No abstract available. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1999.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)-University of Natal, 2003.

Currently, the global agenda of sustainability and sustainable development have become the yardstick to which human activities are measured. The concept of sustainability is known to contain directives, when implemented will ensure that resources are used in ways that can benefit current and future generations. The ways in which spatial planning and urban development occur have also become relevant in this respect. Within this premise, urban form has also become relevant to the urban sustainability. Umhlanga Ridge Town Centre is a private development modeled on the concept of New Urbanism. The concept of New Urbanism is known to contain elements which respond positively to current urban challenges such as urban sprawl, increased pollution from automobile dependency and socio-economic polarization. In essence, New Urbanism purports to contribute towards urban sustainability. The main objective of this research has been to ascertain the extent to which the current developments in Umhlanga Ridge satisfy the principles of New Urbanism and urban sustainability. This included the identification of appropriate indicators of a sustainable urban form. Emphasis was made on how the indicators of urban form had manifested in the development of Umhlanga Ridge Town Centre and the impacts they have had on identified urban challenges in the Ethekwini Municipality. The rationale was that sustainable urban development must be able to address local urban challenges and promote sustainable practices within the private and the public domain. The methodology for this research included the use of secondary and primary sources. Interviews were conducted with Tongaat Hulett Development in their capacity as a land owner and planners of the Umhlanga Ridge Town Centre. The Ethekwini Municipality was also interviewed with respect to what impacts this development had had on their overall long-term development strategy. Three renowned planners who had adequate knowledge of urban development trends in the Ethekwini Municipality were also interviewed. A questionnaire survey was undertaken with users of the Umhlanga Ridge Town Centre to gain their perceptions on urban form in relation to their needs. The research revealed that the application of New Urbanism in the development of Umhlanga Ridge Town Centre was partly an investment initiative for profit-maximisation as well as a response to sustainable practices in urban development. Being part of a major investment node in the Ethekwini region, it had contributed towards job creation and enhanced the economic base of the region. However, it was found to have partially fulfilled the principles of New Urbanism used in the assessment. It was concluded that the application of New Urbanism in urban development was not adequate to achieve urban sustainability but provided lessons which can be learnt such the use of high densities to enhance compaction and the creation of a living environment which supported non-motorised forms of transport. Private sector participation and buy-in into the long-term vision of regions had also become necessary to enhance the adoption of sustainable practices into the future. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

The field of planning has been defined by conflicts between the three fundamental goals of planning: economic development; social equity; and environmental development. These conflicts have been caused by competition between two worldviews, namely the expansionist and ecological perspectives. The expansionist perspective favours the conventional economic imperative to maximize production. The ecological perspective favours the ecological imperative to protect the ecosphere and the social equity imperative to minimize human suffering. Though these perspectives are in competition, the expansionist perspective is dominant in the planning profession. Despite the perpetuation of the conflicts by the dominance of the expansionist perspective in the planning profession, practitioners continue to use conventional planning to advance economic development over social equity and environmental protection. These conflicts have implications for the sustainability of development. In the South Durban Basin, the competition between the expansionist and the ecological perspectives and the dominance of the former is manifested in the conflict between the scales of need; at the national and local scales. The research discovered that the conflict between the scales of need presented a dilemma for planners because they are obligated to plan for the conservation of the environment, and at the same time plan for the growth of the economy for the benefit of all people in society. Invariably, planners find themselves responding more to needs of those with power; at the national scale, whose interest is economic growth. In order for the planners to respond equally to their multiple obligations, they need to integrate the expansionist and ecological perspectives. The study sought to prove that the integration can only be achieved through collaborative planning, so that sustainable development emerges as the framework policy. Ultimately, as this study actually proved, the South Durban Basin is such a contested landscape to the extent that collaborative planning was found not to be possible. The lack of collaborative planning therefore means that sustainable development cannot be achieved, as the study of South Durban Basin conclusively proved. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

Sustainability has become synonymous with development. The concept of integrated coastal management (ICM) was derived from sustainability theory. The planning profession has an impact on the development of coastal zones through land use plans. This study aimed to demonstrate through case studies, the pros and cons of applying technological methods for the purpose of creating better quality plans. Literature, precedent studies and a local example of dualities in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, has provided evidence toward the practicality of monitoring and controlling urban coastal land uses via support technology. Conclusions have been drawn based on critically analysing the data and were presented through maps, tables and graphs throughout the paper. Changing trends and patterns in the natural world, namely the impacts of climate change, have affected the urban environment. Therefore recommendations were made for further research into technological support systems available for the planning profession. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1993.

As neoliberalism has risen into ascendancy, cities have shifted their development approach, often in ways that produce problematic and heavily critiqued outcomes (Bond, 2005a; Leitner et al, 2007). In many instances, cities have taken on a development agenda characterised by the prioritisation of economic growth and improving the quality of life in cities (Pieterse, 2008). Thus, cities, often with limited resources and skills, face the challenge of negotiating between these imperatives. In this context, public private partnerships (PPPs) have emerged as a development mechanism through which local, redistributive, and global, economic, urban imperatives can be negotiated. Building on the theorisation of neoliberalism and urban development in the contemporary city, this thesis draws on the concepts of the ‘ordinary city’ (Amin and Graham, 1996; Robinson, 2002; 2006) and ‘entanglement’ (Sharp et al, 2000; Nuttall, 2009). The adoption of this theoretical approach facilitates an understanding of the relationship between neoliberalism and the negotiation of competing urban development imperatives in public private partnerships. This understanding is relational and freed from the constraints of developmentalist or global cities approaches, which have come to dominate theorisations of urban development. The empirical research concentrates on two public private partnerships in Durban, South Africa, namely; the Durban Growth Coalition and the eThekwini Municipality-Moreland Developments Joint Venture. These partnerships have produced significant interventions in the urban landscape since their inception in 1999 and 2002, respectively. In addition, the empirical investigation includes the Riverhorse Valley Business Estate and the Bridge City mixed use development. These projects have been implemented through the eThekwini Municipality-Moreland Developments Joint Venture. The empirical study predominantly relies on a qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders involved in these partnerships, their projects, and within the broader urban development arena of Durban. Documentary evidence and observation has further contributed to the empirical material examined in the research. The research findings reveal how actors in Durban enmesh and co-constitute the competing priorities of economic growth and post apartheid redress through a range of discourses. This discursive inter-relating of the imperatives produces their entanglement. In turn, this entanglement produces an ‘actually existing neoliberalism’ (Brenner and Theodore, 2002a). The form of this local version of neoliberalism is shown to be strongly shaped by the contingent conditions in Durban and the broader context of transition in South Africa. Furthermore, the examination of the two PPP projects brings to light the nuanced character of the ‘actually existing neoliberalism’ and how variably it is materialised within urban development. Through these findings, the thesis gives evidence of the active agency of places in the production of neoliberalism, and thereby challenges the assumption that cities, especially in the developing world, are simply passively responding to the global impulse of neoliberalism (Hart, 2002). As such, it responds to the need for new insight into how neoliberalism is produced at the local level, and addresses concerns for the lack of agency ascribed to cities in theorisations of neoliberalism (Larner, 2000, 2003; Brenner and Theodore, 2002a; Castree, 2005; 2006; Hart, 2002; 2006). Finally, conceptualisations of the binary relationship between the global and the local, and between competing urban development imperatives, are challenged (Hart, 2002). / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

The city of Durban, themed in the tourist industry as, "South Africa's Playground', has a vibrant and dense cultural mix. It is a sought after tourist destination both locally and on the global scene. The importance of the Tourist Industry is brought to bear in its use as a tool to stabilise the economy. The role of the CBD within the tourist industry is important as it is able to display culture. Since the CBD is a product of an ongoing evolutionary process it has embedded traces of cultural, social, political and economic fluctuations, which are expressed through the built form of the city. In this light, Durban's CBD is a vital asset as it offers a deepened understanding of culture through experience of place. This resource has not been developed to its full potential at present as is evident in the CBD's limited hours of use. Given the context of a society living within an "information age" this study aims to discover which factors contribute toward this phenomenon. Therefore, the research explores the physical conditions of the CBD as well as the social conditions that have been brought to bear through the introduction and evolution of technology and information access. Further, society's dependence on technology and information access and their relationship with the built environment will be explored. The importance of expressing this dynamic relationship within the built environment wtJI be explored. An appropriate means of architectural expression will be established as informed by the study and applied to the local context-of Durban's CBD. / Thesis (M.Arch.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2007.

This thesis is not to be viewed as the solution to the so called "housing problem" in South Africa, or even in Durban, nor does it propose a definitive plan for the Warwick Triangle. It is. rather, an attempt to examine the opportunities that exist for the creation of a viable urban residential quarter that is not only rich and whole in itself, but contributes in some way to the richness and wholeness of the city. In pursuit of this I have looked at city-building, and housing in particular as an important part of city-building, as a process that is infinite and have tried to propose a development that facilitates this process and harnesses the creativity and resources of individuals in the making of urban environments. It is important to note that my concerns are equally to do with the problem of creating urban housing that works and is appropriate, and that of making a positive contribution to the public realm. No urban development should be seen in isolation (it is that selfish attitude that has caused the barrenness of many urban centres) but as part of a growing organism, the city, where each organ has a part to play in the performance of the whole, and interdependence means that no part flourishes at the expense of another. The proposal that results from these concerns, is for a high-density multi-use development. It is predominantly a residential development but includes shops, workshops and community space. These provide amenity, employment opportunities and reduce the potential for isolation of individuals living in the development. A reassessment of the housing process to include user participation and a mixture of· ownership and rental opportunities ensures that residents can express their own identities as opposed to the facelessness of mass-housing schemes. / Thesis (M.Arch.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1990.