Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study undertakes a broad exploration of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process in South Africa through a case study analysis of the N2 Gateway Project, a low cost housing project of the new housing policy, Breaking New Ground (BNG). This study of the housing situation in South Africa is done to provide some context on informal settlements and shows why this is a significant social issue in post-apartheid South Africa. The main housing policies are discussed in order to indicate how the South African government attempts to address the housing challenges in the country, and more specifically, in the Western Cape. The overview is useful in gaining perspective about the nature of this process, including reasons why EIAs take such a long time to complete and how the effectiveness of these are determined. The key challenges and benefits of EIAs are discussed together with an analysis of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) tool. The case study analysis reveals how the EIA was not conducted in a proper way during the planning and implementation phases of the project. Together with this, various other significant matters of the project are highlighted because of the controversial nature of this project. The study reveals that it is not necessarily EIAs that are the cause of delays in the implementation of low cost housing projects, but that poor planning, fast tracking of the EIA process and completing the EIA too late in the planning procedure of the project are the main contributing factors causing the delays. The recommendations given are based on these findings, which indicate that the environmental authorization processes ought to be incorporated at a much earlier stage in the pipeline of the planning procedure, as well as transparent and more clearly defined roles should be established from the start. Better project management is also required and participation and communication between all the stakeholders involved should be given due attention. The study argues that the use of SEA can be very helpful and should be used to ensure that the proper planning mechanisms are in place. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die navorsing stel deur ʼn gevallestudie ondersoek in na die Omgewingsimpakassessering (OIA) van „n lae-koste behuising projek bekend as die N2 Gateway Projek in die Wes-Kaap provinsie, as deel van die regering se behuisingsbeleid bekend as Breaking New Ground. (BNG). Hierdie studie oor die omstandighede van die behuisingsituasie in Suid-Afrika is gdoen om konteks te gee oor informe nedersettings en te wys waarom dit ʼn belangrike onderwerp in post-apartheid Suid-Afrika is. Die belangrikste beleidstukke oor behuising word bespreek om te wys hoedat die Suid-Afrikaans regering die behuisingsuitdagings in die land aanspreek, mer spesifiek in die Wes-Kaap. Hierdie oorsig is waardevol om perspektief oor die aard van die proses te gee, wat onder andere die redes insluit waarom OIAs so ʼn lang tyd neem om te voltooi en om ook te wys hoe die effektiwiteit van laasgenoemde bepaal word. Die kern uitdagings en voordele van OIAs word bespreek sowel as ʼn analise van die wat bekend staan as strategiese omgewings assessering (SOA) instrument. Die analise van die gevallestudie wys hoedat die OIAs nie op die gepasde wyse gedurende die beplannings- en implementerings fases van die projek gedoen is nie. Hiermee saam is verskeie ander betekenisvolle faktore van die projek uitgelig as gevolg van die kontroversiële aard van die projek. Die studie kom tot die gevolgtrekking dat dit nie noodwendig die OIAs is wat die vertraging in die implementering van dié lae koste behuisingsprojek tot gevolg gehad het nie. Die belangrikste faktore wat tot daartoe bygedra het, kan eerder aan swak beplanning, die versnelling van die OIA proses en die voltooiing van die OIA eers teen die einde van die projek toegeskryf word. Die aanbevelings wat gemaak word geskied teen dié agtergrond. Dit behels onder andere dat die OIA-proses vir die goedkeuring van die projek veel vroeër in die beplannings proses gedoen moes word. Te same hiermee moes daar baie duideliker aanwysings gewees het oor wie verantwoordelikheid vir uitvoering van spesifieke take moes ontvang. Beter kommunikasie en deelname van die verskillende partye wat by die projek betrokke was, is verder ʼn voorvereiste wanneer soortgelyke projekte aangepak gaan word. Die gebruik van die SOA instrument is ook belangrik en behoort in projekte soos die N2 Gateway gebruik te word sodat daar beter beplanning gedoen kan word.

The South African economy is faced with a number of challenges as an upper-middle income country that is highly resource-intensive, with an open economy. It has a number of developmental goals that must be achieved in order to maintain environmentally conscious sustainable development. The country will have to find pioneering ways to address the poverty problems faced by a large proportion of its people, while still ensuring economic growth at a reduced cost to the environment. In an effort to promote the shift to a “green” economy, the South African state and its related entities have developed a number of incentive programmes aimed at easing the transition. These incentives primarily support businesses in their efforts to become more energy-efficient, or to convert to renewable energy sources. The objective of this study is to critically evaluate what the South African government is doing with regard to environmental instruments aimed at assisting the country to reduce carbon emissions. This case study follows a quantitative approach, considering the financial effects that the different environmental instruments could have on South African manufacturers. Through the study the researcher will be able to make certain recommendations to businesses in the manufacturing industry who are interested in investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency. The results of the study will also give the researcher insight into the South African environmental incentives, which will allow him to make informed comments on the proposals that government has tabled regarding future environmental taxes and incentives. The research questions that the researcher tried to answer were based on the current and future policy measures that the South African government has implemented, or will implement, in order to move the country to a low-emissions trajectory. These policies were then also compared to international measures in order to determine if the policies chosen by the South African government are appropriate for the this country’s economy. This study has led the researcher to discover a number of issues relating to the status of environmental policy in South Africa. These discoveries have allowed him to make certain recommendations to businesses investing in this realm, as well as to government which develops these policy measures. The main findings of the study are that with the assistance of the South African government and related entities, investments in renewable energy have become viable. When considering the current status of South African environmental policy, the researcher has also come to realise that the country is lagging behind the rest of the world with regard to policy development. The South African economy is unique, thus policies have to be structured in a way that will not be detrimental to the country.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / The sustainability of a human settlement is a multidimensional problem, dealing not only with settlement spatial or housing dimensions, but also with spatial characteristics, geographic location, environmental considerations, economic viability, institutional capacity, human development, and social relationships and aspirations. With the ability to address spatial restructuring, effect integration and optimise the use of infrastructure, the South African government, through its New Comprehensive Plan for the Creation of Sustainable Human Settlements, promulgated in 2004, has identified integrated residential development, essentially comprising medium-density mixeduse housing opportunities, as the core contributor to the creation of sustainable human settlements. Through its land release programmes, government seeks to stimulate the development of integrated and sustainable human settlements. The evaluation criteria applied in the assessment of development proposals however differ between the various spheres of government. The criteria evaluating the inherent sustainability of a development proposal have not been evident in the literature review of the advertised proposals. With no overall assessment framework in place to assess the overall sustainability of integrated residential development projects, there has been an evident lack of consistency in the evaluation of such proposals. Furthermore, the lack of consistency and the lack of a consistently applied evaluation framework does not allow for adequate monitoring and evaluation after development. The aim of this investigation was to facilitate the development of an appropriate and adaptable framework that can guide government in evaluating an integrated residential development proposal in terms of its sustainability and the extent to which it endeavours to achieve government’s desired outcomes. An empirical study was conducted through evaluation research and comparative studies to investigate the indicators informing the creation of sustainable and integrated residential developments. Primary data were acquired through questionnaires to targeted public and private sector stakeholders involved in integrated residential developments, and were supplemented by a literature review on the aspects informing the sustainability of housing development. The research found that there is a lack of consistency and integration in the evaluation of proposals for integrated residential developments. Similarly, the key aspects and means of measuring sustainability were found not to be integrated into the evaluation process. The degree to which a development proposal was considered to be sustainable therefore is, and will remain, unknown until it is researched. Without the ability to measure the level of perceived sustainability pre- and post-implementation of development proposals, and with cognizance of the newness of integrated residential developments as a housing model, it is doubtful whether there will be progress towards the realisation of ideal sustainable human settlements. To facilitate the realisation of sustainable human settlements, the proposed framework seeks to establish a consistent means of evaluating an integrated residential development proposal pre- and post-development.

Bibliography / Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study attempted to present a nuanced perspective on the frames of mind of teachers regarding the term sustainable development and the way it impacts on their educational practices. In the study, the researcher investigated the frames of mind of six Grade nine teachers teaching the Social Sciences and Natural Sciences learning areas at three different high schools in the Stellenbosch vicinity. The research report comprises two components, namely (a) a theoretical-philosophical component, and (b) an empirical component. The aim of the theoretical component was to explore the idea of “sustainable development as a frame of mind” critically. This was done firstly, by emphasizing the controversial nature of the term sustainable development, secondly, to present more clarity on the term frame of mind, and lastly, to integrate the two concepts by discussing the potential and development of “sustainable development as a frame of mind”, as well as the implications this has for education. Against the background of frames of mind and sustainable development, I critically analysed the South African curriculum statements of the Social Sciences and Natural Sciences learning areas for Grade nine, in order to determine which frames of mind regarding the phenomenon under investigation are most dominant within the statements. Teachers are confronted with these statements on a regular basis and the assumption is that frames of mind prevalent in the statements might have an impact on their frames of mind. This assumption was further explored in the interviews that were conducted with teachers, in an attempt not only to determine their frames of mind, but also to understand these. Therefore, it was important to determine the possible influences (experiences, role players, reading materials, etc.) that played a role (or are still playing) in the shaping of their frames of mind as these factors might serve as important points of departure in offering suggestions and recommendations for in-service teachers as well as for pre-service teachers. This study served as a confirmation of the controversy regarding the term sustainable development and the effect it has on teachers and the education system itself. The study also shows that the possibility of “sustainable development as a frame of mind” is locked up in the complexity of this idea. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie het ten doel gehad om ’n genuanseerde perspektief te bied van onderwysers se denkraamwerke aangaande die term volhoubare ontwikkeling en die invloed wat dit op hul opvoedkundige praktyke het. Tydens die studie is die denkraamwerke van ses graad 9-onderwysers aan drie verskillende hoërskole in die Stellenbosch-omgewing aangaande volhoubare ontwikkeling binne die Sosiale Wetenskappe en Natuurwetenskappe ondersoek. Die navorsingsverslag bestaan dus uit twee komponente, naamlik (a) ’n teoreties-filosofiese komponent en (b) ’n empiriese komponent. Met betrekking tot die teoretiese komponent is daar beoog om die gedagte van “volhoubare ontwikkeling as ’n denkraamwerk” te verken deur dit krities te ondersoek. Dit is gedoen deur eerstens die omstredenheid ten opsigte van die term te beklemtoon, tweedens meer duidelikheid omtrent die term denkraamwerk te verkry en laastens om die twee begrippe te integreer deur die moontlikheid en ontwikkeling van “volhoubare ontwikkeling as ’n denkraamwerk” sowel as die implikasies wat dit vir die onderwys inhou, te bespreek. Wat betref denkraamwerke en volhoubare ontwikkeling, is daar verder beoog om die Suid-Afrikaanse kurrikulumverklarings ten opsigte van die leerareas Sosiale Wetenskappe en Natuurwetenskappe vir graad nege krities te analiseer om te bepaal watter denkraamwerke aangaande die verskynsel hierdie verklarings oorwegend onderlê. Onderwysers word op ’n daaglikse basis met hierdie verklarings gekonfronteer en die aanname is dat denkraamwerke wat daarin voorkom, ’n impak op hul denkraamwerke as sodanig sal hê. Hierdie aanname is verder verken in die onderhoude wat met onderwysers gevoer is waar daar nie net gepoog is om hul denkraamwerke te bepaal nie, maar ook om dit te verstaan. Dit was dus belangrik om die moontlike invloede (ervarings, rolspelers, leesstof, ens.) iii wat ’n rol in die vorming van hul denkraamwerke gespeel het (of steeds speel), te bepaal aangesien hierdie faktore as belangrike vertrekpunte dien tydens die ontwikkeling van voorstelle en aanbevelings vir onderwysers-in-diens sowel as onderwysers-in-opleiding. Die studie dien as ’n bevestiging van die omstredenheid ten opsigte van die term volhoubare ontwikkeling en die uitwerking wat dit op onderwysers en die onderwysstelsel self het. Die studie toon ook dat die moontlikheid van “volhoubare ontwikkeling as ’n denkraamwerk” in die kompleksiteit van hierdie gedagte opgesluit lê.

published_or_final_version / Urban Planning / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

An analysis of drainage channel stability in urbanizing watersheds was completed in this study for areas in Pima County, Arizona. Existing channel geometry and longitudinal slope were compared to original design channel geometry and longitudinal slope. Original design channels existed in undeveloped watersheds. Information on current amounts and types of development were gathered for each channel location as well as current channel geometry and longitudinal slope. The analysis of these data showed a significant relationship between basin urbanization and reduced channel stability.

This dissertation discusses three questions of development and environmental economics. First, it assesses the impact of mineral mining on the health and wealth of households in local communities across 44 developing countries, using micro data. Secondly, it presents evidence from a randomized controlled trial on the cost-shared provision of well-water tests for arsenic. Finally, it analyzes measurement error in a satellite night light data product widely used in development research, and investigates the scope for using the data in very high spatial resolution.

Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 83 pages / Thesis (M.A.)--University of South Florida, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: Issues related to women, environment and development constitute a major global concern today. Women's roles as agents of change in the environment has increasingly become the focus of both research and policy concerns. Environmental resource management is directly linked to development, and this makes it crucial to examine the activities of women more closely. Women's role in the management of natural resources assumes a multidimensional nature. Unfortunately, the central and crucial role that women play is often both overlooked and unappreciated, rendering them invisible and greatly diminishing their contribution as both producers and active agents in sustainable development. One of the arguments central to this thesis is that rural women's connections to the physical world can inform feminist theory as well as broader policy frameworks. / Their knowledge and experiences can and should be fundamental in devising programs for sustainable development. Case studies are central to this thesis because they provide specific situations and issues and lend a concrete material reality to the topics under discussion. They point to the multidimensional and multifunctional nature of women's roles in natural resource management in addition to highlighting the diverse constraints that women face. Case studies help identify strategies that could be applied to facilitate sustainable development efforts by presenting us with tangible situations rather than dealing with the abstract. / Clearly, this thesis has not covered the entire scope of issues that need to be addressed in the women, environment and development debate. Nor are the suggested strategies for enhancing women&softsign;s role as environmental resource managers exhaustive. Nonetheless, it is my hope that this thesis serves as a beginning for what constitute some of the key issues when engaging with the women, environment and development debate. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

This thesis examines the concept of sustainability and the implications of large-scale hydroelectric development for the sustainability of communities in the Canadian portion of the Columbia River Basin. A literature review of sustainability provides a background for discussion and a working definition of sustainability is proposed for consideration throughout the study. An overview of the Canadian experience with hydro development and its ecological, social and economic impacts provides a context within which to consider issues related to sustainability. The Columbia River Basin is the setting of a case study of sustainability and hydro development in British Columbia. The Kootenay region has been affected by extensive hydro projects since the early 1900s on the Kootenay River and most significantly by large dams built on the Columbia system as a result of the Columbia River Treaty. Communities in the Kootenays have borne a large share of the impacts of these dams. The resulting degradation of fisheries, wildlife and forests has jeopardized the integrity of the region’s resource base and its capability to enhance the quality of life of those living within the Columbia River drainage basin. Future hydroelectric planning should address the sustainability of the ecological, social and economic systems affected by this land use change and ensure that local communities are included in project decision-making. Increased awareness of the consequences of large-scale hydro projects during planning stages may enable sustainable development to occur.

This thesis examines pond aquaculture as a development strategy in the Philippines, with particular reference to its impact on the local environment and the livelihoods of local people. / A theoretical framework is provided by recent literature in development studies and human geography, which attempts to move away from an essentialist and ethnocentric development praxis, and towards a locally-based, participatory process of empowerment. From the perspective of such 'alternative' development ideas, orthodox strategies involving modernization, formalization of economic activities, and resource mobilization, can be reassessed. / The promotion of pond aquaculture--and the widespread mangrove deforestation associated with it--is shown to be a strategy endorsed and supported by national and international development agencies. What is often overlooked, however, is the local ecological and economic importance of mangrove ecosystems. This study examines the effects of mangrove removal and fishpond development on the entitlements of people in three coastal communities in the Philippines. Aquacultural development is shown to have detrimental effects on the integrity of the coastal ecosystem and the livelihoods of certain groups of local residents; a rich common property resource is converted into a privately-owned system of cultivation. While benefits accrue to those with access to the capital necessary for the construction of fishponds, the costs of development are borne largely by mangrove gatherers and artisanal fisherfolk, whose share of a diminishing resource base is steadily declining. For these marginal groups, aquaculture is shown to provide few compensating economic benefits. / The study supports, through concrete local evidence, the criticisms made of orthodox approaches to development, and the need to construct attitudes and strategies which are more attuned to local sustainability and equity.