This study aims to expose the impact of racial separation policies on the spatial distribution of the population groups in Natal/ KwaZulu, and on Black urbanisation, within a core-periphery framework. Chapter One focuses on global population and urbanisation trends to highlight the difference between First and Third World characteristics, and applies the First and Third World distinction to South Africa. Chapter Two outlines the impact of colonialism, apartheid and separate development on the spatial distribution of the population in South Africa, and especially Natal/KwaZulu. Chapter Three discusses the Friedmann core-periphery model, and the application of the core-periphery model to the Southern African region, as well as the modernisation/dependency debate in terms of its impact on shaping differing perspectives of the relationship between core and peripheral regions a8d perspectives of the urbanisation process. Chapter Four is comprised of an empirical examination of the coreperiphery structure of the Natal/KwaZulu regional economy, and the core-periphery distribution of its population settlement, both between and within such, regions, as well as the geographical distribution of the types of population settlements and the size of the urban population. An assessment of the size and distribution of the population in the Durban Functional Region is also made. Chapter Five draws the main conclusions of the previous Chapters together, critically examines the validity of the Friedmann model in terms of its application to the Southern African and Natal/ KwaZulu regions and discusses the development/underdevelopment relationship between Natal and KwaZulu and its implications for the immediate future. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1989.

Lining the streets and the interstitial spaces of the developing cities of the modern world is an emerging citizenship that exists and thrives in the in-between. These are the new urbanites, the Insurgent Citizens; a socio spatial product of the rapid urbanisation processes that have shaped and will continue to shape the urban landscape. The physical make up of concrete and glass that forms the fantastic images of cityness and modernity house the minority population, the haves. However, in the spaces left behind, in the alley ways and on the pavements in so called residual spaces, this new insurgent citizenship is growing. Having been left out of the planning processes that define these city imageries, within exclusionary constructs these citizens are redefining how the city functions as they stake their claims to be active participants within the metabolism of the modern city. This conflicting rationality of what a city is, and for whom it shall serve is effected by the minority striving to modernise and the majority striving to survive within the same physical environment. There are countless research efforts established to disseminate cityness for the minority of haves; however this dissertation posits itself within the construct of the have-nots and their rights to the city and therefore their socio-spatial rights to redefine it. This redefinition of cityness is established as a means to support their livelihood strategies to contest their conditions of spatial and economic poverty, as shall be defined herein. This insurgent citizenship is not survivalist nor merely informal, but rather an active social agent contesting the exclusionary processes that continue to define the cities of the developing world. It is the aim of this dissertation to establish the historical and current construct under which these socio-spatiality’s exist. Thus by identifying these strategies by which these insurgents survive and contest these realities, this dissertation will explore informal recycling as a means of insurgency. By understanding the global and local phenomenon of informal recycling; considering the environmental and socio-economic benefits it yields, this dissertation seeks to uncover strategies by which inclusive developments can be adopted to facilitate this insurgent practice. The objective of this dissertation is to establish a grassroots up architectural design solution for the informal recyclers of the Durban CBD, South Africa. / Thesis (M.Arch.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2013.

Urban informality is a process established by people in the informal urban context to shape existing formal cities to form new informal cities that facilitate their everyday lives. This phenomenon has grown substantially in Latin American, Asian and African cities to a point that people have transformed many of their formal post-colonial cities within these regions to informal cities that can facilitate urban informality. Instead of seeing this process as a way where people living in the informal urban context are trying to create cities and infrastructure that suite their context and way of life, architects and urban design professionals are repeatedly adopting 'western norms‘ to solve urban informality rather than facilitating it. This starts to create a gap between the architectural built form and the way people live. The research was then undertaken to bridge this gap between built form making and the lived realities in the informal urban context by using the underlying principles of urban informality defined by the people to generate meaningful built form within the South African, African context. To achieve this, the research carried out investigations on current literature that dealt with three main principles that defined urban informality that could be used to generate an appropriate built form with the informal urban context. These principles were; socio- economic principles, emergence and the culture of urban informality and these started to suggest a flexible built form that can be adapted by its users to suit their needs. These principles were then tested against precedent and case studies to see their validity in the global and South African context. Qualitative interviews were conducted with a number of professionals that had a better understanding of the case studies than the author to make sure that the analyses and the conclusions based on those analyses were accurate. The research findings ultimately defined an indeterminate built form that is formed through a participatory process between the collaboration of urban design professionals and the future inhabitants of the built form. This built form is 'loosely‘ defined and its inhabitants can manipulate and reconfigure it, to a certain extent, to suit the future unforeseen states of urban informality. The research also outlined a framework that can be applied in the design phase of a multi-purpose trade hub in Durban, South Africa. / M. Arch. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2013.

This research study addresses the issues associated with lost and wasted urban spaces. Lost and wasted spaces refer to areas which have no human activity or proper human interaction. They are the leftover unstructured landscape at the base of buildings. They also include abandoned buildings, waterfronts, train yards, vacated military sites, and industrial complexes. The research outlines the causes of lost and wasted urban spaces which occur within the eThekwini Municipality and urbanised spaces in general. Through the use of case studies and precedent studies, the research study investigates the various techniques, technological advances and approaches that could alleviate wasted spaces in the city. The Durban Esplanade and Point Waterfront development constitute the main case study areas; however, to fully understand how and why lost and wasted spaces occur within the urban environment, various other spaces which make up the cityscape were also investigated. For example, the city transport infrastructure and green spaces do not form part of the case studies, but have been included as part of the research into lost and wasted spaces. The research study seeks to take the issue of lost and wasted urban spaces a step further by combining it with issues related to sustainability. Through the use of the case studies, various possible solutions and alternatives to the alleviation of lost and wasted urban spaces are outlined and investigated. Examples of how lost and wasted urban spaces could be transformed from problem areas to spaces of opportunity are also explored. This was achieved by making use of computer-aided design and graphic illustrations to indicate the possible solutions that could form part of a holistic approach to the issues surrounding lost and wasted spaces in the built environment. The current planning legislation is outlined in order to provide a thorough understanding of the interconnection between environmental and sustainability issues which relate directly to the cause of lost and wasted spaces. Furthermore, the research study highlights the involvement of various built environment disciplines, including planners, architects and urban designers and investigates their role in the alleviation of lost and wasted urban space. / M.T.R.P. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.