The hardened inner city community of trench town represents one of several impoverished communities that form the heart of the Jamaican capital city, Kingston. As wealth and influence have moved inland, off the coastal plains on which the city was originally settled on, to the slopes of the surrounding mountains, the once vibrant downtown core has decayed. With this urban decay came the social ills that usually accompany failing communities such as crime, violence, shadow economies, health and sanitation issues. As has been the case with many urban centres worldwide, this problem was further exacerbated by an ever present influx of rural immigrants in search of a better life in the city. These associated urban problems not only affect the inhabitants of these communities, but they stifle the growth of the larger national economy. This thesis aims to explore and propose urban design interventions to the inner city community of Trench Town, that not only address the issues of providing viable shelter to the residents of the community, but also begin to set up a frame work of self reliance and economic sustainability and growth, so that the community members can begin to develop their lives for themselves. It also begins to look at ideas of communal living that have been experimented with at on a small scale over the years, but have never been fully integrated into the urban fabric. This thesis looks to examine one specific community within the urban fabric of the city, but all the while cognisant of the fact that this one community is but one in the overall urban fabric, yet recognising that as each informal inner-city community has developed out of a unique set of conditions and thus must be treated individually as such. Throughout the years, several interventions have been implemented to address the overall need to house the population of the expanding urban centres, with many variations of urban housing solutions being used, with varying degrees of success. This thesis will explore the implications of these solutions on the proposed site, and explore viable modifications and variations. Firstl an in depth exploration into the historical and cultural context of the case site will be explored to gain important background knowledge of known factors of spatial development and community needs, and this will form the foundation of any further development going ahead in the case study, which will provide the analytical breakdown of the site and influences. The thesis will then explore international case studies of various approaches to similar situations to identify challenges that have been experienced elsewhere and that may inform the design site. From this research information, parameters and principles will be distilled to inform the overall design intervention. Finally, the proposed design intervention will be reflected upon, and evaluated to try to determine any shortcomings and indentify how the design might be replicated in other communties in Kingston facing similar social and economic conditions.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Adelaide, School of Social Sciences, Discipline of Geography and Environmental Studies, 2005? / Title from screen page (viewed February 24, 2006). Bibliography: leaves 151-159. Also available in electronic version.

Thesis (B.A.)--Saint Mary's College, 1964. / Digitized and made available by the University of Wisconsin--La Crosse, Murphy Library. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 94-95). Online version of print edition.

AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Matthew J. Highlander, for the Masters of Architecture degree in Architecture, presented on July 6, 2009, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: THE RURAL TOWN SQUARE AND ITS NEW IDENTITY MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Craig K. Anz This thesis investigates the current complex nature that is the American town square and its identity in rural heartland communities. Historically, the town square in this context becomes an image of civic pride in its community through the incorporation of essential civic buildings such as county courthouses, city halls, community centers, guest houses as well as functioning playhouses, gathering spaces such as a parks, gazebos, or green space for public use within the town square. However, through the advent of the automobile, one-stop shopping, and urban sprawl, rural town squares have become a shell or fossil of their former selves as citizens visit this district of town less frequently due to a lack of business and public activities. Hence, these spaces become subjugated to other forms of planning and thus become dens for poverty and areas for crime. However there are many present solutions that can facilitate a movement towards improvement in this area. One such solution is the redesign of surrounding square spaces in conjunction with the incorporation of mix-use facilities within the town square streetscape. Mix-use buildings offer a variety of options that can introduce daily use businesses such as coffee houses, bookstores, deli shops, etc..., have night hours, and do not require a large amount of space to operate business. Along with these businesses, mix-use facilities can also incorporate a variety of residential living quarters such as lofts, studios, and townhomes to foster life within these places. Again, as a result, there is a substantial increase in the amount of public activity within the towns square between residents, business proprietors, and shoppers. This activity alone can transform a once dim light of the community into a shining example of the image and identity that the community wishes to project to its participants. The mix-use building and square together also have the ability to co-operate as a self-sustaining entity of the community due to the type of businesses that it incorporates and its proximity to other businesses within the town square and the community as a whole.

Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych) / This aim of this study was to investigate the life experiences of substance abusing women participating in a substance abuse treatment programme in the Cape Town area. Much of the research that has been conducted on this topic has been quantitative and therefore removed from the context of lived experience. The current study thus aimed to fill this gap in the literature by using a qualitative methodology to explore women’s own accounts of substance use and how they make sense of these experiences, their trajectory towards substance abuse as well as their motivation for treatment. A qualitative research design was employed, drawing on the interpretive framework which seeks to understand how people make sense of their experiences. Six participants were recruited from a substance abuse treatment centre in Cape Town and data was collected using semi-structured interviews and analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Guba and Lincoln’s guidelines for ensuring rigor in qualitative studies were followed and the ethical principles of informed consent, non-maleficence, authenticity of data and anonymity were maintained throughout the study. The study found that partner substance use and psychological pain experienced by the women played a motivating role in their substance use. In addition, the reconstruction of one’s own identity, perceptions of motherhood and mending relationships were found to be key elements in women’s motivation for recovery.

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / South Africa continues to experience unprecedented levels of violence against foreign African nationals, to be more specific, black African foreign nationals in poor communities but also in cities. Local Government has become a major role-player in the functioning of South Africa’s democracy and in managing local conflicts. In light of this, this research-based mini-thesis explores the policies and programmes used in the City of Cape Town Municipality to reduce xenophobic violence against black African foreign nationals in the city. I acknowledge the importance of understanding the historical background of racial conflict in South Africa, and briefly look at whether this attributes to current conflict against black foreign nationals by evaluating competing theories of xenophobic violence. Whilst South Africans found refuge in neighbouring countries during the apartheid era, recent migration patterns reveals a reverse of this trend as the upper regions of the continent suffer war and famine and nationals of those countries seek refuge in South Africa. The Alien Control Act of 1991 strengthened South Africa’s national borders and made it difficult for foreigners to enter the country without the needed ocumentation. However, South Africa’s transition from an apartheid state to a democracy brought with it a number of changes, including an increase in the number of migrants who was previously not allowed to enter the country. One of the major concerns for government has been the issue of distinguishing between those who are in the country legally and those who are in the country illegally. In this mini-thesis, I draw a clear distinction between the different categories of foreigners in South Africa. Xenophobia broke into public view in May 2008 when black South Africans living in townships that suffer poor living conditions and high levels of crime, violently attacked black African foreign nationals working and living among them. The scale of the attacks led to the mass displacement of black African foreigners as they sought protection in refugee camps set up by the state as well as other organizations. Black African foreigners were severely assaulted in the violence. Some were burned while others suffered the looting of their belongings. Local government has an important role to play in the functioning of democracy in South Africa. I am of the view that the policies and programmes employed at local government level would significantly reduce the incidences of xenophobic violence experienced in South African communities, since local government has easier access to communities and people at grassroots level. Xenophobia is not a peculiarly South African problem, and many local governments around the world have used various methods of addressing this. While insights into their methods would be helpful; the focus of this thesis is on South Africa and more specifically the City of Cape Town. In this mini-thesis, I thus investigate the policies and programmes employed by the City of Cape Town municipality in reducing xenophobic violence against black foreign nationals.

The study which follows is concerned with the housing of people within cities, and special reference is made to Metropolitan Cape Town in this context.The object of the study was to isolate certain principles relating to housing, formulating these in such a way that they might , in being tested , yield results useful to City Planners. (*1) Having established such principles, a further purpose of the study was to contrast these against other factors influencing housing such as Town Planning and Legislative Controls, and the effect the latter had upon the former. The principles which were the initial concern of the study originated in the Life Sciences (*2) and the Human Sciences (*3). Although the author cannot claim authority in any of these Sciences, the principles borrowed from them are well known , and served the valuable purpose of permitting a field theory to be constructed. Hypotheses , developed from this field theory, were tested and in so doing yielded some surprising and gratifying results. These results may be found on the pages following , and it will be seen that they appear to justify the method of approach .

"No single element in urban planning outweighs in importance that of housing for the well being of the individual, the family and the community. Yet few questions in urban planning are as little understood, as subject to varying standards and as open to emotionally charged argument as that of what constitutes 'adequate' and 'inadequate' urban residential environments". Whilst housing presents a universal problem, it assumes special importance and significance for South Africa. In this country, Non-Whites constitute 81 per cent of the total population and the large majority of them, who fall within the lowest income groups, are unable to provide themselves with adequate housing. In Cape Town, the Non-White population consists largely of the Coloured group. Although Westernised and becoming increasingly urbanised, this group occupies a differentiated position, in the economic, social and political structure of Cape Town's society

Projektet har som ambition att skapa en modern stadshusbyggnad som möjliggör ökad samverkan mellan kommunen Nynäshamn och dess medborgare. Byggnaden är konstruerad av 30 bågar av betong som spänner upp de två byggnadsvolymerna. Byggnaden möter Stadshusplatsen i nordväst och Floravägen i sydöst. Den böjda formen skapar öppningar på platsen som underlättar för fotgängare att fritt röra sig mellan och genom byggnaden och därigenom förbinda Stadshusplatsen och Floravägen. Fasaden är täckt av glas för att skapa synlighet för medborgarna att se in på den kommunala administrationens dagliga verksamhet. Fasadelementen mellan de bärande bågarna är vinklade och roterade i förhållande till varandra. Taket är även utformat av vinklade rektanglar. Byggnaden är utformad för att uppfylla de programspecifika kraven med möjlighet till att hantera förändrade krav genom sin öppna struktur. / The project is based on the ambition of creating a modern town hall building which enables increased interaction between the activities of the municipality and its citizens. The building is constructed by 30 concrete arches which forms the two building volumes. The building meets Stadshusplatsen in northwest and Floravägen in southeast. The curved form of the building creates openings at the site which facilitates pedestrians to move freely between and through the building thereby connecting Stadshusplatsen and Floravägen. The facade is covered by glass to create visibility for the citizens to look into the daily activities of the municipality administration. The facade elements are tilted between the arches and rotated in relation to each other. The roof is also being formed by tilted rectangular elements. The building is designed to meet the programme specific requirements with an ability to cope with changing demands by its open structure.

This thesis explores the possibility of vertically expanding the urban fabric of Blacksburg, a small town, by building multilevel streetscapes and community spaces that contribute to the town's character and identity. The vertical street could accommodate more amenities, commercial spaces, and residential units without encroaching on surrounding natural areas or sprawling into the outskirts. Through an analysis of existing urban design principles and case studies of proposed vertical cities, the research will investigate the feasibility and benefits of implementing a vertical street circulation system in a small-town context, serving as a focal point for social interactions, cultural activities, and community engagement and fostering a sense of place. / Master of Architecture / This thesis explores the idea of expanding the urban environment of small towns, like Blacksburg, by building multi-level streets and community spaces. By constructing a vertical street that can house more commercial spaces, residential units, and amenities, we can avoid encroaching on natural areas while still accommodating the growing needs of a town. This study will investigate the feasibility and advantages of implementing a vertical street system in small towns, creating a hub for social interactions, cultural activities, and community engagement that fosters a sense of belonging.