiers Media, 2024-01) Patrick, Sean Mark; Hugo, Jan; Sonnendecker, Paul Walter; Shirinde, Joyce; sean.patrick@up.ac.za
BACKGROUND: The interactions between people and places can have a significant impact on the wellbeing of individuals, particularly in warm, arid countries such as South Africa. Coupled to this are the various risks that climate change poses to the development of communities, particularly in informal settlements. Several of these risks include the increasing prevalence of contaminants in water and land, as well as the challenges of managing the effects of climate change. OBJECTIVES: This conceptual analysis aims to highlight the need for a transdisciplinary approach to investigating the interaction between informal urban living spaces, environmental and social determinants of health and further propose a framework that incorporates tools and strategies to improve health and wellbeing. DISCUSSION: Despite the various advantages of living in an urban environment, many people in informal settlements still lack access to adequate sanitation and water services. This is why it is important that we develop a comprehensive understanding of how these changes can be accommodated in the future. This can be done through the collection of data from the people who live in these communities. A comprehensive understanding of the environmental and social determinants of health, coupled with innovative monitoring systems, would provide a more holistic approach to suggesting a practical strategy for promoting health and wellbeing in communities while working towards developing safe and sustainable health-promoting living spaces. CONCLUSION: Currently there is a paucity of information regarding access to water, sanitation and health services, coupled with environmental pollution and poor living conditions causing diseases affecting informal communities, furthermore practical and viable changes to address these concerns are similarly lacking. To ensure that healthier built environments are provided for children and adults, transdisciplinary approaches between researchers and collaboration with, communities within informal settlements and with policymakers to promote health advocacy is essential.
Strategies for promoting and preserving urban landscape identity through public participation amidst urban renewal changes : the case of Kisumu City, Kenya
(University of the Free State, 2024-06) K'oyoo, Edwin Oluoch
Urban renewal to revitalise urban realms within cities should aim to reinvigorate landscape identity, in order to maintain the city's uniqueness and distinctiveness. The concern in urban renewal projects is how to sustain place identity, due to changes. In this study, urban landscape identity is the residents' opinions and perceptions of the special features in terms of the physical, meaning, and function aspects that help them differentiate between places. This article postulates that effective public participation is important in identifying, promoting, and maintaining a city's landscape identity in urban renewal projects. The article aims to propose appropriate strategies to develop and preserve urban landscape identity, with emphasis on public participation. At the time of the study, there were ongoing and completed urban renewal projects within Kisumu City, Kenya. A qualitative approach was adopted through interviews with four officials from County Government as key informants, four professionals as experts, and field investigation through mapping and photography. Archival document analysis was carried out based on documents from County Government. The study reveals that Lake Victoria and its scenery, parks, sociocultural activities at public parks, local foods, social interaction at public Central Square, and government buildings contributed to the city's urban landscape identity. The study concludes that, in order to preserve landscape identity, it should be acknowledged in legislations and policies that guide urban renewal and developments, and in public participation processes. The study proposes amendments to the existing planning regulatory controls to guide the preservation of landscape identity in Kisumu. The study reveals concern for the preservation of urban landscape identity within urban renewal projects in the postcolonial era in the Global South.
Urban digital twin-based solution using geospatial information for solid waste management
(Elsevier, 2024-11) Cardenas-Leon, Ivan; Koeva, Mila; Nourian, Pirouz; Davey, Calayde Aenis
With over 2 billion metric tons generated annually, global solid waste production has severe environmental consequences. Although it is not a primary Sustainable Development Goal, effective solid waste management (SWM) is vital for meeting targets 11.6, 12.4, and 12.5. South Africa, in particular, deals with significant SW generation and inadequate collection services. Therefore, this paper presents an Urban Digital Twin (UDT) prototype to tackle these issues, involving stakeholder prioritization, integrating real-time monitoring, citizen participation, waste generation simulations, optimized collection routes, and a control Dashboard where stakeholders’ system requirements were included. The UDT proposes optimized collection routes to reduce fuel use, operational costs, and emissions. The stakeholders’ opinions on the usefulness of the UDT varied due to their backgrounds and skills. Most of them appreciated the Dashboard visualization and the UDT possibilities for resource optimization. The performance of the UDT depends on computer capacity and local or online processing. This UDT prototype sets the foundation for digital twinning in SWM, scalable to different areas, vehicles, and production levels. The proposed approach, citizen involvement, and multi-stakeholder engagement enhance the SWM, benefiting resource-limited countries.
A balancing act:mediating brand and local authenticity in localised retail design
(Springer, 2024-05) Khan, Zakkiya; Konigk, Raymund; Du Plessis, Chrisna; zakkiya.khan@up.ac.za
Retail design authenticity has seen global brands expressing a growing interest in unique as opposed to standardised expressions of store design. To express authenticity, global brands may opt for localised retail store design (retail stores that express the place in which the store is designed) as a form of unique retail design that offers an experience that is rooted in a time and place. Localised retail design differs from conventional modes of retail design in that designers source inspiration from both brand and place (as opposed to brand only). This poses risks to brand recognition as the resultant retail store is not standardised nor aligned exclusively to the reflection of brand identity. This necessitates consideration in the mediation of global brand and local authenticity when localising retail design. This study asks: What are the areas for mediating global brand and local authenticity when localising retail design? Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, we conducted eighteen interviews with retail designers based worldwide. The interviews are augmented with a theoretical sampling of twenty artefacts of localised retail design for four global brands. It was found that global brand and local authenticity can be mediated in three main areas when localising retail design. These are in the authorship, informants, and inhabitation of retail design. In the authorship of the retail store, authenticity can be attained by appointing both brand and local designers who work collaboratively on localised retail design. In sourcing informants to the retail design, designers should derive inspiration from both brand and local essence to enhance authentic representation. In inhabitation, the retail store should communicate the brand to local consumers while platforming experiences on local consumer culture. The contribution of the study is a novel conceptual model founded on these three areas for mediating brand and local authenticity in localised retail. This model has implications for both retail designers and brand managers in the development of localised retail experiences of global brands.
Multilevel correlates of abdominal obesity in adolescents and youth living with HIV in peri-urban Cape Town, South Africa
(Public Library of Science, 2023-01-24) Kamkuemah, Monika; Gausi, Blessings; Oni, Tulo; Middelkoop, Keren
BACKGROUND : Chronic non-communicable disease comorbidities are a major problem faced by people living with HIV (PLHIV). Obesity is an important factor contributing to such comorbidities and PLHIV face an elevated risk of obesity. However, there is data paucity on the intersection of obesity and HIV in adolescents and youth living with HIV (AYLHIV) in sub-Saharan Africa. We therefore aimed to investigate the prevalence of abdominal obesity and associated multilevel factors in AYLHIV in peri-urban Cape Town, South Africa. METHODS : We conducted a cross-sectional study enrolling AYLHIV aged 15–24 years attending primary healthcare facilities in peri-urban Cape Town in 2019. All measures, except for physical examination measures, were obtained via self-report using a self-administered electronic form. Our outcome of interest was abdominal obesity (waist-to-height ratio 0.5). We collected individual-level data and data on community, built and food environment factors. Data was summarized using descriptive statistics, stratified by obesity status. Multilevel logistic regression was conducted to investigate factors associated with abdominal obesity, adjusted for sex and age. FINDINGS : A total of 87 participants were interviewed, 76% were female and the median age was 20.7 (IQR 18.9–23.0) years. More than two fifths had abdominal obesity (41%; 95% CI: 31.0–51.7%), compared to published rates for young people in the general population (13.7– 22.1%). In multilevel models, skipping breakfast (aOR = 5.42; 95% CI: 1.32–22.25) was associated with higher odds of abdominal obesity, while daily wholegrain consumption (aOR = 0.20; 95% CI: 0.05–0.71) and weekly physical activity (aOR = 0.24; 95% CI: 0.06– 0.92) were associated with lower odds of abdominal obesity. Higher anticipated stigma was associated with reduced odds of obesity (aOR = 0.58; 95% CI: 0.33–1.00). Land-use mix diversity (aOR = 0.52; 95% CI: 0.27–0.97), access to recreational places (aOR = 0.37; 95% CI: 0.18–0.74), higher perceived pedestrian and traffic safety (aOR = 0.20; 95% CI: 0.05– 0.80) and having a non-fast-food restaurant within walking distance (aOR = 0.30; 95% CI: 0.10–0.93) were associated with reduced odds of abdominal obesity. The main limitations of the study were low statistical power and possible reporting bias from self-report measures. CONCLUSIONS : Our findings demonstrate a high prevalence of abdominal obesity and highlight multilevel correlates of obesity in AYLHIV in South Africa. An intersectoral approach to obesity prevention, intervening at multiple levels is necessary to intervene at this critical life stage.
Transdisciplinary approaches assessing unmanaged urban green spaces reveal benefits for biodiversity and people
(Springer, 2024-06) Engemann, Kristine; Breed, Christina A.; Brom, Peta; Pasgaard, Maya
Rapid urbanization is projected for African cities at the cost of urban green space, which could jeopardize biodiversity and human benefits. Studies focusing specifically on human–green space relationships in the Global South are lacking, and the validity of extrapolating results from studies in the Global North remains questionable and cannot provide local context-specific design solutions. This study combines methods and perspectives from ecology and human geography with landscape design to better understand the benefits for biodiversity and people derived from unmanaged green spaces in the City of Tshwane, South Africa. Based on empirical data from two unmanaged green space areas in disadvantaged communities, we identify benefits for biodiversity and people and define guidelines for inclusive trans-disciplinary interventions. We combine information from a vegetation survey, a community survey of 200 respondents and a rapid assessment of multifunctional benefit provision to formulate in holistic landscape design proposals. We show that the sites have biodiversity value and provide habitat for > 169 different plant species, including protected species, and smaller wildlife. Residents use the spaces for utility, passive and active leisure, and > 76% of residents benefit from the use of these spaces. However, the integrity and provision of benefits from green spaces are threatened by pollution, safety concerns, biological invasions, and land conversion. Context-specific designs could be developed by merging methods across disciplines and involving local stakeholders to integrate the multifunctionality of socioecological benefits into landscape interventions. Collaboration across ecology, human geography and landscape design generates multifunctional perspectives of unmanaged green spaces that consider benefits for biodiversity and disadvantaged communities.
The blossoming of classical topomythopoiesis
(Routledge, 2024) Prinsloo, Johan Nel
A cursory glance at Italian Renaissance gardens reveals that they are populated by the beings of classical mythology. Venus, Apollo, Pegasus, Hercules, … are frozen figures in stone that have come to characterise the iconography of the verdant villas they inhabit. Were they included as devices to narrate myths? Or, did they serve as intricate symbolic ensembles to be decoded like the garden artefacts of the Hypnerotomachi poliphili? I visit these questions in this article (as part of a series on the history of gardens that evoke Greco-Roman myths) by investigating the expression and reception of Renaissance topomythopoeic gardens through the eyes of a contemporary chronicler of gardens, Bartholomeo Taegio (1520–1573). Extracts from his dialogue, La Villa (1559), are used throughout to frame a general discussion of Renaissance topomythopoiesis: the rhetoric of the locus amoenus and Parnassus, the appropriation of statues, and Neoplatonic reception and conception. Whereas the gods survived the Christian Middle Ages as beings that animated the ekphrastic language of landscape (and seldom adorned emblematic fountains) there emerged in sixteenth-century Italy a trend to concretise their presence. Yet, as Taegio’s account shows, not everyone encountered these as stories to be read or hidden codes to be deciphered.
Classical topomythopoiesis. survival of the pagan gods during the Christian Middle Ages
(Routledge, 2023) Prinsloo, Johan Nel
The gardens of the Renaissance are well known for being populated by the gods and settings of Classical mythology — an iconographic tradition that originated in the cult sanctuaries of Ancient Greece and transplanted to Hellenistic and Roman gardens; a tradition of place-making that I term Classical topomythopoiesis. But, what happened in-between? Gardens from the Middle Ages are not often associated with the pagan myths, but rather with Christian symbolism. This article provides a survey of the survival of Medieval Classical topomythopoiesis. It discusses various ways in which Christians received the gods, and how the language of mythology continued to shape the beholder’s share in viewing landscapes. It traces the origins of the garden of love to show how it opened the gate for the gods of love to become baptised within later Medieval garden culture. The article then provides a novel reading of the Narcissus-fountain episode in the Roman de la Rose as a hypothetical exemplar of how the myths in gardens were evoked through a process of interpretation that echoes Medieval biblical exegesis. The article concludes by arguing that Boccaccio’s liberation of the mythical garden as an imagined, sensual setting signals a shift towards a Neoplatonic approach to topomythopoiesis.
Urban memory and identity weighed against economic investment in renewal projects : a case of Kisumu city, Kenya
(University of the Free State, 2024) K’oyoo, Edwin; Breed, Christina A.; ida.breed@ up.ac.za
There have been limited efforts in using collective memory in representing public spaces and implementing urban renewal projects to maintain uniqueness. This article aims to investigate the role of urban landscape in shaping memories and proposes recommendations that reinforce urban landscape identity. This article postulates that a city’s individual and collective memory is important in maintaining its uniqueness in terms of urban landscape identity. A qualitative research design was adopted. Photo elicitation interviews (PEI) were used to investigate the features that triggered memory of the participants and were important in contributing to the image of Kisumu City. There were ongoing and completed urban renewal projects within Kisumu City, Kenya at the time of the study. 12 PEI participants were purposively selected in addition to four officials from the County Government as key informants and four professionals were interviewed. Field investigation by the researcher was carried out through mapping and photography. The study revealed that the old railway station as human-made element was instrumental in memory through historical development while socio-cultural activities at Kisumu Sports Grounds and social interaction at public Central Square were also highly regarded in memory development. Despite the important interplay of natural, human-made and social interactions in the formation of memory, place and identity, there was also a very positive response from residents on the new look of the city. The physical upgrade and cleaning of the city and its public spaces, which also means greater safety, was well appreciated from a socio-economic point of view.
Missionary architect Pieter Simon Djikstra and his Dutch works
(Stichting OpenAccess, 2023-06-15) Kuipers, Marieke; Clarke, Nicholas John
In South Africa, the Dutch architect P.S. Dijkstra/ Dykstra (1884-1968) is considered an important innovator in Protestant church design. Yet his work gets barely a mention in Dutch historiography. His early twentieth-century oeuvre is especially interesting from a cultural-historical point of view, because it is closely linked to the Reformed zuil (pillar: one of the diverse socio-culturally cohesive groups based on a specific worldview that founded their own institutions, varying from newspapers to housing corporations and suchlike).
Living walls : upscaling their performance as green infrastructure
(University of Free State, 2024-06) Botes, Karen; karen.botes@up.ac.za
Please read abstract in the article.
Diabetes and multiple long-term conditions : a review of our current global health challenge
(American Diabetes Association, 2023-12) Khunti, Kamlesh; Chudasama, Yogini V.; Gregg, Edward W.; Kamkuemah, Monika; Misra, Shivani; Suls, Jerry; Venkateshmurthy, Nikhil S.; Valabhji, Jonathan
Use of effective treatments and management programs is leading to longer survival of people with diabetes. This, in combination with obesity, is thus contributing to a rise in people living with more than one condition, known as multiple long-term conditions (MLTC or multimorbidity). MLTC is defined as the presence of two or more long-term conditions, with possible combinations of physical, infectious, or mental health conditions, where no one condition is considered as the index. These include a range of conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic kidney disease, arthritis, depression, dementia, and severe mental health illnesses. MLTC has major implications for the individual such as poor quality of life, worse health outcomes, fragmented care, polypharmacy, poor treatment adherence, mortality, and a significant impact on health care services. MLTC is a challenge, where interventions for prevention and management are lacking a robust evidence base. The key research directions for diabetes and MLTC from a global perspective include system delivery and care coordination, lifestyle interventions and therapeutic interventions.
Citizen science beyond science : a collaborative approach for transformative sustainable development
(Ubiquity Press, 2023-06-27) Pasgaard, Maya; Breed, Christina A.; Heins, Maria; Knudsen, Linette; Brom, Peta; Schmidt, Astrid; Engemann, Kristine
In this paper, we lean on experiences from South Africa as a point of departure for discussing the unrealized potentials and complications of applying collaborative, transformative citizen science (CS). We first show the value of exploring community-based ecological restoration and artistic approaches in ecological and development research. Building on these empirical insights, we outline ideas for integrating CS into such research, not only to collect additional data, but as a way to increase incentives and capacities among both CS participants and researchers, and to change mindsets across time and institutional scales. Multiple interlinked Sustainable Development Goals are within reach, exemplified by the monitoring and advancement of Clean Water, Life on Land, and Sustainable Cities and Communities—critical goals to address current and prospective demographic and climatic changes in the context of fast-expanding urban environments and beyond.
Heat stress : adaptation measures in South African informal settlements
(Ubiquity Press, 2023-01-12) Hugo, Jan Marais; jan.hugo@up.ac.za
Globally extreme weather events are experienced most acutely in cities. While formal settlements can respond to such events, informal settlements are often vulnerable and illprepared. Sub-Saharan Africa is rapidly urbanising with informal settlements that require effective climate change adaptation measures. Two climate adaptation strategies for informal dwellings are considered for their success under 2100 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) climate scenarios. Using existing data collected from informal dwellings in South Africa, the findings from a digital simulation study reveal that cool roof paints can currently lower excessive heat stress conditions by 42–63% when applied to high thermal mass dwellings with poorly insulated lightweight corrugated sheeting roofing. However, for the future 2100 climate scenarios this strategy only lowers excessive heat stress conditions by 12–17%. This calls for the development of integrated multifaceted heat stress adaptation strategies for informal settlements in Sub-Saharan Africa.
A decision support tool for green infrastructure planning in the face of rapid urbanization
(MDPI, 2023-02-04) Brom, Peta; Engemann, Kristine; Breed, Christina A.; Pasgaard, Maya; Onaolapo, Titilope; Svenning, Jens-Christian
Multifunctional green infrastructure, a key component of compact sustainable cities, is challenged by the pressures associated with rapid urbanization. In this paper, we present a method that uses remote sensing, GIS modeling and stakeholder engagement to produce a decision support tool that communicates the availability and need for green infrastructure benefits. The case study presented is the City of Tshwane, South Africa, a Global South city facing rapid urbanization. We found that this method of mapping green infrastructure benefits can provide simultaneous oversight on multiple objectives for green infrastructure, including climate change adaptation, biodiversity, and equitable distribution of urban green space. We found that low-scoring benefit areas occur in dense urban areas where small-scale nature-based solutions or rehabilitation activities are required. Moderate benefit scores occurred in parts of the city that are vulnerable to urban expansion and densification activities, warranting the careful planning of green infrastructure provision, and that moderate-to-high-scoring areas can be protected as conservation areas. The results are discussed in terms of the role of decision support tools for urban planning practice. Composite indexes can provide important guidance to decision-makers involved in spatial planning and urban upgrading and expansion activities.
Capturing landscape identity in the context of urban renewal : the case of Kisumu City, Kenya
(University of the Free State, 2023-12) K'oyoo, Edwin Oluoch; Breed, Christina A.
Urban renewal is undertaken to respond to the physical deterioration of built forms in postcolonial Africa, with renewal works affecting current cities’ identities. Globalisation trends have cities striving to be unique, with a growing awareness of the importance of identity. Landscape identity is adopted in this study as the overall term that includes other identities and is interpreted as residents’ perception of the special features that help them differentiate between places. This study postulates that a city’s uniqueness lies in its landscape identity and that this should not be neglected. The article investigates the concept of landscape identity in the context of a case study of the city of Kisumu, Kenya, which has recently undergone urban renewal. The aim of the study was to identify the main aspects that constitute the formation of landscape identity in Kisumu. A mixed-methods approach was used, which included field investigations, a survey with 384 participants, and four key informant interviews. The survey results revealed that the city’s location along Lake Victoria, which represented an element of the natural environment, gave it the highest rating. The proximity to Lake Victoria and views of the hills were regarded as the most outstanding features of the city, while the lake was the highest ranked element with symbolic meaning that evoked individual and collective memories. These findings suggest that the urban landscape identity in Kisumu is strongly connected to features of the natural environment.

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