In this thesis I have developed a general concept of outdoor recreation in river basins, and where possible, have applied this study to the Upper Berg River Basin. The formulation of a physical plan for the development of the outdoor recreation areas, is beyond the· scope of this thesis. The comprehensive, local statistical. data to be collected, analysed and synthesized for this purpose would take a team of planners, months, if not years; to complete.

Bibliography: pages 158-178. / Over the years, recreation opportunities in South Africa have been subject to increasing visitor use and pressure from widespread environmental changes. There has been growing imbalance between recreation opportunities in more and less developed environments. As a result conflicts have arisen between different user groups. The "Cederberg Controversy" demonstrates the need for a redefined, comprehensive recreation planning framework to resolve such conflicts. Traditional recreation planning approaches have not provided a suitable framework. By comparison, the Recreation Opportunity Spectrum concept has considerable potential for aiding recreation planners in South Africa. An application of principles of the Recreation Opportunity Spectrum concept, and closer analysis, reveal that the concept is limited. An extension to the concept is proposed whereby the goal of visitor satisfaction is supplemented by a policy declaration to maintain diverse recreation opportunities. Whenever the consequences of a decision affecting the supply of recreation opportunities are irreversible, the maintenance of diversity should take precedence over visitor demand.

Th is document is submitted in partial fulfi lment for the degree: Master of Architecture [Professional] at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, in the year 2013. / A child’s world is one of imagination; of toys, play and stories. A child’s world is a world of its own with specific needs, which, if not met, will have long-lasting consequences into adult life. This is the unfortunate reality of children growing up in Hillbrow and Berea without opportunities for proper development and learning. It is through play that a child develops and learns to cope with his environment. This project therefore takes as its subject matter the place of play for city children. It constructs an argument for the ‘playscape’ which encompasses both, the spaces in which children (and adults) are invited to play as well as the idea of landscape which, from the start has been central to child design. This thesis proposes a ‘toy library’ within a larger park of play. It is a design of a child’s world and a world of play, characterised architecturally by playfulness and functionally serving the children, teachers and parents of Berea and Hillbrow.

A dissertation of limited scope submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the course-work degree of Masters of Recreation and Tourism in the Centre for Recreation and Tourism at The University of Zululand, 2003. / This study is conducted with a view that the provision of tourism and recreation attractions contributes greatly to the social, physical and economic development in the Stanger-Mthunzini Districts. The study is also carried out with a view that tourism has a great potential of boosting the economy of the study area and the entire country of South Africa. The study has therefore operated with the following objectives in mind: • To determine the adequacy of tourist attractions and service facilities in the study area. • To investigate the extent to which members of the local community are aware of the existence of the tourist attractions. • To find out the nature of tourist participation patterns within the study area. • To establish the extent to which members of the local community benefit from the availability of tourist attractions. • To examine if there is any co-operation between the managers of attractions, developers and the members of the local community. • To establish the level of involvement of the local community in tourism related decision-making Pursuant to the listed objectives, this study identified related hypotheses towards finding answers to the research question. The method of collecting, analysing and interpreting data involved computer manipulation of data utilising the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The findings of this study reveal that most of the stated objectives were met. The study revealed that most members of the local community do not associate the development initiatives with their immediate needs. They see the presence of the existing attractions as not benefiting them in any significant manner. It was also established that the members of the local community do not use local attractions extensively, due to the lack of exposure to them and the fact that most of the people in the study are not highly educated. Respondents revealed that most of them are employed to do manual work in the sugar-cane plantations. The conditions under which they work, leave them with neither adequate financial resources nor time to participate in recreation activities. In terms of behaviour and attitudes, the study indicated that the members of the local community have negative feelings towards the provision of tourist recreation. The reasons usually given were that they were not invited to participate in decision-making. Other respondents claimed that they were driven away from the land they originally occupied and owned, for purposes of constructing some of the tourist attractions. Some recommendations have been made to improve the way in which the members of the local community perceive the attractions in their locality. These include doing public awareness of these attractions, involving the members of the local community in decision-making, providing them with employment. The government should play a role in developing and empowering the youth and women by equipping them with skills required in the tourism industry.

This dissertation represents one of the limited South African studies that attempts to estimate the recreational value of the identified set of bathing beaches within the local municipal area of the Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB). More formally, this research presents the findings of selected stated preference study used for the monetary measurement of the benefits of the improvements to the NMB bathing coastlines. Using the choice experiment method, this dissertation examines the beach users’ preferences for beach management at various beaches in NMB. The choice experiment analysis was designed to elicit individuals’ willingness to pay for the selected changes. The results are used to assess the relative importance of each beach characteristic identified. The survey is implemented on the users of beaches in NMB. The beach characteristics or attributes by focus group discussions were namely (1) bathing water quality (2) public safety by means of visible policing (3) the presence of dog mess on beaches and (4) availability of lifeguards on duty. The monetary attribute selected by focus groups as most appropriate was an additional environmental water charge. The five attributes had varying levels, one corresponding to the current scenario (status quo) and the other levels to the marginal change. These attributes and their levels were combined to generate different management options, each associated with a 'monetary price'. Respondents were asked to choose their preferred alternative within the choice sets, each consisting of three management options where one alternative was the status quo. The estimation strategy consisted of estimating a conditional logit model. Results revealed that people are willing to pay to (1) keep the water quality at the excellent current level (2) for improvements in public safety through visible policing (3) the continued of the presence of dogs on beaches and (4) for an increase in the number of lifesavers on the bathing beaches. The findings of the analysis are used to inform the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality (NMBM) on the improvements most preferred by beach users in the context of beach management.

Thesis (MA (Geography and Environmental Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / The pressure of urbanisation causes an increasing decline in public open space. The intrinsic potential of a system of public open spaces to create a city where inhabitants’ living, working and recreational environments are enhanced is often undervalued. Irrespective of the pressure of urbanisation and the amount of land currently being earmarked for open spaces, there is a growing need for more open spaces in the urban areas of South Africa. It is important to gauge the scope of open spaces in order to monitor their development. This thesis investigates the usefulness of parks in the Bellville municipal area to its inhabitants. This study identified existing parks in Bellville. Open spaces in Bellville make up 15,3% of the total area and since 1996 1,1% of the open space in Bellville has been lost to development. Parks are distributed unevenly throughout the municipal area with the eastern area having the bulk of the open space area percentage and the southern area the smallest proportion. As a result of field studies conducted in Bellville, conforming to guidelines specified by a preceding literature study, a classification system was developed on the basis of area, function and the level of upkeep. Four park types were identified by the classification process, namely neighbourhood, ecological, aesthetical and recreational parks. Following the classification of open spaces the study focuses on the neighbourhood park to gauge the needs of and utilisation by inhabitants. The neighbourhood park was selected as study focus owing to the heterogeneous appearance of this park type and because it is the most common type found (84,5% of all parks) in Bellville. Subclassification into eight subclasses guarantees homogeneous park classes. The presence of recreational structures forms the basis for the classification of neighbourhood parks. Upkeep of neighbourhood parks occurs frequently and approximately 60% of the neighbourhood parks have recreational structures. A stratified random sample selected one park out of each of the eight subclasses for case study. In each case study a simple random sample of park users was made. The population is defined as all households in a 300m radius of the park. Questionnaires were distributed to the selected households. Irrespective of their busy schedules during the week, the inhabitants still have ample free time over weekends. Free time is generally spent at home though a significant percentage of inhabitants take excursions to enjoy walks in nature. Children and pensioners most frequently make use of parks. Parks are generally visited on a weekly basis. Neighbourhood parks are visited over weekends for walks and for use as playgrounds. Most of the inhabitants are satisfied with the appearance of the neighbourhood parks, though they feel security at the parks is insufficient and parks are inadequate for the playing needs of children. Awareness of parks forms an integral part in park use. Being unaware of parks or having to travel far have a significant effect on non-usage of parks. In order to encourage park use it is essential to create multifunctional parks catering to the inhabitants’ varying needs and utilisation of parks. Single functional parks can be transformed into multifunctional parks by adding additional attractions thereby addressing inhabitants’ needs and extending the existing function of the park. Effective management of parks is essential in preserving them as continuing assets in the Bellville municipal area.