Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Urban planning and management require up-to-date information about urban land cover. Producing such geospatial information is time consuming as it is usually done manually. The classification of such information from satellite imagery is challenging owing to the difficulties associated with distinguishing urban features having similar spectral properties. Therefore, this study evaluates the combination of a digital surface model (DSM) derived from LiDAR data and very high-resolution GeoEye-1 satellite imagery for classifying urban land cover in Cape Town. The value of the DSM was assessed by comparing a land cover product obtained from the GeoEye-1 image to a map produced using both the GeoEye-1 image and the DSM. A systematic segmentation procedure for the two classifications scenarios preceded a supervised (using a support vector machine, K nearest neighbour and classification and regression algorithm tree classifiers) and rule-based classification. The various approaches were evaluated using a combination of methods. When including the DSM in the supervised and rule-based classifications, the overall accuracy and kappa vary between 80% to 83% and 0.74 to 0.77 respectively. When the DSM is excluded, the overall accuracy ranges between 49 to 64% whereas kappa ranges between 0.32 to 0.53 for the two classification approaches. The accuracies obtained are always about 20% higher when the DSM is included. The normalised DSM (nDSM) enabled accurate discrimination of elevated (e.g. buildings) and non-elevated (e.g. paved surfaces) urban features having similar spectral characteristics. The nDSM of at least one-metre resolution and one metre vertical accuracy influenced the accuracy of the results by correctly differentiating elevated from non-elevated. The rule-based approach was more effective than the supervised classification, particularly for extracting water bodies (dams and swimming pools) and bridges. Consequently, a rule-based approach using very high spatial resolution (EHSR) satellite imagery and a LiDAR-derived DSM is recommended for mapping urban land cover. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Stedelike beplanning- en bestuur vereis dat inligting oor grondbedekking (land cover) op datum moet wees. Die vervaardiging van hierdie georuimtelike inligting is tydrowend omdat dit gewoonlik met die hand gedoen word. Die onttrekking van sulke inligting vanuit satellietbeelde bied ʼn groot uitdaging omdat stedelike voorwerpe met soortgelyke spektrale eienskappe moeilik is om van mekaar te onderskei. Hierdie studie evalueer die kombinasie van ʼn digitale oppervlak model (DOM) afkomstig van LiDAR-data en ʼn baie hoë resolusie GeoEye-1-satellietbeeld om stedelike grondbedekking in Kaapstad te klassifiseer. Die waarde van die DOM word bepaal deur ʼn grondbesettingsproduk wat vanuit ʼn GeoEye-1-beeld verkry is te vergelyk met ʼn grondbesettingsproduk wat verkry is deur beide die GeoEye-1-beeld en die DOM te gebruik. Sistematiese segmentasie word op die twee benaderings uitgeoefen en dit word gevolg deur ʼn gekontroleerde klassifikasie (steunvektormasjiene, k-naaste aangrensende waarde en klassifikasie en regressie algoritme) en ʼn reël-gebaseerde algoritme. Hierdie verskeie benaderings is geëvalueer met behulp van ʼn kombinasie van kwalitatiewe en kwantitatiewe metodes. Toe die DOM in die gekontroleerde en reël-gebaseerde klassifikasie ingesluit is, het die algehele akkuraatheid en kappa tussen 80% en 83%, en 74% en 77% gewissel. Toe die DOM uitgesluit is, het die algehele akkuraatheid en kappa tussen 49% en 64%, en 32% en 53% vir die twee klassifikasiebenaderings gewissel. Die behaalde akkurraatheidswaardes is altyd 20% hoër as die DOM ingesluit word. Dit is hoofsaaklik omdat die DOM akkurate onderskeiding tussen hoë (bv. geboue) en plat (bv. geplaveide oppervlaktes) stedelike bakens met gelyksoortige spektrale eienskappe in staat stel. Die kwaliteit van die DOM beïnvloed die akkuraatheid van die resultate. ʼn DOM van ten minste een meter resolusie, met een meter of beter vertikale akkuraatheid, word benodig om te verseker dat geboue en ander beboude bakens korrek van mekaar onderskei kan word. Die reël-gebaseerde benadering was meer effektief as die gekontroleerde klassifikasie, veral om waterliggame (damme en swembaddens) en brûe te identifiseer. Gevolglik word ʼn reël-gebaseerde benadering met die hoë resolusie satellietbeelde en ʼn LiDAR-afgeleide DOM aanbeveel om stedelike grondbesetting te karteer.

Part of my responsibilities as Life Orientation teacher at Sagewood School is the Community Outreach Programme. In particular encouraging participation and ensuring that learners enjoy a life giving and reciprocal experience as they focus beyond themselves in the wider community. Information for this research was gathered from other independent schools, parents and learners from Sagewood. Sources included answers to questionnaires, class discussions and feedback from past experiences. My focus included a study of the history of outreach, works on postmodernism, social construction, practical theology and my position of co-constructor with the learners. Important outcomes included ensuring that the voices of the learners are heard in decision making and planning for future outreach activities. Given the constantly changing nature of society such activities need to be evaluated regularly. Lastly, people care in different ways and about different things and we need to encourage learners to care, in their own unique way. / Practical Theology / M.Th. (Specialisation in Pastoral Therapy)

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In many developing countries, rapid urbanisation continues to substantially transform land from agricultural and rural land uses, as well as natural landscapes into urban areas. This leads to significant changes to the socio-economic fabric and nature of the natural environment. Data to monitor such transformation is often out of date, unreliable, in unstandardised format, cumbersome and expensive to collect or simply unavailable in urban centres of many developing countries. These characteristics inhibit local authorities‘ and other stakeholders‘ capacity to monitor and leverage resources toward sustainable urban development. Sustainable urban land use planning is a major objective of urban planning, but it is difficult to put into practice. This study investigates the efficacy of earth observation (EO) for collecting information required for sustainable urban land use planning and proposes the use of decision consequence analysis (DCA) as a simple and structured way to put sustainable urban development into practice. The study focuses on three central determinants of sustainable urban land use, namely (1) land use change and land use mix, (2) urban sprawl and (3) the urban built-up area. Consequently, urban sustainability indicators of these three components were identified. EO data for Stellenbosch, a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa, was gathered and used to perform spatio-temporal analyses of the indicators in a geographic information system (GIS). This enabled the establishing of the positive or negative trajectory made toward achieving sustainable urban land use planning. The study demonstrates how the use of EO data, DCA, urban sustainability indicators and GIS can enhance local authorities‘ capacities for monitoring urban sustainability. EO data and urban sustainability indicators were used to develop an urban sustainability toolbox which facilitates evidence-based decision making. The results also show that urban sustainability indicators derived from EO are valuable in providing synoptic, up-to-date, standardised and normalised information on urban areas. Such information would be expensive and cumbersome to collect without the use of EO and GIS. As a result, earth observation will continue to play a key role in monitoring urban sustainability, particularly in developing countries. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die volgehoue en versnelde verstedeliking wat in baie ontwikkelende lande voorkom is voortdurend besig om landbougrond, plattelandse gebiede en natuurlike landskappe na stedelike areas om te skakel. Dit bring ʼn noemenswaardige verandering in die sosiaal-ekonomiese struktuur en aard van die natuurlike omgewing te wee. Data om hierdie veranderinge te monitor, is dikwels verouderd, onbetroubaar, nie in ʼn standaard formaat nie, omslagtig, te duur om te in te samel of net eenvoudig nie beskikbaar vir baie stedelike sentra van ontwikkelende lande nie. Hierdie faktore beperk plaaslike owerhede en ander belanghebbendes se moniteringskapasiteit en verhinder die beskikbaarstelling van hulpbronne vir volhoubare stedelike ontwikkeling. Beplanning vir volhoubare stedelike grondgebruik is ʼn belanrike doelwit, maar is moeilik om in die praktyk toe te pas. Hierdie studie ondersoek die doeltreffendheid van aardwaarneming (AW) vir die insamel van inligting wat vir volhoubare grondgebruik beplanning nodig is. Die studie stel die gebruik van analise van besluitnemingsgevolge (ABG) as ʼn eenvoudige en gestruktureerde manier voor om volhoubare stedelike ontwikkeling in die praktyk toe te pas. Die ondersoek fokus op drie hoof bepalende faktore van volhoubare stedelike grondgebruik, naamlik (1) verandering en vermenging van grondgebruik, (2) stedelike kruip, en (3) die beboude stedelike gebied. Gevolglik is aanwysers van die stedelike volhoubaarheid van hierdie drie komponente geïdentifiseer. AW-data vir Stellenbosch, 'n dorp in die Wes-Kaap provinsie van Suid-Afrika, is ingesamel om met behulp van ʼn geografiese inligtingstelsel (GIS) die aanwysers tyd-ruimtelik te analiseer. Dit het dit moontlik gemaak om die positiewe of negatiewe trajekte vir die bereiking van volhoubare stedelike grondgebruiksbeplanning vas te stel. Die studie demonstreer hoe AW-data, ABG, aanwysers van stedelike volhoubaarheid en GIS plaaslike owerhede se kapasiteit vir die monitering van volhoubaarheid in stede kan bevorder. AW-data en stedelike volhoubaarheidsaanwysers is gebruik om 'n stedelike volhoubaarheidsgereedskapkis te ontwikkel wat bewysgebaseerde besluitneming fasiliteer. Die resultate wys ook dat volhoubare stedelike aanwysers afgelei uit AW, nuttig is om sinoptiese, gestandardiseerde en genormaliseerde inligting oor stedelike gebiede te voorsien. Hierdie tipe inligting is duur en omslagtig om in te samel sonder die gebruik van AW en GIS. Gevolglik sal AW voortaan steeds 'n sleutelrol speel in die monitering van stedelike volhoubaarheid, veral in ontwikellende lande.

M.A. / The following study investigates the Landless People’s Movement (LPM) which is a grassroots movement in South Africa. While there have been many movements to emerge, the LPM was formed in 2001 in response to increasing housing evictions and insecure land tenure. The formation of the movement was met in some cases by minor state concessions but also by state brutality. This study focuses on the experiences of the urban landless and argues that the manner in which the movement frames its demands, together with the political opportunity structure, have an impact upon the extent to which the LPM has effectively mobilised around land issues, as well as upon the cycles that the movement has undergone. In order to unpack the experiences of the landless, two theoretical concepts were used to frame the discussion, namely, political opportunity structure and the cycles of protest. Analysing the changing political opportunity structure proved useful in demonstrating some of the constraints and opportunities faced by movements in their attempts to attain land, while the notion of cycles of protest was useful in showing the phases undergone by the movement from its inception in 2001 until 2010. In order to understand the experiences of the urban landless regarding the manner in which they frame their demands and mobilise around land issues, a qualitative research design was employed by making use of a case study method. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with both leaders and supporters of the movement. In addition, focus groups, meeting attendance and informal discussions helped to enrich the data included in this case study on the experiences of the urban landless.

Thesis (M.Arch. (Professional))--University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, 2016 / Globalisation is a considerable catalyst for the state of the world today, and so it is evident through industrialisation, modernism and capitalism that the power and spatiality of food has shifted. Food has always brought people together as it is an universal language that is understood by everyone. However food no longer exists as this valued product of necessity but has now become a product of consumerism. Large corporations control our food industry which has lead to an economic food crisis where our basic needs have become too expensive. This is a consequence of increased population, demands, immoral farming methods and greed. Not only is it affecting our economies but our natural resources. Food production systems need to change along with our attitude towards the environment. In an age of technology, branding and mass production, people have become disconnected from nature, regarding the food we eat and where it comes from. In South Africa, this has resulted in increased food insecurity, obesity, malnutrition and health risks. The necessity of honest, healthy and nutritious clean-living has been lost. So how can we overcome this pressure before we collapse as a society and as a planet? The quality of food affects our daily productivity, well-being and psyche, our primal need. How can architecture instigate a change for the free food philosophy? How can it challenge profit margins in the food system through urban contexts by re-establishing our connection with nature? Investigating the journey through the history of farming, politics and food, I will observe the gradual change in the food industry from the farmer to corporation to consumer, exposing the cultural power plays, which can be reconsidered through architecture. This thesis proposes an holistic approach towards propagating parks and public spaces through food education in an urban context. It concentrates on re-igniting the relationship between man and nature through small-scale agriculture using small-scale architecture: ‘agritechture’. Establishing its roots in Joubert Park, Park Station Precinct, Johannesburg, the strategy unfolds biophilia characteristics observing the intricacy of Persian architecture and soil structures stimulated by modular systems, grid proportions and layering. The prairie ecosystem becomes a precedent study for heterotopian architecture rooting itself as homogeneity. Creating catalytic nodes of urban renewal, it unifies communities while defending its territory, similar to the original African settlement, ‘the Kraal’. / MT2017

M. Tech. Architecture (Professional) / Aims to investigate opportunities that could arise out of designing a facility of this nature to take advantage of the scarce skills shortage, and by placing the proposed facility within a township area will necessitate research into the dynamics of designing in such an area. Therefore the issues of concern which will be investigated will be: the shortage of skilled artisans ; community ownership; and the rehabilitation of a degraded site.

Thesis (MTech. degree in Architecture: Professional)--Tshwane University of Technology, 2010. / The thesis comprises the design of a building to facilitate teaching and learning for mature learners, specifically in the creative professions, in the centre of Pretoria. The building offers facilities and spaces for visiting artists, tutors and mentors as well as for courses and workshops in continuous professional development. A limited number of short term living quarters are also provided for visiting artists. Because of the central urban location, the building will also include retail components as well as exhibition and multimedia spaces for the general public. The design involves a new development as well as the renovation and embracing of the Ons Eerste Volksbank building.

Depression is a psychiatric disorder associated with severe impairment in physical, social and role functioning, and with higher health care utilization. Experiencing an event that causes physical or psychological stress may substantially increase a person's chances of developing depression. Coping has been defined as a response aimed at diminishing the physical, emotional and psychological burden that is associated with stressful life events. Coping is considered one of the core concepts in health psychology and is strongly associated with the regulation of emotions throughout the stress period and thus it is important that it is understood, especially in the South African context of future morbidity. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a relationship between coping self–efficacy strategies and depression in an African context. Participants consisted of a convenience sample of 2 198 participants from both rural and urban areas. The rural group consisted of 182 adolescent Further Education and Training (FET) students between the ages of 16 and 21 years, and the urban group consisted of another 2 016 adolescent FET students between the ages of 16 and 21 years. Participants from both groups completed measurements on coping and depression. Two self–report measures were used: the Coping Self–Efficacy Scale (CSE) to determine a person's confidence or perceived self–efficacy in performing coping behaviors when facing life challenges or threats and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ9) to measure depression severity. Descriptive analysis results indicated that a relationship existed between coping selfefficacy strategies and depression and that levels of depression were very similar for both rural (9.23) and urban (9.25) groups. Coping strategies were very different in rural and urban areas; rural participants only used problem–focused coping and stop unpleasant thoughts and emotions, while urban participants used all three coping self–efficacy strategies: problemfocused coping, stopping unpleasant thoughts and emotions and support from friends and family. Rural participants did not use support from friends and family as a coping selfefficacy strategy; possibly due to the different relationships people living in rural areas have with one another, as opposed to the relationships of people living in urban areas. Rural people may not deem it socially acceptable to ask friends or family members or help when struggling with various stressors. Alternatively, rural areas may be more depleted of personal resources due to the strong urbanization process going on. It was concluded that there is an important relationship between coping strategies and level of depression, and in this study this relationship was found to be different in some ways for rural and urban groups. The results of this study have great implications for further research and clinical practice. / Thesis (M.A. (Research Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Depression is a psychiatric disorder associated with severe impairment in physical, social and role functioning, and with higher health care utilization. Experiencing an event that causes physical or psychological stress may substantially increase a person's chances of developing depression. Coping has been defined as a response aimed at diminishing the physical, emotional and psychological burden that is associated with stressful life events. Coping is considered one of the core concepts in health psychology and is strongly associated with the regulation of emotions throughout the stress period and thus it is important that it is understood, especially in the South African context of future morbidity. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a relationship between coping self–efficacy strategies and depression in an African context. Participants consisted of a convenience sample of 2 198 participants from both rural and urban areas. The rural group consisted of 182 adolescent Further Education and Training (FET) students between the ages of 16 and 21 years, and the urban group consisted of another 2 016 adolescent FET students between the ages of 16 and 21 years. Participants from both groups completed measurements on coping and depression. Two self–report measures were used: the Coping Self–Efficacy Scale (CSE) to determine a person's confidence or perceived self–efficacy in performing coping behaviors when facing life challenges or threats and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ9) to measure depression severity. Descriptive analysis results indicated that a relationship existed between coping selfefficacy strategies and depression and that levels of depression were very similar for both rural (9.23) and urban (9.25) groups. Coping strategies were very different in rural and urban areas; rural participants only used problem–focused coping and stop unpleasant thoughts and emotions, while urban participants used all three coping self–efficacy strategies: problemfocused coping, stopping unpleasant thoughts and emotions and support from friends and family. Rural participants did not use support from friends and family as a coping selfefficacy strategy; possibly due to the different relationships people living in rural areas have with one another, as opposed to the relationships of people living in urban areas. Rural people may not deem it socially acceptable to ask friends or family members or help when struggling with various stressors. Alternatively, rural areas may be more depleted of personal resources due to the strong urbanization process going on. It was concluded that there is an important relationship between coping strategies and level of depression, and in this study this relationship was found to be different in some ways for rural and urban groups. The results of this study have great implications for further research and clinical practice. / Thesis (M.A. (Research Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Part of my responsibilities as Life Orientation teacher at Sagewood School is the Community Outreach Programme. In particular encouraging participation and ensuring that learners enjoy a life giving and reciprocal experience as they focus beyond themselves in the wider community. Information for this research was gathered from other independent schools, parents and learners from Sagewood. Sources included answers to questionnaires, class discussions and feedback from past experiences. My focus included a study of the history of outreach, works on postmodernism, social construction, practical theology and my position of co-constructor with the learners. Important outcomes included ensuring that the voices of the learners are heard in decision making and planning for future outreach activities. Given the constantly changing nature of society such activities need to be evaluated regularly. Lastly, people care in different ways and about different things and we need to encourage learners to care, in their own unique way. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M.Th. (Specialisation in Pastoral Therapy)