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.

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.

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

Thesis (MA (Geography and Environmental Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / Issues relating to globalization and the rise of the New Economy have received much attention from academics. Renewed emphasis has been placed on the importance of locality and cities are seen as gateways to ensuring a competitive role in the global economy. In South Africa, local economic development (LED) approaches are increasingly reflecting market-driven entrepreneurialism as cities compete to attract investment. This has, however, caused the decline of economies of already lagging regions, widening regional disparities. Statistical evidence confirms the opinion that the service sector has become a leading contributor to national and regional economic growth, both internationally and in South Africa. Synonymous with the knowledge-based economy is the dependence of this sector on innovation and highly skilled human capital as drivers of competitiveness and development. As a result, the role of universities as producers of knowledge and educated labour has received much attention. The perceived geographic “footloose” nature of knowledge-based industries has also led some to believe in their potential to reduce the disparities between cities and small towns or peripheral locations. Evidence show, however, that knowledge-based service industries still tend to cluster in major metropolitan areas. Though the importance of the knowledge-based service sector has been acknowledged by academics and government, a lack of empirical research still exist on the decision-making processes determining the choice of location of South African companies. Research has indicated the medium-sized town of Stellenbosch in South Africa to have a high level of growth potential. The town is also the location of a well-established IT and knowledge-based service sector. For the purpose of this study, a database was compiled of a research population of 329 knowledge-based service industries operational in Stellenbosch, after which surveys were distributed amongst the entire population. Data generated from 104 completed questionnaires provided a deepened understanding of the nature of these industries of which the majority is single-branch businesses situated in Stellenbosch due to the fact that it was the owners or key role players’ home town during the time of establishment. Other notable trends such as the growth in the number of international head offices in the knowledge-based service sector, the availability of highly skilled labour, and proximity to important clients, further highlights the reasoning behind the decision of knowledge-based companies to locate in Stellenbosch specifically. Finally, the existing linkages between Stellenbosch University and these industries - specifically the IT and engineering sector - receives attention.