ABSTRACT This thesis explores change in place, and particularly the social tensions that arise from change in peri-urban communities. In this study, a review of relevant literature indicates that rural/urban fringe areas are dynamic places, as pressure for the conversion of rural land uses to rural residential function creates social and economic anxiety. With pressure for change, tensions between people, both inside and outside of the local community become more clearly articulated, as change for some members of the community is an un-welcomed progression. Others, who may have no association with the local community, grasp the opportunity for change, particularly if financial return is the end reward. This study considers various approaches to the analysis of these changes in place and develops a methodology that reveals the social dimension of change, and more particularly the tensions associated with shifting land use patterns and changing demographic characteristics in the peri-urban location of Matangi.

The urban/peri-urban phenomenon is frequently studied as a territorial landscape for urban expansion, and a good deal of scholarship chronicles aspects of land annexation, housing construction, and infrastructure. But the question of how peri-urban water resources have been reallocated to serve urban needs has not received sufficient scholarly attention. Peri-urban water reallocation demands examination in arid regions where water is a critical resource. Mexico's northwest region represents one of the most critical examples; the most-drought prone region in Mexico, it is characterized by over-drafted groundwater sources and rapid urban growth. In this research, based on the case of Hermosillo, Sonora, I develop three distinct, yet related themes to examine the peri-urban phenomenon.First, this work draws on the notion of the "hydrosocial cycle" (Swyngedouw, 2004) to examine geographies of power at the urban-rural interface. Following Swyngedouw, we argue that urban water augmentation strategies reveal a distinct set of urban-rural relations of uneven social power where peri-urban water resources are "metabolized" in urban areas, reflecting the demands of powerful, politically connected urban individuals and populations over more disparate and marginalized rural producers. The Hermosillo case indicates that small-scale farming communities or ejidos are the most vulnerable water users because of their lack of political power in the governmental decision making process.Second, in this work, I examine how peri-urban rural livelihoods have been reshaped by cities' water reallocation causing ejidatarios in many cases to lose their livelihoods, but without creating new urban jobs as an alternative means of subsistence, resulting in a net negative outcome for ejido members.Finally, this research evaluates the land use/cover change dynamics and their effects in the peri-urban area of the city of Hermosillo. This study demonstrates that urban expansion causes at least two other types of land use/cover changes (LUCC) beyond the urban fringe that are not usually considered in LUCC studies. The research demonstrates that urban expansion in the peri-urban land is a broader and more complex phenomenon than previously understood and examines how water transfers act as a driver of land use/cover change.

In developing countries, cities are rapidly expanding, and urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) has an important role in feeding a growing urban population. However, UPA carries risks of zoonotic disease transmission. This study aims to understand the characteristics of UPA in Kampala, Uganda and the zoonotic risks to humans. Following a general overview of the subject in Chapter 1, Chapter 2 describes the determination of urban, peri-urban and rural areas of the Kampala economic zone and socio-economical characteristics of the peri-urban interface compared with the urban and rural counter parts using the Village Characteristic Survey in 87 randomly selected Local Councils (LC1s). Chapter 3 describes the characteristics of UPA in Kampala and found both the contribution of agriculture to the livelihood and risks of zoonoses were high. In Chapter 4, the most important zoonotic diseases affecting populations living in urban and peri-urban areas in Kampala were identified; brucellosis, GI infections, Mycobacterium bovis tuberculosis and Taenia solium cycticercosis based on investigations using the medical records of Mulago National Referral Hospital. Chapter 5 describes a series of case-control studies of the identified most important zoonoses using a spatial approach. The risks of identified zoonoses might be homogenously high at all levels of urbanicity. Brucellosis appeared to be the most significant disease. Chapter 6 investigates brucellosis further, with an epidemiological investigation into the prevalence of the disease in milking cows and a quantitative analysis of the level of infection in milk for sale in and around Kampala. The prevalence was 6.2% (95%CI: 2.7-9.8) at the herd level. Chapter 7 describes the risk analysis for purchase raw milk infected with Brucella abortus in urban areas of Kampala. A quantitative milk distribution model was developed synthesizing the results from the cattle survey and interviews with milk sellers. The infection rates of milk at sale obtained from milk testing and cattle survey were multiplied to this model to present distribution of the risk. 11.7% of total milk consumed in urban Kampala was infected when purchased and the risk management analysis found the most effective control option for human brucellosis was construction of milk boiling centres either in Mbarara, the largest dairy production area in Uganda, or in peri-urban areas of Kampala.

Master of Science in Engineering - Engineering / Inadequate drainage in dense peri-urban settlements in South Africa is a significant problem endangering the public and environmental health and of particular concern are the downstream watercourses, which are a source of drinking water supply, a scarce resource. The objective of this research was to identify appropriate solutions within the limited scope of technical and financial feasibility with reference to Alexandra west bank as a case study area. The findings show that three physical site conditions hamper the application of onsite drainage approaches in Alexandra west bank Township, the case study area. They are: Congestion, due to haphazard development patterns, High drainage flow generation resulting from high population densities and the predominantly impermeable surface area due to intensive site development, and Poorly draining soils Congestion, high densities and intensive site development are characteristics common to low-income settlements in South Africa, and they result in lack of space availability for storage facilities, and interference with nature’s ability to retard, retain and infiltrate significant quantities of the storm runoff flows. Poor soil drainage capabilities, which is more specific to study area would result in a slow rate of exfiltration of drainage flows that would in turn cause ponding and the associated health hazards. Estimates of drainage flows generated from the study area as determined from field observations, flow measurements and computer simulation techniques indicate that if the minimum rate of production of just the wastewater component of the drainage flows is taken, which is approximately 37m3/ha/day, it exceeds the rate recommended for safe onsite management of drainage flows by almost four times. Three off-site drainage system arrangements were compared on the basis of the cost of outfall pipe drains sized according to conservative design procedures, and it was found that the combined sullage and storm water drains with separate sewage (black water) drainage system arrangement is more economical than the commonly practiced approach of separate storm and combined sewage and sullage drainage system arrangement.

This thesis studies peri-urban landscapes (the landscape between the rural and urban setting), which has until recently gained little attention in academia and even less in planning practice and policy. This is largely due to a general view of these landscapes as something transient that will be developed in the future. However, some research has recognised these landscapes as important for the leisure and recreation of urban and suburban dwellers. Thus, this thesis is concerned with the current state of the peri-urban landscape, its characteristics and drivers of change with a focus on accessibility. Accordingly, the interest of the study lies in exploring people’s landscape perceptions and uses in relation to the accessibility of periurban areas and how they change over time. The focus of this thesis is Ljubljana and Edinburgh; these two cities have been selected as the case studies in order to elucidate the spatial and social patterns of the space on the edge of the city. The thesis centres on the perspective of inner-city dwellers’ perceptions, use of, and accessibility to peri-urban green spaces. Guided by the sense of place theory and the landscape planning approach, empirical work is at the heart of this research. A mixed-method approach, comprising questionnaire and focus groups with inner-city dwellers, interviews with authorities and planners and GIS-based analysis, is applied to gain new knowledge of inner-city dwellers’ relationship with periurban green spaces. The research found that people greatly value the established peri-urban green spaces, which have a variety of meanings for them, varying according to people’s socio-demographic and cultural characteristics. Furthermore, the appreciation of extensive semi-natural green spaces and green corridors has been shown to be universal and may imply some clues for further spatial planning of these areas. Conversely, people in general did not use the areas with low intrinsic value that are perceived as messy, ambiguous, etc. It appears that these spaces have lost their sense of place and therefore they are under threat of further development. Their future should thus be considered within long-term planning goals, in order to ensure environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive development.

Abstract Peri-urban areas experience many land related problems and disputes because of rural-urban migration and increasing demand in land. The purpose of this thesis is to identify and describe the land problems and their related disputes that exist in two peri-urban areas surrounding the capital of Botswana, Gaborone. Two land boards administering these areas are studied in order to draw conclusions if there are any improvements that can be made to make the administration of land more effective.   The methods used in this thesis include: a literature review on previous made research to gain sufficient background and knowledge in the subject and a multiple case study to identify the most occurring land problems and how these are handled in the villages of Mogoditshane and Tlokweng. The case study included qualitative interviews with land board officers and experts within the studied subject.   The result from the literature review and the case studies shows similar result when it comes to land problems faced in Mogoditshane and Tlokweng. Common problems such as illegal occupations and multiple transfers lead to disputes over the right to land. The administration of handling these problems differ between the studied land boards as well as the approaches to resolving disputes that arises. For instance in Tlokweng they patrol the village in order to reveal illegal occupations. In the same land board they have also adopted the approach with alternative dispute resolution to reduce number of disputes entering the legal process.   It seems that one of the main causes for the land problems that occur in these areas is poor record keeping. Besides the improvements regarding record keeping, that is already in progress, this study has reached the conclusion that there are several measures that can be taken to make the management of land problems and related disputes more effective. The problem with shortage of land, which is another cause for land problems, could be reduced by an effective and unanimous land allocation process. Further we believe that by training both officers and board members in alternative dispute resolution methods and adopting an approach to try to resolve disputes before becoming a legal matter, will reduce costs as well as save time in the land administration.

Encompassing both urban and rural processes, the peri-urban interface (PUI) provides a unique and challenging arena for environmental management. As the urban core expands, the PUI industrializes and urbanizes, undergoing rapid social, economic, and environmental changes. One of the results of this transformation is often an increase in pollutants and environmental degradation. In the twenty years since the initiation of its reforms towards a more market-oriented economy, Vietnam has seen significant growth, much of this occurring within the industrial sector in and around urban hubs such as Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). Rapid urbanization and industrialization has occurred with limited control, and a trend has emerged where industrial activity has moved out of the urban core and into the PUI. Despite ongoing efforts, the government of Vietnam, as in other Asian countries, is unable to fully regulate firms illegally releasing untreated and often highly polluted wastewater. The result is that farmers in HCMC’s PUI must now contend with lower crop yields or even failures – and food safety concerns due to an influx of pollutants in irrigation waters. Combining a rights-based approach and a good governance approach, this research describes the constraints on both farmers and government officials that prevent a resolution of farmers’ pollution problems. These constraints are argued to stem from systemic water governance issues in Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam. They include poor communication between farmers and government officials, limited farmer participation in water management, a lack of integration between government agencies, little government accountability and transparency, and water management priorities that favour economic growth over environmental health. It is argued that strengthening farmers’ water rights could address these issues. However using a rights based approach would first require addressing gender inequities in community affairs, institutional changes to ensure the recognition of farmers’ rights in practice, compensating those harmed by pollution, and educating farmers on the legal system and the water rights it provides. In addition to addressing a general lack of literature on water governance in Vietnam, this research has implications for literature regarding peri-urban environmental management, good water governance, and the rights based approach. This research suggests that the challenges present in the PUI exacerbate and thus illuminate poor water governance practices that extend beyond the local scale. It also suggests that water rights be used as a possible platform to achieve good water governance. Lastly, it explores the potential challenges of implementing a rights based approach.

Encompassing both urban and rural processes, the peri-urban interface (PUI) provides a unique and challenging arena for environmental management. As the urban core expands, the PUI industrializes and urbanizes, undergoing rapid social, economic, and environmental changes. One of the results of this transformation is often an increase in pollutants and environmental degradation. In the twenty years since the initiation of its reforms towards a more market-oriented economy, Vietnam has seen significant growth, much of this occurring within the industrial sector in and around urban hubs such as Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). Rapid urbanization and industrialization has occurred with limited control, and a trend has emerged where industrial activity has moved out of the urban core and into the PUI. Despite ongoing efforts, the government of Vietnam, as in other Asian countries, is unable to fully regulate firms illegally releasing untreated and often highly polluted wastewater. The result is that farmers in HCMC’s PUI must now contend with lower crop yields or even failures – and food safety concerns due to an influx of pollutants in irrigation waters. Combining a rights-based approach and a good governance approach, this research describes the constraints on both farmers and government officials that prevent a resolution of farmers’ pollution problems. These constraints are argued to stem from systemic water governance issues in Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam. They include poor communication between farmers and government officials, limited farmer participation in water management, a lack of integration between government agencies, little government accountability and transparency, and water management priorities that favour economic growth over environmental health. It is argued that strengthening farmers’ water rights could address these issues. However using a rights based approach would first require addressing gender inequities in community affairs, institutional changes to ensure the recognition of farmers’ rights in practice, compensating those harmed by pollution, and educating farmers on the legal system and the water rights it provides. In addition to addressing a general lack of literature on water governance in Vietnam, this research has implications for literature regarding peri-urban environmental management, good water governance, and the rights based approach. This research suggests that the challenges present in the PUI exacerbate and thus illuminate poor water governance practices that extend beyond the local scale. It also suggests that water rights be used as a possible platform to achieve good water governance. Lastly, it explores the potential challenges of implementing a rights based approach.

Urban areas in Ethiopia have been growing very quickly in recent decades, which haveled to ever increasing demand for land in peri-urban areas for housing and other nonagriculturalactivities. This has had several transformative impacts on the transitionalperi-urban, areas including engulfment of local communities and conversion of landrights and use from an agricultural to a built-up property rights system. Peri-urban areasalso display all forms of competition for land among people of diverse backgrounds.Research on the challenges of urbanization in peri-urban land tenure system and theongoing changes in Ethiopia is limited, and the situations and actors interested in periurbanland are constantly changing. Therefore, the purpose of this research is toinvestigate the challenges imposed on peri-urban land rights as a result of the growingdemand for land for urbanization. The project also encompasses an attempt to discoverthe process of informal transaction and development of peri-urban land and the principalactors involved. The study comprises a summary essay and four articles which were conducted using casestudy and desk review research approaches. Following the case study tradition, acombination of different data collection instruments such as questionnaires, FGDs, keyinformant interviews (both structured and open-ended) and direct field observations wasemployed to collect research data from the case study areas. Bahir Dar CityAdministration was selected purposively as case study area at the first stage and two periurbanvillages, Weramit and Zenzelima, were selected from Bahir Dar CityAdministration at the second stage of the case study area selection process. The research has revealed that urbanization and urban development in Ethiopia areaccompanied by contentious land tenure changes which favor the urbanities above localperi-urban communities. As a result, urbanization has precipitated a wave ofdispossession and proliferation of informal settlements in peri-urban areas. Thus,addressing the challenges of urbanization and its effect on the land rights of local periurbancommunities requires the introduction of an inclusive and participatory landdevelopment tool like land readjustment, which can encourage voluntary contribution ofland for urbanization by the local peri-urban landholders themselves. / <p>QC 20150114</p>

This study aimed to examine what role and how the agriculture will be affected in a periurban environment as by the comprehensive plan that the municipal has established for the Röbäck area. The study tried to value the importance and role for the agriculture today and in the future. The methods of this study were interviews with farmers, inhabitants and workers of Röbäck, businesses and a sports club based on two types of interviews one survey-based with fixed questions and one in-depth interview with farmers. The municipal comprehensive plan and accompanying environmental impact assessment along relevant literature and the statistical database from Jordbruksverket were used to extract and compile data. The results show that the fields in and surrounding Röbäck contained good agricultural values and the ability to maintain of self-sufficiency in Västerbottens county is low. In the interviews with farmers the fear of not being able to use the farmland as before as a result of complaints on dust, noises, smells and rules on spreading fertilizers and pesticides raised a concern. The interviews showed that people living in Röbäck liked the combination of being close to Umeå city centrum as well as living close to the nature and the open landscapes, but few saw the link between the agriculture in Röbäck and these. The report concludes that the issue is complex and depends on whose interest should go first. There were both positive and negative outcomes of the plan in all the three pillars of sustainability