Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Background: Street foods (SF) contribute significantly to the nutritional intake of adults and children in developing countries. They are inexpensive and a major source of income for a vast multitude. A major concern is the so-called ‘nutrition transition’, which has led to an increase in foods high in saturated fats, trans fats, sugar and salt, along with processed food items sold on urban community streets in developing countries. These foods contribute to nutritional disorders in the communities where consumed. South Africa’s stable unemployment rate, estimated at 25%, has further influenced business growth in the informal sector, particularly SF vending. As such, a well-developed SF-vending model (SFVM) could potentially address the challenges of unemployment and improve the nutritional status of poorer South Africans. Aim: To develop a sustainable SFVM for selling healthy and safe SF in the City of Cape Town enabling street vendors to make a decent living, and consumers to make healthy choices regarding food purchasing. Methods: This cross-sectional study employed mixed methodology (collecting qualitative and quantitative data). The study was conducted in three phases. Phase 1a: Situation Analysis. This a SF-vendor survey which collected a) socio-demographic factors, b) vendors’ business operational models, c) food items sold, d) available facilities, e) challenges faced, f) certification, and g) nutrition knowledge using a validated questionnaire. An observational checklist capturing data on the appearance of vendors, their stalls, available equipment and type of food sold, supplemented this survey. Phase 1b: A consumer survey included collecting, a) socio-demographic factors, b) purchasing habits, c) consumption preferences, and d) nutrition knowledge using a validated questionnaire. Phase 2a: Semi-structured-interviews and focus group discussions with Environmental Health Officials and Economic Development Officials from the City of Cape Town were conducted to explore the existing -vending regulations and/or policies in the City of Cape Town and gain insight into the SF-vending operations from a regulatory perspective. Phase 2b: A document review was conducted to identify existing regulations and policies on SF vending. Phase 3: conducted in three steps: Step 1, data integration of the previous phases. Step 2, a participatory action research component checking the relevance, acceptability and practicability of identified themes and resulting components from Step 1. Step 3, development of the proposed SFVM using the findings of the previous two steps. Data Analysis: Quantitative data were analysed using IBM SPSS, 2010 Statistics version 23. Descriptive statistics and cross-tabulations were used to analyse data. Qualitative data were thematically analysed using the qualitative data software package Atlas ti 7.5.7.Results: Phase 1a: vendors in the Cape Town and surrounding areas work long hours up to seven days a week making a minimal income. Types of food items sold by vendors, their nutrition knowledge and hygiene practices were not ideal. A major lack in basic facilities existed. Phase 2a: SF consumers indicated spending a significant amount of their income on SF, and are open to buying healthier options should these be available. Phase 2a: government officials thought the SF-vending business should be guided by national legislature and provincial bylaws, and felt strongly about nutrition and health education for vendors and consumers. Phase 2b: thirteen regulations and bylaws applicable to SF vending were sourced. Phase 3: Data from the previous phases were integrated within a socio-ecological framework to develop the proposed SFVM. The components of this model are divided into four areas, i.e. a business component, food and nutrition component, hygiene component, and a vending cart. Conclusion: The four components in the proposed SFVM take into account various elements of the socio-ecological framework, i.e. intrapersonal/individual, interpersonal, the physical environment/community and the policy environment. This SFVM should be piloted, evaluated, adapted and before rolling it out on a large scale to test its effectiveness.

This research is a result of prolonged work with children and youth on the streets of Durban Central Business District (CBD). This research process started in 2008 during my third year social work practice and in 2009 as part fulfilment of my social work bachelor’s degree. My contemporaries and I conducted a study on survival strategies of children and youth living on the streets of Durban CBD. It was during this period that we began to encounter organizational dynamics that we thought needed further study. The study sought to understand those inter and intra-organizational factors that have impact on their work with children and youth. This qualitative study used data source triangulation, incorporating in-depth interviews, journal notes and analysis of texts. The study was informed by critical theory. Of central importance in this study was critical discourse analysis as a research design and method of data analysis. This study found that some of the organizations, established to assist children and youth living on the streets, actually do present obstacles to their integral development. Children and youth migrate to towns and cities in search of a better life. When on the streets, children are caught up in organizational dynamics that have profound impact on their lives. It is this interface between the organizations themselves and the children that this research critically interrogated. Organizational dynamics, as reflected in this dissertation, present a threat to children’s and youth’s sense of future and the programmes and models being used need to be re-thought. Based on the main findings of the study, policy and practice recommendations are made in respect of promoting the welfare of children and youth living on the streets. / Thesis (M.A.)-Universiity of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2016-07-26T13:40:39Z No. of bitstreams: 1 danielamariaalvespedrosa.pdf: 2938814 bytes, checksum: f8d820a94b36b4efa3b5153466a4c05e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-07-27T11:28:39Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 danielamariaalvespedrosa.pdf: 2938814 bytes, checksum: f8d820a94b36b4efa3b5153466a4c05e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-27T11:28:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 danielamariaalvespedrosa.pdf: 2938814 bytes, checksum: f8d820a94b36b4efa3b5153466a4c05e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-08-18 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / A presente dissertação traz como objeto de investigação a feira livre realizada aos domingos na cidade de Juiz de Fora-MG. Baseando-se na pesquisa etnográfica, procura dar visibilidade a este comércio de rua que, ao se manter no local há 46 anos, tornou-se evento tradicional na cidade. A regulamentação das feiras livres em Juiz de Fora no princípio do século passado foi resultado da mobilização de setores da sociedade civil, juntamente com membros da Câmara Municipal, no intuito de garantir o acesso das populações menos favorecidas a produtos alimentares de primeira necessidade de forma a controlar a especulação de preços no comércio local. Apesar de ocorrer, no presente momento, cerca de quinze feiras semanais, distribuídas no território urbano, a Feira Livre da Avenida Brasil se destaca tanto pela diversidade de produtos e comerciantes que abrange, quanto pelo número expressivo de frequentadores. Localizada na região central da cidade, define-se como evento que extrapola os fins de abastecimento e trocas econômicas. A partir da reapropriação do espaço urbano, ao ocupar uma grande avenida, promove sua (re)significação. Apresentandose como espaço de trocas sociais, da interação entre feirante e freguês, bem como momento de lazer para grande parte de seus frequentadores, contribui para a configuração da paisagem urbana em Juiz de Fora. / This thesis aims to investigate the street market held on Sundays in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais. Based in an ethnography research, seeks to give visibility to this street commerce; that is held on the same place since 1968 and it is now a traditional event on the city. The creation of the street markets in Juiz de Fora happened in the beginning of the last century due to the mobilization of sectors of the civil society, with members of the city council. To ensure access for less favored people to food products of first necessity in order to control price speculation. Nowadays there are about 15 street markets weekly in Juiz de Fora; the one held on Sundays at Avenida Brasil stand out because of the diversity of products, dealers and the impressive number of regulars. It’s located in the central region of the city and extrapolates the means of supply and economic exchanges. It contributes to the urban landscape. By using the urban space, promotes a place of social exchange, an interaction between marketer and customer. As well as a moment of recreation for a big part of it’s regulars.

Thesis (MPH.) -- University of Limpopo, 2020 / Background: Street food vending has become a common means of providing traditional, known and convenient meals to communal eating. It has also become a growing portent as a means of job creation and as a survival mechanism to many affected by job creation decline. Suggestion: There is an influx of food vendors at Gate 2 of the University of Limpopo and there is a need to investigate both the hygiene and safety measures taken by the vendors and the environment they operate in. Methods: The purpose of the study was to observe and identify food safety and hygiene practices by the street vendors. An observational descriptive cross sectional study design and a convenience sampling technique were used as research designs and sampling methods. A questionnaire on food safety and hygiene was used to collect data. Results: The study revealed that all of the street vendors have no form of food safety and hygiene training. The vendors also highlighted the fact that over and above them having no food safety and hygiene knowledge, food safety and hygiene practices such as washing of hands frequently cannot be adhered to because of the time limitations they have to prepare and be ready for customers as quickly as possible. The vendors practise a mixed storage of raw and cooked food in the refrigerators within the refrigerators. Only 30% of the vendors wear protective hand gloves while preparing food. They have running water in the bathroom and on the premises but no soap is provided in the bathroom for hand washing. Conclusion: Even though street food is increasingly gaining popularity and accessibility based on affordability, traditional meals served and accessibility, food safety and hygiene still are a concern and a matter of alarm. Key words: food safety and hygiene, street food vendor, food poisoning, health hazards

Vehicular Ad-hoc Network (VANET) is a special application of the Mobile Ad-hoc Network (MANET) for managing road traffic and substantially contributes to the development of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). VANET was introduced as a standard for data communication between moving vehicles with and without fixed infrastructure. It aims to support drivers by improving safety and driving comfort as a step towards constructing a safer, cleaner and a more intelligent environment. Nowadays, vehicles are manufactured equipped with a number of sensors and devices called On Board Units (OBU) assisting the vehicle to sense the surrounding environment and then process the context information to effectively manage communication with the surrounding vehicles and the associated infrastructure. A number of challenges have emerged in VANET that have encouraged researchers to investigate this concept further. Many of the recent studies have applied different technologies for intelligent parking management. However, despite all the technological advances, researchers are no closer to developing a system that enables drivers to easily locate and reserve a parking space. Limited resources such as energy, storage space, availability and reliability are factors which could have contributed to the lack success and progress in this area. The task then is to close these gaps and present a novel solution for parking. This research intends to address this need by developing a novel architecture for locating and reserving a parking space that best matches the driver's preferences and vehicle profile without distracting the driver. The simple and easy-to-use mechanism focuses on the domain of an intelligent parking system that exploits the concept of InfoStation (IS) and context-aware system creating a single framework to locate and reserve a parking space. A three tier network topology comprising of vehicles, IS and the InfoStation Centre (ISC) has been proposed as the foundation of the on-street parking system architecture. The thesis attempts to develop the architecture of a parking management solution as a comfort-enhancing application that offers to reduce congestion related stress and improve the driver experience by reducing the time it takes to identify and utilise a parking space that is available.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Conservation / Master / Master of Science in Conservation

published_or_final_version / Transport Policy and Planning / Master / Master of Arts in Transport Policy and Planning

The two most successful preservation initiatives in Texas are the Main Street Program (TMSP) and the Historic Courthouse Preservation Program (THCPP). A downtown revitalization strategy and grant fund program respectively, the initiatives are structurally different. However, they inevitably affect the same communities. The two organizations have never combined forces to achieve their goals, but the potential to integrate efforts could lead to reviving many more Texas communities. This study investigates the question: how can the TMSP and THCPP coordinate to create stronger preservation efforts in counties across the state? The program processes were analyzed to better understand the mechanisms used to carry out each initiative at the state and local level. Then, twelve case study cities were evaluated in order to understand the interactions at the local level. Interviews with program professionals, occupancy surveys, and reinvestment statistics were used to discern these effects. Through the interventions of both programs, all twelve cities have seen a decrease in vacancy ratings and an increase in rehabilitation projects. However, no Main Street program had any input into their local courthouse restoration. Alternatively, the courthouse restoration boosts local pride and ownership in the surrounding community, but these results are just “snow ball” effects; the restoration does not consider its impact on the greater community. The investigation also shows that rural communities rely more on the courthouse square to function as a traditional county seat, while suburban communities are transitioning their courthouses into new uses. Coordinating the TMSP and THCPP initiatives and creating preservation efforts at the county level could result in the successful revitalization of more rural communities across Texas, who could not achieve it on their own. / text

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