Research Articles (Town and Regional Planning)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/6497

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Utopia on trial again : perceived residentail quality at Schubart Park in post-apartheid South Africa
(Locke Science Publishing, 2009) Du Toit, Jacques Louis; jacques.dutoit@up.ac.za
Schubart Park is a modernist high-density public housing complex in central Pretoria. It was developed during the 1970s despite awareness of negative notions about this housing type. Initially, residents' perceptions of Schubart Park, however, appeared to be positive. Administrative changes and racial and income integration took place during the transition from apartheid to democracy, while poor administration and social problems soon impacted residential quality. Although residential satisfaction literature suggests widespread dissatisfaction with this housing type, this research nevertheless aimed to determine perceived residential quality following changes. A survey was conducted and a Perceived Residential Quality Index was compiled. Residents had a slightly negative perception of residential quality, perceiving Schubart Park as poor in style and appearance, yet rational and useful. Contrary to negative notions, perceptions of the housing type as such were positive. The most significant predictor of perceptions was whether residents were resident pre-or post-integration, revealing that a significantly larger percentage of pre-integration residents had negative perceptions. Pre-integration residents arguably had negative perceptions because they were accustomed to better residential quality and because they were influenced by social problems. Possible implications are discussed for current post-apartheid policy to densify and socially integrate cities.
Conversations on conversion : unanticipated consequences of converting student public space
(Locke Science Publishing, 2019) Mariette, Paul Niclesse; Du Toit, Jacques Louis; jacques.dutoit@up.ac.za
Following the conversion of Pretoria’s most prominent student public space, Hatfield Square, the character of the space was completely altered, resulting in unanticipated perceptions, feelings and socialisation patterns amongst students who were regulars at the ‘Square’. This article explores some of these consequences in terms of the personal meaning they had for students. A qualitative study was conducted within an interpretive-, social constructivist paradigm using an explorative case study design combined with elements of phenomenology and Glaser’s classic Grounded Theory. Atlas.ti 7 was used to analyse and enrich the interpretation of the data. A core theoretical category, namely ‘loss’, was uncovered that also had consequences beyond students’ immediate experiences. Developers and stakeholders neglected to consider the unquantifiable social dynamics that were as much part of Hatfield Square as its physical structures. Developers and stakeholders should, despite market forces, be more considered about public spaces, especially those shaped by young people, while the role of planners is critical in assisting developers with such consideration.
Urban household uptake of water sensitive urban design source control measures: an exploratory comparative survey across Cape Town and Pretoria, South Africa
(Taylor and Francis, 2022) Du Toit, Jacques Louis; Chilwane, Lethabo Ingrid Semakaleng; jacques.dutoit@up.ac.za
Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) presents a process towards the objective of a water-sensitive city. An integrated approach requires community acceptance to implement WSUD at household level. An exploratory comparative survey was conducted amongst 250 households across Cape Town and Pretoria, South Africa, to determine actual uptake of rainwater harvesting, greywater recycling systems and permeable paving, factors affecting uptake, and the perceived effectiveness of assistance to implement WSUD relative to other water demand-side management instruments. Actual uptake of rainwater harvesting and greywater reuse is noticeable amongst water-saving middle-to-high income home owners. Although loglinear analyses suggest that Cape Town’s recent drought is unlikely to contribute towards more established levels of uptake, assistance to implement WSUD is nevertheless perceived as the second most effective instrument. Three directions for more systematic research are proposed to better inform the practical implementation of WSUD at household level.
Property owners’ uptake of stormwater source controls : a case study of a low-density upmarket residential estate in Pretoria, South Africa
(Taylor and Francis, 2022) Du Toit, Jacques Louis; Wagner, Claire; jacques.dutoit@up.ac.za
An integrated approach to Water Sensitive Urban Design and Sustainable Drainage Systems requires community involvement. Mooikloof is a low-density upmarket residential estate with one-hectare properties and large detached houses, but with no stormwater infrastructure, offering a unique case study of uptake of source controls. Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour and an online survey, we examined property owners’ current and intended uptake of rainwater harvesting, green roofing, permeable paving and retention ponds, and factors influencing uptake. Owners showed noticeable levels of uptake of certain controls, influenced foremost by positive attitudes and peer pressure with site hydrology also playing a role. Some owners may need assistance to implement certain controls, whereas others may need incentivising or behavioural nudging towards uptake. We conclude with recommendations for further research and the practical implementation of source controls on site or individual residential properties in similar contexts.
A typology of designs for housing research : improving methodological coherence of paradigm, approach and design
(Springer, 2022-12) Du Toit, Jacques Louis; Napier, Mark; Marais, Lochner; Cloete, Jan; Crankshaw, Beth; jacques.dutoit@up.ac.za
Housing research is interdisciplinary involving economics, geography, sociology, architecture, and urban planning and design. It relies strongly on the social and applied sciences, and is therefore subject to policy, theoretical and methodological shifts across these sciences, as well as societal and technological change. These shifts and changes necessitate an expansion and refinement of the traditional spectrum of research designs regarded applicable to housing research, and more careful consideration of concomitant epistemologies and methodologies. We review the methodological literature within housing research, assess the extent to which different designs feature in current housing research, and, using methodological paradigm and core logic as classification criteria, present an expanded and more nuanced typology of designs consisting of 11 prototypes and 42 subtypes. The prototypes include surveys and censuses, experiments, modelling and mapping, textual and narrative studies, field studies, case studies, participatory action research, mixed-method research, intervention research, evaluation research, and meta-research. The typology may serve as a framework for further methodological inquiry and as a heuristic map for researchers to be more creative and considered when designing housing research.
Southern urbanism as a negotiation of past, present, and future
(Routledge, 2025) Mady, Christine; Khan, Sadaf Sultan; Ortiz, Claudia; Stephan, Joumana; Makakavhule, Kundani; Kamal, Ohoud; Meza, Michelle
The ‘Global South’ notion has been a source of critical investigation for the past decades, referring to numerous interpretations, and providing complementary perspectives on alternative urban dynamics. The southern narrative presents stories of cities, which experience time compression that manifests expedited, multilayered spatio-temporal changes. These cities combine past local heritage, culture and knowledge that are transplanted and often normalised under the concepts of colonial pasts and post-modern urban planning. These struggles require questioning agency, engagement and funding within dominant policy frameworks. This special issue examines cities negotiating past concepts at present, while seeking legitimacy and striving for alternative, resilient futures amid societal, political, economic and environmental crises. The purpose is to provide pluriversal knowledge, an approach recognising the inseparability of humanity and other forms of life. The articles in this issue explore these questions under three themes: alternative understandings of colonial pasts; examining everyday urbanism and community perspectives and exploring climate crisis responses.
Diary of a public space user : reflections on southern urbanism
(Routledge, 2025) Supra, Raynhard; Landman, Karina; karina.landman@up.ac.za
Public spaces in South Africa reflect the everyday urban realities of public space users. These spaces embrace a complex narrative of past ideas, current needs and future dreams. This article focuses on the diary of a public space user in a dynamic Global South city, Pretoria, South Africa. It presents the critical reflections of a young planner obtained through multiple walks in two sets of public spaces, recorded in a research diary. The experiences of the young planner are then compared to those of other public space users to investigate different everyday urban experiences. Rooted in a Southern perspective, the article reflects on the nature and meaning of everyday realities through the lens of critical urbanism. The discussion highlights the value of critical reflection through the use of research diaries to assist young planners in understanding the everyday dynamics associated with southern urbanism in Pretoria.
Polycentric governance : evaluating the relevance of traditional authorities in good governance in South Africa
(University of the Free State, 2024-12) Faboye, Samson; Gumbo, Trynos; Sebola-Samanyanga, Kgomotso Jackson Phillip; jackson.sebola@up.ac.za
ENGLISH : This article explores the role of traditional authorities within the complex governance structures of South Africa, specifically in the North-West and KwaZulu-Natal provinces. Polycentric governance, which involves multiple, interconnected decision-making centres that operate independently yet are interdependent, forms the theoretical foundation for this study. In South Africa, municipal governance faces challenges, due to the ambiguous role of traditional authorities, which has hindered the development of rural areas. There is currently no clear framework in the NorthWest and KwaZulu-Natal provinces outlining how traditional authorities can function effectively within the broader governance system. This research aims to develop a framework that enhances the governance relevance of traditional authorities, drawing on the concept of polycentricity and governance theory. Through qualitative methods, including stakeholder interviews and document analysis, the study examines the contemporary roles of traditional authorities and their interactions with municipal governance structures. It critically assesses the policy framework guiding traditional governance in South Africa and explores how these authorities can be better integrated into governance processes. The study argues that good governance is defined by its ability to meet the needs of the broader populace, not simply select groups. It proposes a formalised polycentric governance framework that elevates traditional authorities as key actors in local government, with a focus on areas such as administrative hierarchy, development planning, land governance, and natural resource management. This framework is expected to support socioeconomic development and improve service delivery, particularly in rural and peri-urban areas of the North-West and KwaZulu-Natal provinces.
Planning students’ experiences of interdisciplinary near-peer research mentoring
(Sage, 2024-12) Wagner, Claire; Du Toit, Jacques Louis; jacques.dutoit@up.ac.za
This article describes planning students’ experiences of an interdisciplinary near-peer research-mentoring program in the context of experiential learning. A group of final-year undergraduate planning students, who were required to conduct research and write a report, were mentored by master’s degree students in research psychology. Data obtained from independent focus group discussions with two cohorts of students yielded three themes. The merits and demerits of near-peer research mentoring are presented, and planning lecturers’ approach to improving students’ research skills by providing similar (especially interdisciplinary) programs is considered.
Navigating urban planning and management in Africa: a contemporary perspective on politics, environment, and climate change
(Unisa Press, 2024-07) Kasusu, Tendai; Chikweshe, Natalia
In contemporary Africa, urban planning and management are undergoing profound changes, shaped by the interplay of politics, environmental concerns, and the pressing issue of climate change. This article explores the evolving landscape of urban development in Africa, highlighting the pivotal role of political agendas, environmental policies, and the imperative to address climate change. It emphasises the synergy between urban planning and management as the linchpin for sustainable, climate-resilient cities. Using South Africa, Zimbabwe and Nigeria as case studies, this article elucidates the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
(S)places and peace of (s)place : Venḓa’s sacred sites
(Routledge, 2025) Sebola-Samanyanga, Kgomotso Jackson Phillip; jackson.sebola@up.ac.za
This article explores the concept of (s)place. Drawing from Lefebvre's Conceptual triad, Soja's Thirdspace, and Massey's Progressive sense of place, it unveils the nuanced meanings embedded within (s)place and its significance in understanding contemporary spatial dynamics, particularly within the African rural context. Through a qualitative investigation of sacred sites in the Venḓa region, this work recognises the intangible values embedded within these spaces, which are crucial elements of identity, well-being, and sense of place for VhaVenḓa communities. The core argument centres around the necessity for cognitive, spatial, and epistemic justice in crafting what de Sousa Santos dubs a pluriversal world that acknowledges and respects diverse knowledge systems without succumbing to epistemic violence, in this case, the legacy of colonial-apartheid planning. By coining (s)place, this work contributes to the discourse of planning in Africa, offering a decolonial lens through which to view and engage with spaces and places.
Local responses to climate change : navigating mainstreaming and transformative adaptation
(Elsevier, 2025-02) Pieterse, Amy; Du Toit, Jacques Louis
This article is based on the study done to explore the mainstreaming of climate change adaptation into municipal planning The study used the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality and Thulamela Local Municipality as comparative case studies in South Africa. It identified six key factors that influenced the effectiveness of adaptation mainstreaming: leadership arrangements; networks and knowledge-sharing; information access and use; capacity, resources, and skills; institutional coordination structure and process; and intergovernmental relations and coordination. The study showed how organisational dynamics and institutional arrangements impacted on the integration of climate change adaptation into planning processes, and it indicated that balancing long-term transformative objectives with immediate concerns required a dual approach that strategically embedded transformational goals within existing systems. The study offered insights into the complexity of reconciling transformative adaptation and development priorities through mainstreaming and it expanded the current understanding of how municipalities could navigate effective mainstreaming within the context of practical governance.
Practising planners' perceptions of post-1994 planning law and settlement planning and development processes : a Western Cape case study
(University of the Free State, 2024-06) Harris, Marshallene; Oranje, Mark; mark.oranje@up.ac.za
While a significant body of academic work has been compiled on the transformation of planning law since the end of apartheid, far less has been produced on the perceptions of practising planners of these new laws, and their impacts on the planning profession's stated objective of contributing to the creation of quality human settlements. This article seeks to assist in filling this gap in the field by reporting on a study into the perceptions of practising planners in the Western Cape in this regard. The study involves research into the views of professional planners on planning laws applied during and post-apartheid and the impact of these laws on human settlement planning and development. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 25 professional planners employed in the public and private sectors. The data sample, limited to the Western Cape province, was regarded as a starting point for further research on the perception of planners in these regards in the remaining eight provinces in the country. The key findings of this study are that planners by and large welcome the new planning legislation and view it as an improvement on the old. The challenges being experienced are mainly related to the institutional and financial landscape in which the law plays out rather than the law itself, notably lengthy planning processes; a focus on meeting housing-delivery targets at the cost of other equally important settlement development objectives; and capacity, and budget constraints.
Humanizing urban planning: acknowledging the emotional and psychological dimensions of upgrading informal settlements
(Routledge, 2025) Hill, Danielle; danielle.hill@up.ac.za
The rapid proliferation of informal settlements in the twenty-first century has challenged the ways in which planners envision, design and think about urban development. While I acknowledge that planning in South Africa continues to be mainly practised by technocrats, I argue this is at the expense of considering the human factors involved. Using a case study, I attempt to demonstrate the specific ways in which the overemphasis on reaching upgrading targets within a specified time frame leaves little to no room for considerations of the psychological and emotional implications of upgrading for informal settlers. This article calls for a detailed consideration of the humanising implications for present and future planning. The case study explores, the nature of the role of planners in, and their collaboration with, the management of Thembalethu Phase 1 Upgrading of Informal Settlement Programme (UISP), between 2010 and 2014, in George municipality with a focus on the space, or lack thereof, of human considerations in this collaborative process.
Changing public spaces and urban resilience in the City of Tshwane, South Africa
(Routledge, 2022) Landman, Karina; Nel, Darren; karina.landman@up.ac.za
The City of Tshwane has experienced significant political, socio-economic and spatial changes. The lives and daily use patterns of different people in the city, as well as public spaces changed. While some people have retreated to semi-privatised space, others are enjoying unrestricted use of space in more traditional parks and quality public spaces in former marginalised areas. This raises questions regarding the impact of these changes on urban resilience, especially in the context of the new Tshwane 2055 vision calling for a “liveable, inclusive and resilient city”. This study analyses six public spaces in three different neighbourhood types in Pretoria and highlights the emergence of three trends - degradation, adaptation and transformation. The paper argues that these trends have implications for urban resilience of both the public space and the immediate surroundings in terms of diversity, intensity, proximity and connectivity in and around these spaces. Limited diversity proximity, intensity and connectivity strain opportunities for adaptation, while radical intervention at a specific point in time can expedite the trajectory of change and bring about rapid transformation. This has implications for urban planning and design in terms of deciding the level, extent and nature of interventions in particular parts of cities.
The role of planners in public open space production in contemporary African cities : a reinjection of the social agenda in planning practice
(Routledge, 2022) Makakavhule, Kundani; Hill, Danielle; kundani.makakavhule@up.ac.za
African cities face challenges of delivering quality public open spaces within set time frames, under constrained budgets, varying levels of political will and professional capacity. These challenges in conjunction with the ‘emotional’ conundrum faced by planners, continue to define the roles of planners and prohibit them from confronting the status quo. This paper argues that the planning profession needs to acknowledge that; to respond to the challenges of contemporary African public open space, an intentional deliberate paradigm is required. This paradigm requires a spatial imagination to reconcile the disjuncture between the static place of planners and the active space of citizens.
The transformation and adaptive capacity of Tsweu Street in Mamelodi, City of Tshwane
(Routledge, 2022) Kgotse, Keletso; Landman, Karina; karina.landman@up.ac.za
Cities and neighbourhoods are changing rapidly. While rapid change is accepted, it is less clear how to understand and analyse change and steer it towards a more sustainable trajectory. This paper focuses on the transformation of a particular street in Mamelodi, situated in Pretoria (capital city of South Africa). Utilizing a resilience lens, we unpack the various cycles of adaptation evident in the street. Our analysis shows that the transformation of Tsweu Street broadly followed the phases of the adaptive cycle, namely rapid growth, conservation, release and reorganization and incorporated three dimensions of resilience, namely social or community, spatial and institutional resilience. We argue that resilience thinking offers a mechanism to understand and analyse change at various scales, including the street level and that this provides planners with a tool to work with change through the application of appropriate measures at the relevant time to maximize their impact.
Planning for safe neighbourhoods in Namibia : a comparative case study of two low-income neighbourhoods in the city of Windhoek
(Routledge, 2023) Kandjinga, Laudika Jelufeni; Landman, Karina; karina.landman@up.ac.za
The safety of neighbourhoods remains challenging in developing countries due to several dynamics. This article explores the role of urban planning for safer neighbourhoods in two low-income neighbourhoods in the city of Windhoek. The study focuses on several crime attractors and generators influencing housebreaking incidents in two neighbourhoods. Various physical characteristics influence opportunities for crime in Katutura and Otjomuise, such as the location of alcohol outlets within the residential areas and large and unmaintained public open spaces. A lack of development in Otjomuise also influenced incidents of crime. However, severe socio-economic conditions and social factors also contributed to opportunities for crime. The findings have implications on planning and development in Namibia in terms of policy development and planning guidelines and assessments.
Decolonizing public space in South Africa : from conceptualization to actualization
(Routledge, 2021) Landman, Karina; Makakavhule, Kundani; karina.landman@up.ac.za
Cities and public spaces are changing. Many movements such as ‘Black Lives Matter’ are questioning the meaning of public space in post-colonial contexts. This paper focusses on the decolonization of public space in South Africa as a strategy to achieve spatial transformation. Drawing from seven years of in-depth research, the discussion explores the concept of decolonization and proposes a 3-stage process for decolonizing public space, supported by examples and implications for spatial practice. The paper shows that although fundamental spatial transformation necessitates radical mental transition, decolonization should move beyond the decoloniality of the mind towards physical intervention in public space.
Integrated planning : towards a mutually inclusive approach to infrastructure planning and design
(MDPI, 2021-11-23) Schoulund, Dario; Amura, Carlos Alberto; Landman, Karina; dario.schoulund@up.ac.za
Increasingly independent fields of specialization, civil engineering, and urban design find themselves practicing in isolation on the same urban issues. The result surfaces on the relative qualities of public spaces: projects that are functionally successful but spatially poor, and vice versa. This is critical in the global south, where infrastructure is prioritized, and politicized, as the key driver of change but often heedless of spatial consequences. The present study explores the dynamics of integration between logics arising from technical and spatial fields, and the planning processes under which such integration is feasible. An urban design/infrastructural project in Argentina, stalled for more than two decades under regulatory policies, was selected as a case study. An overview and background of the adopted planning/design methodologies are followed by a structural/spatial analysis, focusing on type, logistics, and construction on the one hand, and on indicators of successful public spaces on the other: access, uses, comfort and image. Aspects that a priori appeared as inevitable compromises found a common, but the critically logical ground in which urban and structural thinking complemented each other. More than a functional asset, infrastructure presents an opportunity to re-think the future of the built environment as a typology that could be conceived, designed and evaluated, on the same terms as successful public spaces.

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