Thesis (Ph. D.)--Columbia University, 1931. / Vita. Originally issued as Teachers college, Columbia university, Contributions to education, no. 477. This issue is identical except for different cover and the addition of vita. Cover title.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--York University, 2008. Graduate Programme in Political Science. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 378-413). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:NR39007

Magister Philosophiae - MPhil / In this study, I examine how women Parliamentarians understand their political influence within the South African Parliament and what environmental factors contribute to this understanding. Currently, South Africa is a global leader for the amount of women in Parliament and has been since the 1994 democratic transition. This study examines the formal and informal factors that South African women parliamentarians discuss as helping and hindering their political effectiveness.Aside from the work of Hassim (2003) and Pandor (1999), little academic research explores the experiences of women within South Africa’s Parliament. Considering this lack of research regarding women’s experiences within government, I selected a research method that would allow an open space for communication: semi-structured interviews with a qualitative feminist analysis. This study explores the opportunities and obstacles that the women perceived as affecting their political influence.The participant’s responses indicate that they perceive a high level of political influence, with some reservations. Four themes emerged as the leading environmental factors in contributing to the participant’s political efficacy: the 1994 democratic transition, the Parliament structure (formal and informal), the political party, and the role of gender.The informal structures of Parliament, such as socializing spaces, and gender stereotypes, such as the responsibility of women Parliamentarians for ‘women’s issues’, were discussed as the primary obstacles that hinder the women Parliamentarian’political influence.The participants felt that the attitudes of political parties regarding women’s role in Parliament was critical in facilitating their influence on the political agenda. The women Parliamentarians credited primarily the African National Congress (ANC) political party for framing and developing an atmosphere that mandated women’s strong participation in government and their positive perceptions of political influence. / South Africa

This dissertation examines the meaning of the symbol of liberation in public life within the new context of democracy in South Africa from a Black Theological perspective. It is broadly shaped by the following two main questions: <ul> (a) Is the symbol of “liberation” still the most appropriate one in designating the major goal of Black Theology in the present South African public life?</ul> <ul> (b) Is it possible to redefine “liberation” as a major goal of Black Theology in such a way that it would still be applicable in the present South African public life?</ul> To appropriate the meaning of the symbol of liberation and its possible redefinition, the architectonic content of the dissertation can be described as soteriological and ecclesiological. This means that in the first place, the soteriological architecture of liberation in shaping and mediating black experience and expectation provides an angle from which the classic tenets of Black Theology of liberation are illuminated and appropriated for our new context. In classic Black Theological understanding, salvation in Jesus Christ is evoked through the symbol of liberation. To liberate is to give life comprehensively in history, albeit not exclusively political, but comprehensive life as an affirmation of God’s own eschatological future beyond history. Liberation is still an appropriate, analectic root paradigm or organizing symbol that galvanizes the norms and principles of Black Theology for participation in public life. In second instance, the dissertation, alert to the unprecedented cultural consciousness since the 1990s, harnesses African ecclesio-political symbols of ikhaya and ubuhlanti to develop a Black Public Theology of liberation. This is executed in dialogue with the currency of the notions of reconstruction and development. The dissertation maintains that reconstruction and development in the main do not alter the essence of Black Theology of liberation, but provide its redefinition as a constructively impatient and insurgent discourse in a less-embittered mode in the present South African public life. The heuristic device of ubuhlanti (kraal) from which notions of amandla (power), ukudla (food), and inkundla (open assembly) are derived is employed to signify the reestablishment and anamnetic praxis of protological life-giving foundations upon which ipso facto publicity and democracy are founded from a Black Theological perspective. <p.The dissertation points to an alternative of a life-giving democracy, in essence a communication of efficacy, i.e. an instantiation of life in between the bonds of differentiated publics. It locates the instantiation of life in publicity in imvuselelo, a spirituality of solidarity in a politike koinonia of a subaltern culture in trenches of poverty, suffering and social death. Imvuselelo provides a well out of which Black Public Theology of liberation must drink for critical engagement with the state, economy, moral regeneration, HIV/AIDS, poverty, wealth, women and child abuse in public life. This architecture of Black Public Theology of liberation is in subaltern counter-publics which are the fireplace (iziko) of sanity, governance and harmony in circumstances of social death and the fragmentation of life by spheres that command beyond their “trusts,” “bonds,” and covenants in public life, khaya. / Thesis (PhD (Dogmatics and Christian Ethics))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Dogmatics and Christian Ethics / PhD / Unrestricted

Magister Legum - LLM / This thesis compared the status of women's political participation in Cameroon and South Africa through an assessment conducted against the backdrop key of international, regional and national human rights standards. The aim of this thesis was not only, to be conscious of women's absence in politics, but to also take steps to redefine sound strategies to implement gender equality in terms of the political participation of women on the part of governments. / South Africa

“An ordinary day on an ordinary street. Pedestrians pass on the sidewalks, children play near front doors, people sit on benches and steps, the postman makes his rounds with the mail, two passersby greet on the sidewalk, two mechanics repair a car, groups engage in conversation.”….. (Life Between Buildings, Jan Gehl) This mix of outdoor activities in public space is the main concern of design the better condition for daily life in the Älvsjö neighborhood (the area around the Stockholm international fairs center). Enhancing the quality of life and raising the tendency for living in this area, is one of the issues that this thesis is working with. Effort of this thesis is enhancing the quality of life in a neighborhood that has lots of good potentials, for ordinary life, and raising the children.

People's daily lives can be described as colorful, but they can likewise fall into a cyclical situation. Each person's daily journey between home and destination may be repeated through a number of urban spaces that are not necessarily interesting, but more or less in raising the frequency of visual fatigue. The relatively fast pace seen in the central city life and the energy of fighting for life can cause some pressure psychologically, and anxiety and irritation can follow. Although there is no shortage of larger parks or squares and other recreational areas in the city for people to relax, specific places and times do not cater to everyone all the time. The core idea of this project is to explore more possibilities of urban space to give people additional help in mental health by increasing the frequency of relaxation in daily life. Spatial interventions do not have to be huge or shaped. Perhaps a street light at night can provide a brief moment of solace and warmth. The possibilities of using urban spaces and the characteristics they possess have never been fully explored, some unnoticed corners, or how different spaces can make interesting connections with each other.

A vibrant place is abundant in energy and life. This vibrant energy comes from the presence of a great diversity of people performing a great diversity of activities. Vibrancy is an atmosphere we can intuitively feel in certain public spaces, and likewise we intuitively feel when a place is dead. This thesis investigates why some places are alive while others are dead, and dives into the relationship between planning ideology, the built environment, and the social environment. This is situated within the context of Umeå, the largest city in Northern Sweden. I study how planning ideology and practice has shaped Umeå by interviewing two key actors in Umeå’s post war development. I also conduct case studies of public life in four of Umeå’s neighbourhoods to explore how different urban forms facilitate or impede vibrant public life. I conclude by exploring how these neighbourhoods might be made into more vibrant communities. My findings indicate that Umeå’s post-war development aligns closely with the global Modernist trend of that era. This paradigm created monofunctional suburban neighbourhoods with detrimental impacts on vibrancy. These neighbourhoods are composed of public spaces which, in ideal weather, facilitate a great deal of leisure activity, but not much else. Furthermore, I find that vibrancy can be encouraged through diversity (as opposed to homogeneity) and integration (as opposed to segregation), and that by allowing for more diverse land uses and institutions which stay open at a wider variety of times (especially later into thenight), public life in Umeå’s suburban neighbourhoods can become more lively.

The great impact urbanized cities have on its people has been studied since the 1960s. This has created new methods to measure this impact. However, because of lack of knowledge on how to use these methods they are rarely used in the planning process of new spaces in practice. By concluding what each method provides to our understanding of public spaces, and how they can be further developed, we can create a more holistic and efficient planning-process regarding public spaces, while aiming for the important goal “To create cities fit for people”. In this study the focus will be on two existing methods: Space syntax and Jan Gehl’s method of observation. The motivation for these particular methods is their differences in their approach. The purpose of this study is “to get a deeper understanding of already existing urban planning methods in order to improve them for their purposes”. The purpose has been divided into three questions that will be answered: What are the differences between Space syntax and Jan Gehl’s method of observation? What can they provide in the study of public spaces’ effect on public life? If, then how can they contribute to each other in order to improve the methods separately for their purposes in the study of public spaces? To answer these questions, the objective will be to measure the impact of two public spaces on their public life by using the two methods. The results will be interpreted, compared and discussed for potential further development. Regarding what is the difference between the methods, it can be described as space syntax using the perspective of space and Jan Gehl the perspective of life. This leads to space syntax being concerned about how much the space encourages usage of it while Jan Gehl’s method of observation is focusing on the behaviour of the people using the space, for example who they are and what they do. Different representations for the methods become a result of this. When discussing what each method can provide to the study of public spaces, space syntax usefulness for comparing spaces to each other and making prognosis makes it adapted to choose an appropriate location for a new project. Jan Gehl method with its high amount of details can show the success of a space in practice.  Regarding what the methods can provide to each other in order to improve them: Space syntax is not entirely accurate to the observed flow of people, mostly derived from lack of input about important destinations. Therefore, one suggestion for improvement is to introduce important destinations as a variable.  The efficiency of space syntax can be integrated to the quality measurements of Jan Gehl’s method. By using computer programs to measure people’s behaviours, the time spending to observe and catalogue can decrease. However, surveillance has in history been used without people’s knowledge by the government and therefore it is very important for ethical reasons to get the general public’s approval before using these strategies.

Four years after the opening of Täby Torg, the municipality is already investigating what has led to the square often being empty. The design were meant to inspire social activity and turn Täby Torg into a place where the inhabitants of Täby would gather. This never happened, and this thesis project will, in collaboration with the municipality, aim to deepen the knowledge of why this public space is not working as intended. What can be done to transform this square into the vital core of urban public life that the people can feel proud of?