With the continuous urban expansion, assessing how some species can survive in urban environments, particularly through modifying their behaviour, is becoming increasingly important. Urban wildlife can show phenotypic (e.g. behavioural) flexibility to exploit urban areas but it is also possible that they could seek refuges that match their phylogenetic niche requirements. The public’s perceptions of these “urban” species may also influence their success within urban centres. Using the rock hyrax, Procavia capensis, in Greater Johannesburg as a model species, I assessed the flexible and niche conservative hypotheses for its occurrence in urban areas. In particular, I investigated 1) the behaviour and flight initiation distance (FID; a measure of habituation to people) of rock hyraxes in warm (February and September) and cold (June and July) months at an urban site, Meyersdal Eco Estate, south of Johannesburg; and 2) the occurrence and public perception of rock hyraxes in Greater Johannesburg. At Meyersdal Eco Estate, three colonies were identified along an approximately 2km gradient of proximity to humans, from those living in a storm-water drain and gardens to a colony situated >100m from houses. The three colonies showed differences in behavioural patterns compared to a natural population located in the Mountain Zebra National Park, Eastern Cape Province. Although behaviours such as basking, sunbathing, travelling, grooming, and vigilance did not change between the colonies, feeding behaviour was greater and FID scores were shorter in the colony closest to people, indicating greatest habituation to people compared to the colony furthest from people, which showed reduced feeding behaviour and greatest FID distance. The intermediately situated colony showed intermediate levels of feeding and FID. The behaviour of rock hyraxes was not influenced by deterrents (boa, Boa constrictor constrictor, dung and wild garlic, Tulbaghia violacea) used at Meyersdal to keep rock hyraxes away from gardens. Rock hyraxes ate a variety of plants including grasses, forbs, shrubs, trees and succulents at each of the colonies, but the colony closest to people also ate a variety of garden plants which I did not observe at the two other colonies, including two species of wild garlic, T. violacea and T. simmleri. Within Greater Johannesburg, rock hyraxes occurred in the northern and southern suburbs, and appeared to avoid densely urbanized areas. Resource selection functions suggested rock hyraxes associated with rocky outcrops potentially conforming to the niche conservatism hypothesis, although they did not select for any particular landscape feature in the Greater Johannesburg environment. The public viewed rock hyraxes more positively than anticipated, with most suggesting that they were part of the urban biodiversity of Greater Johannesburg. In conclusion, rock hyraxes have modified their behaviour and habituated to people over surprisingly small spatial scales. Such behavioural flexibility over comparatively short distances is a novel finding. However, rocky outcrops are still important natural habitats to meet thermoregulatory and denning requirements, and are used to explore and exploit the urban environment. Because they are constrained by their thermoregulatory requirements, habitat analogues (e.g. storm water drains) might create opportunities to enter houses and gardens. Such flexible responses, which together with a tolerant public, might allow them to flourish in Johannesburg.

M. Tech. Comparative Local Development

Thesis (M.Dev. (Planning and Management)) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / Population development planning has continued to be a battle for both developed and developing countries, as such it has been used as an exploitative tool and a political instrument to manipulate societies. China has offered a perfect example with its one-child policy. Although china’s one-child policy has been in use for over 35 years, and this approach was to control the fertility rate under the notion of planned and facilitated economic growth. The temporary brake measure saw its epic fail in the current 21st century; this resulted in the loosening and relaxed approach of the two-child policy as a measure towards population development planning. The relaxed policy and the Chinese withdrawal from controlling the reproductive systems of communities came soon after the realisation of the current underdevelopment within the country. The support from political allies and the rushed policy implementation was likely fuelled by the lack of understanding in terms of population development and planning. To solicit the incision of the study, qualitative data analysis, thick descriptions and classifications were utilised. Thick descriptions involved the expressions of meaning, contexts and, where relevant, intentions relating to conceptions, approaches and determinants of population development were planned. Contexts included the geographic, cultural, policy, historical, demographical, legislative, social, economic, political, and environmental and so on for Southern Africa and its states. Planning is value-laden; therefore, intentions relating to the adoption of family planning policies and their confusion with population development planning in Southern Africa will be discussed. For quantitative data, PCA was used to analyse the data into a variety of summary statistics. Irrespective of varied reasons presented as the culprit of ineffective population development in planning, this study argues that determinants of population development should be primate to attendant planning in Southern Africa.

Text in Afrikaans / Plaaslike owerhede sal met die devolusie van politieke mag tot op derdevlakregering 'n groter rol in die bepaling van die toekoms van dorpe en stede speel. Binne die raamwerk van nasionale sekuriteit het plaaslike owerhede as werkgewers en eienaars van geboue, 'n besondere verantwoordelikheid om na die beveiliging van mense, die handhawing en voortsetting van dienste en die beskerming van raadseiendom om te sien. Omdat plaaslike owerhede regsoutonoom is, word sekuriteitsafdelings op sy eie manier bedryf wat nie noodwendig die koste-effektiefste en doeltreffendste wyse is nie. Die uitbreiding van private en publieke sekuriteitsdienste noodsaak die ordelike ontwikkeling en koordinering van dienste aan die hand van standaard-aanvaarbare voorskrifte. In die ondersoek is 'n houdingstudie na die aard, omvang, plek, beeld, status, funksies en opleiding van blanke plaaslike owerheidsekuriteitsbeamptes geloods in 'n poging om 'n basis te vestig ten einde plaaslike owerheidsekuriteit op 'n gesonde grondslag te bedryf. / The devolution of political power to local authority level obliges local authorities to play a greater role in determining the future of cities and towns. Within the framework of national security, local authorities as employers and owners of property have a responsibility towards the safeguarding of people, the upholding and continuation of services and the protection of council property. As legal autonomous bodies, local authorities manage their security departments in their own peculiar way which is not necessarily the most cost effective and efficient. The expansion of private and public security services necessitates orderly development and coordination of services with reference to prescribed acceptable standards. This research is an attitudinal study of the nature, scope, place, image, status, functions and training of white local authority security officers in an attempt to establish a point of departure in order to facilitate the sound managing of local authority security. / Police Practice / M.A. (Polisiekunde)

Assignment (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The greatest challenge for our time is to ensure the preservation of our environment and the well being of our people. With this in mind and the fact that almost half of the world’s population is living in urban areas, it is of the utmost importance to ensure that cities develop in a sustainable manner. Cities are regarded as one of the most magnificent creations of human achievements, but when looking at urban areas around the world it can also be regarded as one of the most problematic achievements. The growth of cities is a natural process and an unstoppable progression of events. Modern cities have a major impact on the environment and to ensure successful reduction of this impact, certain problem areas will have to be identified and addressed without delay in order to be in a position to make any significant change in the long run. Interventions of some sort are needed to make living in cities as well as on the planet as a whole more sustainable. The big question is however, how this can be achieved? One of the possible new interventions is the Smart Growth Concept, which is a form of growth management. Although Smart Growth has been around from the early 70’s, it is still a new concept that has not been explored to its full potential. The concept is well known in America but in most countries around the world, including South Africa, it is still a vague concept, which needs more introductions, convincing and ultimately, implementation. Although this article will focus on the Smart Growth concept as a possible solution to creating sustainable cities, the critics do not all agree with this point of view. Enough evidence is however provided to prove that Smart Growth can make a difference in our daily lives. The main aim of this article is to provide the reader with enough information on the subject of Smart Growth, and address the criticism against the concept of Smart Growth, to be able to see the positive influence that the Smart Growth concept can have on our cities. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die grootste uitdaging van ons tyd is om te verseker dat die ons omgewing beskerm word en die welstand van ons mense bevorder word. Met dit in gedagte en die feit dat ongeveer die helfte van die aarde se bevolking in stedelike areas woonagtig is, is dit van uiterste belang dat stede op ‘n volhoubare manier ontwikkel word. Stede kan as een van die grootste skeppings van die mensdom beskou word, maar as daar gekyk word na stedelike areas rondom die wêreld kan dit ook as een van die problematiese skeppings beskou word. Die groei van stede is natuurlike proses en is onstuitbare sameloop van gebeurlikhede. Moderne stede het groot inpak op die omgewing en om te verseker dat die impak suksesvol beperk word, is daar sekere probleemareas wat geïdentifiseer moet word en wat sonder enige verder vertraging aangespreek moet word, ten einde in ‘n posisie te wees om enige beduidende verandering op die lang duur te maak. Ingryping op een of ander manier is nodig om stede meer bewoonbaar te maak, asook die planeet as ‘n geheel meer volhoubaar te maak. Die groot vraag is egter, hoe om dit te doen? Een van hierdie moontlike ingrypings is die Innoverende Groei (‘Smart Growth’) Konsep, wat ‘n vorm van groeibestuur is. Alhoewel die Innoverende Groei Konsep al sedert die sewentiger jare bestaan, is dit steeds ‘n nuwe konsep wat nog nie tot sy volle potensiaal ontwikkel is nie. Die konsep van Innoverende Groei is bekend in Amerika maar is in die meeste lande rondom die wêreld, insluitend Suid-Afrika, nog steeds ‘n vae konsep wat nog verder bekendstelling en oortuiging vereis en uiteindelik geïmplementeer moet word. Alhoewel hierdie artikel die fokus plaas op die Konsep van Innoverende Groei as moontlike oplossing in die skepping van volhoubare stede, is daar kritici wat nie saamstem met hierdie sienswyse nie. Genoeg bewyse word egter voorgehou om te bewys dat die Konsep van Innoverende Groei ‘n verskil kan maak in ons daaglikse lewe. Die hoof doel van hierdie artikel is om die leser van genoeg inligting te voorsien rondom die Konsep van Innoverende Groei , en om die kritiek teen die konsep aan te spreek, ten einde die leser te oortuig dat die konsep positiewe invloed op die groei van ons stede kan hê.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Architecture, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfillment of the degree of Master of Urban Design / Andrew Chakane 2018

Cities, particularly in developing countries, are faced .with the challenge of population increase aggravated by rural to urban migration. This has increased the level of unemployment since job creation does not keep up with the rate at which population influx to cities occurs. This leads to poverty that undermines the economy of the city. Urban agriculture (UA) has the potential to improve livelihoods of the urban poor people through contributing to food security and generating income. However, UA has generally not been practised successfully and in a sustainable manner, owing to the lack of resources (land and finance), farming skills, and inadequate support services from organizations. This study presupposes that the inadequacy of resources in support of UA strongly reflects the level of co-operation and co-ordination among those who are, or could support UA. It will also reflect the levels of commitment of a shared vision. It thus sets out to explore the prospects of organizational collaboration to support UAand uses the Greater Pietermaritzburg Area (PMB) as a focus for the study. The local organizations in PMB were found to have frameworks through which they supported UA and other development projects. They were however found not to have any strategic plan, clear definition of organizations' roles, no common understanding of UA, nor a shared mission or vision of UA. As a result there was poor coordination and commitment to collaboration. It appears that a successful collaboration requires most importantly, an acknowledgement of the complexity of collaboration and a clear understanding of its purpose among the collaborating partners. Also required is accepting the need for leadership, integration of ideas when planning and implementing, clarification of roles and accountability. To appreciate this, organizational and individual empowerment is needed. Empowerment could take three forms: objective (knowledge of collaborations' aim, objectives, and procedures), subjective (assertiveness to undertake work involved), and competency (acquisition of skills to enhance ability to perform). The study believes these .factors could help improve the performance of organizational frameworks in developing UA to a point that its full potential is realized. The findings emphasized the value of adopting a systems approach in organizing delivery of services in support of UA. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.

Text in Afrikaans / Plaaslike owerhede sal met die devolusie van politieke mag tot op derdevlakregering 'n groter rol in die bepaling van die toekoms van dorpe en stede speel. Binne die raamwerk van nasionale sekuriteit het plaaslike owerhede as werkgewers en eienaars van geboue, 'n besondere verantwoordelikheid om na die beveiliging van mense, die handhawing en voortsetting van dienste en die beskerming van raadseiendom om te sien. Omdat plaaslike owerhede regsoutonoom is, word sekuriteitsafdelings op sy eie manier bedryf wat nie noodwendig die koste-effektiefste en doeltreffendste wyse is nie. Die uitbreiding van private en publieke sekuriteitsdienste noodsaak die ordelike ontwikkeling en koordinering van dienste aan die hand van standaard-aanvaarbare voorskrifte. In die ondersoek is 'n houdingstudie na die aard, omvang, plek, beeld, status, funksies en opleiding van blanke plaaslike owerheidsekuriteitsbeamptes geloods in 'n poging om 'n basis te vestig ten einde plaaslike owerheidsekuriteit op 'n gesonde grondslag te bedryf. / The devolution of political power to local authority level obliges local authorities to play a greater role in determining the future of cities and towns. Within the framework of national security, local authorities as employers and owners of property have a responsibility towards the safeguarding of people, the upholding and continuation of services and the protection of council property. As legal autonomous bodies, local authorities manage their security departments in their own peculiar way which is not necessarily the most cost effective and efficient. The expansion of private and public security services necessitates orderly development and coordination of services with reference to prescribed acceptable standards. This research is an attitudinal study of the nature, scope, place, image, status, functions and training of white local authority security officers in an attempt to establish a point of departure in order to facilitate the sound managing of local authority security. / Police Practice / M.A. (Polisiekunde)

Ph.D. (Energy Studies) / The purpose of this research was to assess the influences of transport infrastructure on urban development and mobility in emerging megacities. The method is demonstrated using the Gauteng City-Region as a case study. The main criteria were to assess how past urban growth patterns have been influenced by the established transport infrastructure, to assess the transport energy implications of past trends and on this basis, develop land-use/transport scenarios that optimise space, transport accessibility and energy. The procedure involved a time-series analysis of Landsat satellite-derived land-use change at three decadal intervals (1991, 2001 and 2009), spatial analysis of corridor (ribbon/linear) development using a series of urban growth maps in conjunction with transport infrastructure, estimation of the transport energy implications of current and past urban structures and the development of possible urban land-use/transport scenarios. The land-use change and urban growth trends analysis was based on a method combining land-use/cover mapping of Landsat5 Thematic Mapper (TM) and Landsat7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) satellite imagery, supervised classification and post-classification. Effects of transport infrastructure on land-use development were assessed by analysing urban growth densities within buffer zones of major roads and railway stations, at 0.5 km intervals. To estimate the transport energy implications of current and past urban structures, satellite imagery derived urban growth data are combined with products of the Gauteng Transportation Study 2000 (GTS 2000) model developed on the EMME/2™ platform. Future land-use/transport scenarios are developed within the framework of critiqued urban growth models, success and failures stories in other city-regions, policy positions of the three spheres of Government and preceding results of this study...

Thesis (PhD)--University of Stellenbosch, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Suburbanisation is a world-wide phenomenon and is characterised by the decline of central business districts and accelerated growth of commercial activities in the suburbs. The impact of suburbanisation is wide-spread and multi-dimensional, affecting the whole urban system in terms of its structure, activity and transport patterns. In South Africa, suburbanisation, together with the impact of the former group areas policy, has made suburban developments less accessible to the low-income groups living on the edges of the metropolitan area. Planners have proposed various urban densification strategies for the rather unique problems of the spatially inefficient South African cities, including corridor development along main public transport routes and the development of activity nodes. In order to implement these urban densification strategies successfully, it is important to understand the locational choice behaviour of business managers, and the factors that will attract them to locate in a certain area. This will enable metropolitan authorities to evaluate and implement the best policies to promote development of priority corridors and nodes The research for this dissertation was motivated by the extensive problems of suburbanisation, the lack of knowledge on the relative impact of land-use transport factors on the locational choices of businesses, and the apparent limited application of stated preference (SP) survey techniques and discrete choice models to spatial choices of businesses for urban planning purposes. The main objectives of the research were to determine the locational choice behaviour of retail businesses in strategic spatial terms, and how this knowledge can best be used to manage suburbanisation. The dissertation reviews intemational and South African studies on the planning and policies of the main role players in the urban system relating to retail suburbanisation, i.e. the planning authority, retail firms and consumers. The dissertation discusses the results of the market research that was done among Cape Town retailers located in the CSO, and in low- and high-income suburbs. The survey collected quantitative information regarding the locational choice factors of retail managers, importance ratings of choice factors as well as stated preferences for CSO and suburban locations. The calibration results of various discrete locational choice models are discussed, including elasticities of choice factors obtained from model applications to the SP data. The development of a spreadsheet locational choice model based on typical characteristics of CSO and suburban locations is subsequently discussed. Elasticities of choice factors from the application of the spreadsheet model were determined and the model was also used to test a decentralisation trend scenario and a managed suburbanisation scenario. The dissertation makes conclusions and recommendations regarding the most important locational choice factors of retail managers, and the most effective policies and strategies for metropolitan authorities to manage suburbanisation and promote urban densification. The performance of SP models applied to spatial choices are also evaluated and recommendations are made regarding their application and further research needs. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Stedelike desentralisasie is 'n wêreldwye verskynsel wat gekenmerk word deur die verval van sentrale sakegebiede (SSG) en die snelle groei van handelsbedrywighede in voorstede. Die impak van desentralisasie is verreikend en multi-dimensioneel en beïnvloed die hele stadstelsel in terme van sy struktuur, aktiwiteite and reispatrone. In Suid Afrika het desentralisasie saam met die impak van die voormalige groepsgebiedebeleid voorstedelike ontwikkelings minder toeganklik gemaak vir die lae-inkomstegroepe wat op die rand van die metropolitaanse gebiede woon. Beplanners het verskeie stadsverdigtingstrategieë, insluitende korridorontwikkeling langs hoofvervoerroetes en die ontwikkeling van aktiwiteitsnodusse voorgestelom die unieke probleme van die ruimtelik ondoeltreffende Suid-Afrikaanse stede die hoof te bied. Om hierdie stadsverdigtingstrategieë suksesvol te implementeer, is dit egter belangrik om die liggingskeusegedrag van besigheidsbestuurders, sowel as die faktore wat hulle beweeg om hulle in 'n spesifieke gebied te vestig, te verstaan. Hierdie kennnis sal metropolitaanse owerhede in staat stelom beleid te evalueer en die beste beleidsopsies te implementeer om die ontwikkeling van voorkeurkorridors en nodusse te bevorder. Die navorsing vir hierdie verhandeling is gemotiveer deur die omvattende probleme wat deur stedelike desentralisasie veroorsaak word, die gebrek aan kennis oor die relatiewe impak van grondgebruik-vervoerfaktore op die liggingskeuse van besighede, en die klaarblyklik beperkte toepassing van verklaardevoorkeuropnametegnieke (V V) en diskrete-keusemodelle op die liggingskeuses van besighede vir stadsbeplanningsdoeleindes. Die hoofdoelstellings van die navorsing was om die liggingskeusegedrag van kleinhandelbesighede in strategiese ruimtelike terme te bepaal en vas te stel hoe hierdie kennis gebruik kan word om stedelike desentralisasie te bestuur. In hierdie verhandeling word 'n oorsig gegee van die internasionale en Suid- Afrikaanse studies oor die beplanning en beleid van die belangrikste rolspelers in the stadstelsel wat desentralisasie van kleinhandel betref, naamlik die beplanningsowerheid, kleinhandelfirmas en verbruikers. Die resultate van marknavorsing onder kleinhandelaars vanuit Kaapstad se SSG en lae- en hoë-inkomstevoorstede, word bespreek. Die opname het kwantitatiewe inligting oor die liggingskeusefaktore van kleinhandelaars, die belangrikheid wat hulle aan keusefaktore heg, en hulle verklaarde voorkeure ten opsigte van vestiging in die SSG of die voorstede, ingesamel. Die kalibrasieresultate van verskeie diskretekeusemodelle word bespreek, insluitende die elastisiteite van keusefaktore wat deur die toepassing van die modelop V V-data verkry is. Vervolgens word die ontwikkeling van 'n liggingskeusemodel in 'n spreitabel wat op tipiese kenmerke van SSG- en voorstedelike liggings gebaseer is, bespreek. Elastisteite van die liggingsfaktore is bepaal deur die toepassing van die spreitabelmodel, en die model is ook gebruik om 'n desentraliasietendensscenario en 'n bestuurdedesentralisasiescenario te toets. Ten slotte word daar gevolgtrekkings en aanbevelings gemaak oor die belangrikste liggingskeusefaktore van kleinhandelaars, en die mees effektiewe beleidsopsies en strategieë wat metropolitaanse owerhede kan volg om stedelike desentralisasie te bestuur en stadsverdigting te bevorder. Die werkverrigting van V V-modelle wanneer dit op die liggingskeuse van besighede toegepas word, word ook geëvalueer en aanbevelings word gemaak oor die toepassing daarvan en verdere navorsing wat nodig is