Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The particular global context that is fundamentally altering the world is one in which the combined resource requirements of cities are unprecedented. This thesis communicates the thoughts, ideas and research observations on contemporary urbanisation dynamics through a synthesis of various perspectives. This conceptual fusion, as an attempt to provide a holistic overview of contemporary urban dynamics, forms the basis for developing a framework from which the multiple dimensions of cities can be addressed. This theoretical framework, which includes empirical analyses on the state of cities, is then applied to Johannesburg as a case study for deepening the understanding of urban dynamics and to assess implementation of the theoretical framework in reality. Despite being guided by the general aims of investigating current urban growth trends and the conceptual frameworks with which urban systems could be better understood, the complexity of the task at hand defied a static and linear research process. The ideas that emerged through the research journey, as opposed to a process, were synthesised using a literature review from which the framework of managing complex social-ecological systems was developed. Central to this framework is the metaphor of resilience, which through the idea of systemic adaptability, prioritises the need for both social and ecological opportunity to be enhanced. This is critical in the face of cross-cutting global challenges and in terms of cities as archetypical complex social-ecological systems. In reviewing literature on contemporary urbanisation dynamics, it was found that the socio-economic, spatial and ecological tensions characterising developing country cities, require strategies to enhance urban resilience rooted in local social and ecological capabilities that differ from developed nations’ contexts. These practical concerns were the catalyst for suggesting green infrastructure as a framework in which the joint social and ecological values of green assets are valued equally. This in line with the logic of enhancing a system’s overall systemic adaptability. The theoretical frameworks included in the literature review, therefore, emerged through the weaving back and forth of thoughts, debates and practical concerns about creating resilience between people and nature in the urban landscapes of developing countries The methodological implications of a green infrastructure framework resulted in the need to determine the total economic value of ecosystem services, as the benefits that society accrues through ecosystem functioning. Valuing both the social and ecological benefits of such ecosystem derivatives, not only relates to the concept of mutual resilience building, but makes the economic case for investment in natural assets. Through experience with this methodology, it emerged that valuation exercises of ecosystem services require primary research that connects physical data on ecosystem functioning to tangible economic values. In the chosen case study, however, this original research is yet to take place and methodologies for valuing Johannesburg’s green assets had to unfold based on data availability. The development of a methodology within a methodology is a major feature of this paper, which is guided by the logic that for overall systemic resilience to be sustained, investment in natural assets needs to explicitly account for the total economic values of ecosystem services. The conclusions suggest that Johannesburg is nevertheless in a unique position to capitalise on the concept of green infrastructure, from which social and ecological opportunity can be mutually enhanced. In a paradoxical way, the city’s tree-planting boom that resulted in the construction of the world’s largest urban forest in natural savannah grassland, has created inventories of ecological and social resilience that represent the multifunctional value of green assets, if valued explicitly. Recognition of these values shows that ecological assets extend beyond publicly delineated open space and that Johannesburg’s culture of greening is potentially playing a significant role in sustaining the resilience between its people and nature. However, until the detailed base research is conducted on the connections between Johannesburg’s green assets and their associated social and ecological dividends, these assets remain potential inventories of resilience whose values are yet to be fully determined. The recommendations of this thesis are therefore largely to strengthen the research and data bases on Johannesburg’s green assets. Original research is needed so that precise valuation exercises of Johannesburg’s ecosystem services can take place. This research is also the foundation from which a more robust and empirically sound case can be made for motivating investment in Johannesburg’s strategically unique green infrastructure, in the context of social-ecological challenges and the global movement towards green economies, jobs and cities. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die spesifieke globale konteks wat die wêreld ten diepste verander, is ’n konteks waarin die gekombineerde behoeftes van stede ongekend is. Deur ’n samevatting van verskeie perspektiewe bied hierdie tesis gedagtes, idees en navorsingswaarnemings oor die hedendaagse stadsdinamika. Hierdie samevoeging van konsepte, as ’n poging om ’n holistiese oorsig van hedendaagse stadsdinamika te bied, vorm die grondslag vir die ontwikkeling van ’n raamwerk van waaruit die veelvuldige dimensies van stede benader kan word. Hierdie teoretiese raamwerk, wat empiriese analises van die stand van stede insluit, word dan toegepas op Johannesburg as ’n gevallestudie om die stadsdinamika beter te verstaan en die gebruik van die teoretiese raamwerk in die praktyk te evalueer. Die gedagtes wat uit die navorsing voortgespruit het, word saamgevat deur ’n oorsig te gee van literatuur waaruit die raamwerk vir die bestuur van komplekse sosio-ekologiese sisteme ontwikkel is. Die kern van hierdie raamwerk is die metafoor van weerstandsvermoë (“resilience”) wat, deur die gebruik van die konsep sistemiese aanpasbaarheid, die behoefte aan sowel meer sosiale as ekologiese geleenthede as die belangrikste prioriteite identifiseer. Dit is deurslaggewend in die lig van deursnee- globale uitdagings en in terme van stede as argetipiese komplekse sosio-ekologiese sisteme. In die oorsig van literatuur oor die hedendaagse stadsdinamika is daar gevind dat die sosio-ekonomiese, ruimtelike en ekologiese spanning wat stede in ontwikkelende lande kenmerk, strategieë vereis wat stadsweerstand, wat uit plaaslike sosiale en ekologiese vermoëns spruit, sal verhoog. Hierdie praktiese kwessies was die katalisator om ’n groen infrastruktuur voor te stel as die raamwerk waarbinne die gesamentlike sosiale en ekologiese waardes van groen bates ewe veel waarde dra, wat in pas is met die logiese gedagte om ’n sisteem se algehele sistemiese aanpasbaarheid te verhoog. Die teoretiese raamwerk wat ingesluit is in die literatuur wat bestudeer is, het dus na vore gekom deur die uitruil van gedagtes, debatte en praktiese benaderings tot hoe weerstandigheid geskep kan word tussen mens en natuur in die stedelike landskappe van ontwikkelende lande. Die metodologiese implikasies van ’n groen infrastruktuur-raamwerk het dit noodsaaklik gemaak om die totale ekonomiese waarde van ekosisteemdienste, as die voordele wat die samelewing deur ekosisteme ontvang, te bepaal. Die belangrikste navorsing om letterlike inligting oor Johannesburg se ekosisteemdienste aan tasbare ekonomiese waardes te verbind, moet egter nog gedoen word, en metodologieë om die stad se groen bates te evalueer moet ontwikkel word afhangende van die beskikbaarheid van inligting. Die ontwikkeling van ’n metodologie binne ’n metodologie is ’n belangrike kenmerk van hierdie tesis, wat gelei word deur die logiese gedagte dat belegging in natuurlike bates baie duidelik die totale ekonomiese waarde van ekosisteemdienste moet bepaal as algehele sistemiese weerstandsvermoë gehandhaaf wil word. Die gevolgtrekkings dui daarop dat Johannesburg nietemin in ’n unieke posisie is om finansiële voordeel uit die konsep van ’n groen infrastruktuur te trek. Op ’n teenstrydige manier het die stad se grootskaalse poging om bome aan te plant, wat gelei het tot die wêreld se grootste stedelike woud in ’n natuurlike grasvlakte, inligting gebied oor ekologiese en sosiale weerstandigheid, en dit verteenwoordig die multifunksionele waarde van groen bates as daar uitdruklik waarde daaraan geheg word. ’n Erkenning van hierdie waarde wys dat ekologiese bates verder strek as ’n openbare afgebakende oop ruimte en dat Johannesburg se groen kultuur moontlik ’n deurslaggewende rol speel om die weerstandsvermoë tussen sy mense en die natuur volhoubaar te maak. Voordat noukeurige grondnavorsing oor die verband tussen Johannesburg se groen bates en hulle gepaardgaande sosiale en ekologiese voordele egter nie uitgevoer is nie, bly hierdie bates potensiële beskrywings van weerstandsvermoë waarvan die waarde nog nie ten volle bepaal is nie. Die aanbevelings van hierdie tesis is daarom hoofsaaklik dat navorsing voortgesit word, en dat die kennisgrondslag van Johannesburg se groen bates verbreed word sodat ’n presiese evaluering van ekosisteemdienste gedoen kan word as die grondslag van sterker en empiries gestaafde redes om in die stad se groen infrastruktuur te belê.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In the 21st century, cities play a vital role in social, economic and environmental changes. They are the largest places of human settlement and it is expected that more than 80 percent of the world’s population will live in cities by 2050 (UNEP, 2012). At the same time, as the role of cities significantly increases, it also contributes to negative outcomes on the planet. In particular, the current cities’ demand for materials and energy consumption accounts for almost 80 percent of the world’s consumption and it leads to serious environmental problems. The main problems are climate change, biodiversity loss, desertification, and ecosystem degradation. In response to these urban issues, sustainable cities have emerged as an alternative way of urban life. Since cities consume a massive amount of energy, an efficient resource management system has to be established for the sustainable urban future. In addition, finding ways to reconcile economic growth, social well-being and the sustainable use of resources is imperative in urban sustainability. Since people’s lifestyle and their material footprint are dependent on the urban design, construction and operation of urban infrastructures, ways to make an urban infrastructural system more sustainable will contribute to the transition towards sustainable cities. In this study, the thesis applies Material Flow Analysis (MFA) to one of the sustainable cities, Songdo, South Korea. Before delving into the analysis, it explores the overview of the New Songdo City (NSC) project and describes its sustainable urban infrastructures. Then it examines the material flow of inputs and outputs of the city in order to reveal their sustainability and suggests a guideline for the realisation of sustainable cities. Quantitative and qualitative methodologies are used to assess and compare the material and energy flow trends for this city. The results indicate that the general material consumption in Songdo is higher than the average in South Korea. It reflects the high-income households’ consumption patterns in Songdo. In addition, one could see that the sustainable networks have merely contributed to the overall consumption. The findings from this study can be used to formulate sustainable development policies and strategies in terms of increasing the efficiency of resource and energy use in urban areas. Furthermore, this research is expected to provide a platform for realisation of sustainable cities by highlighting the important role of urban infrastructures and their material resource flow. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In die 21ste eeu speel stede 'n belangrike rol in die sosiale, ekonomiese en omgewingskwessies veranderinge. Stede is die grootste vorm van menslike nedersetting en daar word verwag dat meer as 80 persent van die wêreld se bevolking in stede sal woon teen 2050 (UNEP, 2012). Op dieselfde tyd, namate die rol van stede aansienlik verhoog, dra dit ook by tot negatiewe uitkomste op die planeet. Veral huidige stede se vraag na materiaal en energie reken vir byna 80 persent van die wêreld se verbruik, en dit lei tot ernstige omgewingsprobleme. Die grootste probleme is klimaatsverandering, biodiversiteit verlies, verwoestyning en die agteruitgang van ekostelsels. In reaksie op hierdie stedelike kwessies het volhoubare stede na vore gekom as 'n alternatiewe vorm van stadsbewoning. Aangesien stede 'n massiewe hoeveelheid energie gebruik, moet 'n doeltreffende hulpbronbestuur stelsel vasgestel word. Daarbenewens, is dit noodsaaklik om maniere te vind om ekonomiese groei te integreer met sosiale welsyn en die volhoubare gebruik van hulpbronne. Aangesien mense se lewenstyl en hul impak op die omgewing afhanklik is van die stedelike infrastruktuur, sal maniere om hierdie infrastruktuurstelsel meer volhoubaar te maak bydra tot die oorgang na volhoubare stede. In hierde studie word, stedelike materiaalvloeiontleding toegepas op een van die volhoubare stede, Songdo, Suid-Korea. Voor die analise, sal 'n oorsig van die nuwe Songdo stad projek en die stad se volhoubare infrastruktuur gegee word. Dan word die vloei van materiaal in-en uitgange van die stad ondersoek om hul volhoubaarheid te illustreer, en stel dit 'n riglyn voor vir die verwesenliking van volhoubare stede. Kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe metodologie word gebruik om die materiaal en energie vloei tendense vir hierdie stad te bepaal en vergelyk. Die resultate dui daarop dat die algemene materiaal verbruik in Songdo hoër is as die gemiddelde in Korea. Dit weerspieël die hoë-inkomste huishoudings se verbruikspatrone in Songdo. Daarbenewens kan 'n mens sien dat die volhoubare netwerke slegs bygedra het tot die algehele verbruik. Die bevindinge van hierdie studie kan gebruik word om die volhoubare ontwikkeling van beleid en strategieë te formuleer in terme van die verhoging van die doeltreffendheid van die hulpbron-en energie gebruik in stedelike gebiede. Verder word verwag dat hierdie navorsing 'n platvorm in terme van die realisering van volhoubare stede sal voorsien deur die belangrike rol van stedelike infrastruktuur, en die materiaal hulpbron vloei te beklemtoon.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / The sustainability of a human settlement is a multidimensional problem, dealing not only with settlement spatial or housing dimensions, but also with spatial characteristics, geographic location, environmental considerations, economic viability, institutional capacity, human development, and social relationships and aspirations. With the ability to address spatial restructuring, effect integration and optimise the use of infrastructure, the South African government, through its New Comprehensive Plan for the Creation of Sustainable Human Settlements, promulgated in 2004, has identified integrated residential development, essentially comprising medium-density mixeduse housing opportunities, as the core contributor to the creation of sustainable human settlements. Through its land release programmes, government seeks to stimulate the development of integrated and sustainable human settlements. The evaluation criteria applied in the assessment of development proposals however differ between the various spheres of government. The criteria evaluating the inherent sustainability of a development proposal have not been evident in the literature review of the advertised proposals. With no overall assessment framework in place to assess the overall sustainability of integrated residential development projects, there has been an evident lack of consistency in the evaluation of such proposals. Furthermore, the lack of consistency and the lack of a consistently applied evaluation framework does not allow for adequate monitoring and evaluation after development. The aim of this investigation was to facilitate the development of an appropriate and adaptable framework that can guide government in evaluating an integrated residential development proposal in terms of its sustainability and the extent to which it endeavours to achieve government’s desired outcomes. An empirical study was conducted through evaluation research and comparative studies to investigate the indicators informing the creation of sustainable and integrated residential developments. Primary data were acquired through questionnaires to targeted public and private sector stakeholders involved in integrated residential developments, and were supplemented by a literature review on the aspects informing the sustainability of housing development. The research found that there is a lack of consistency and integration in the evaluation of proposals for integrated residential developments. Similarly, the key aspects and means of measuring sustainability were found not to be integrated into the evaluation process. The degree to which a development proposal was considered to be sustainable therefore is, and will remain, unknown until it is researched. Without the ability to measure the level of perceived sustainability pre- and post-implementation of development proposals, and with cognizance of the newness of integrated residential developments as a housing model, it is doubtful whether there will be progress towards the realisation of ideal sustainable human settlements. To facilitate the realisation of sustainable human settlements, the proposed framework seeks to establish a consistent means of evaluating an integrated residential development proposal pre- and post-development.

Thesis submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree Master of Science in Development Planning to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, School of Architecture and Planning, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2017 / A sustainable approach to development brings together social, economic and environmental aspects. However this does not occur in a vacuum, development decisions take place in a palimpsest of underlying decisions and a myriad of conflicting uses and tensions. The sustainable development of parks entails making trade-offs within a conflicting environment. This study reflects on officials’ practices in the processes of park developments. It evaluates the decision-making terrain for park developments to understand the challenges, the advantages and the limitations in achieving an integrated and sustainable park. To this end, I have reviewed JCPZ (Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo) officials’ practices in the park development of an urban wetland in Mshenguville, Soweto. The methodology used for this paper is mainly the case study approach and reviewing archival documents used for the development process. What makes this case study interesting is that this park has some contested, proposed and appropriated land uses such as golf, cattle grazing, and an eco-park. The research report mainly shows that a balance or win-win approach to development is not easy to attain especially in highly contested developments but rather a compromise can be reached provided that the other forces ( stakeholders) within the sustainability triangle (particularly social, economic and environmental) persistantly negotiate their space to be included in the development plan. / XL2018

A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of Witwatersrand, 2016 / This thesis is concerned with the relationship between informal settlements and green infrastructure. It uses the concept of just sustainability to explore the ways green infrastructure can contribute to more just and sustainable informal settlement interventions. The study draws on a case study design, with three low-income areas in Johannesburg serving as case studies. The first, Kya Sands, is an informal settlement that has not experienced substantive intervention. The second, Ruimsig, is an informal settlement that has experienced in situ intervention through reblocking. The third, Cosmo City, is a green-field housing development where households from informal settlements were relocated. The thesis utilised qualitative methods (semistructured interviews, transect walks, focus group discussion) for data collection across the case studies. These were supplemented by a quantitative component for data collection in an individual case and in-depth interviews with purposively selected key informants. The three cases reveal how the low-income residents in these areas derive a range of ecosystem services from natural ecosystems. A range of ecosystem disservices also came to the fore. In Ruimsig settlement, reblocking involved spatial reconfiguration that created opportunities for greening. Co-producing the in situ intervention involved some processes and outcomes related to equity and inclusion but also included situations that were exclusionary. Relocation from informal settlements into a new housing environment in Cosmo City formally created spatial opportunities for greening and reduced dependency on the natural ecosystem for certain basic resources. However, the course of events leading up to relocation and postoccupancy trajectory of green spaces reveal shortfalls in relation to justice and incognisance on socio-ecological and socio-economic realities at the planning stage. Juxtaposition between the cases of Ruismig and Cosmo City shows that in situ intervention can fulfill more principles of just sustainability in comparison with relocation. This thesis argues that careful assessment of the relationship between poor households living in informal settlements and green infrastructure — their interaction with natural ecosystems should influence the approach to informal settlement interventions. The cases reveal that achieving just sustainability in relation to green infrastructure in informal settlement intervention is not straight-forward, but not impossible. Progress towards just sustainability in the form of improvement in quality of life and in the environment requires navigating (with foresight rather than hindsight) the intricacies and dynamics obtainable in contexts into which informal settlements are embedded. / MT2017

Denna studie är en kandidatuppsats i Samhällsbyggnadsteknik vid Högskolan Dalarna. Forskning har visat på att det finns behov av att arbeta tvärsektoriellt för att uppnå en hållbar stadsutveckling. Ett sätt att göra detta är genom dialogprocesser. Denna studie ämnar undersöka vilka effekter dialogprocesser, baserade på SymbioCity Approach, har på kommunal planering efter det att processen genomförts.  Studien har genomförts genom litteraturstudier i ämnet, deltagande observationer under en dialogprocess samt 11 semistrukturerade intervjuer av deltagare från två olika dialogprocesser.  Studien har visat på att dialogprocesser baserade på SymbioCity Approach är ett användbart verktyg för en hållbar stadsutveckling. Processen kan utmynna i resultat som ökad institutionell kapacitet, ökad tvärsektoriell inblick och förståelse samt ökat socialt kapital.   Studien har också visat att viktiga faktorer som kan påverka resultatet av dialogprocessen bland annat är: huruvida man har en lämplig syftesformulering, att rätt resurser medverkar samt att man håller en nivå på dialogen som överensstämmer med dess syfte. Vidare har det framkommit att processen behöver planeras noga för att kunna utmynna i önskat resultat och att olika aktörer kan ha olika förväntningar på och bild av resultaten. / This study is a bachelor thesis in Civil Planning and Construction at Högskolan Dalarna. Studies has shown that there’s a need for a multisectoral working process to achieve a sustainable urban development. One way to do so is through collaborative planning processes. This study examines the use of collaborative processes, based on SymbioCity Approach, in civil planning projects in two Swedish municipalities. It tries to examine what effects the process has on the municipalities planning.  The study has been conveyed through literature studies on the subject, participating observations of a collaborative planning process and 11 semi-structured interviews with participants from two planning processes.  The study has shown that collaborative planning processes based on SymbioCity Approach is a useful tool for sustainable urban development. A process like this may result in increased institutional capacity, increased multisectoral knowledge and understanding, and increased social capital.   The study also shows that important factors that may influence the results of the process are: whether a purpose has been properly articulated, if the right resources are participating and whether the level of the content of the process coincides with the purpose of the process. Furthermore, the study shows that the process needs to be properly planned to reach its full potential. It also found that different stakeholders might have different expectations and idea of what the results of the process might look like.

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2017-12-20T12:50:03Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Fernanda Rodrigues Feltran.pdf: 981201 bytes, checksum: 217a21f38d6cc9af45ffe14c1011ac5b (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-12-20T12:50:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Fernanda Rodrigues Feltran.pdf: 981201 bytes, checksum: 217a21f38d6cc9af45ffe14c1011ac5b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-12-14 / The present survey has as a theoretical framework the Urban Law and intends to be a multidisciplinary study between the areas of Law, Sociology and Urbanism, with the aim of investigating the National system of urban Mobility, limited of the urban highway system (excluding water and airway issues), as an instrument to enable the right of access to the city, under the aegis of the Right to the City. To this end, the fulfilment of the objective in a satisfactory way, the study deeply analyzes the meaning of the city and its social functions, reflecting its use and appropriation, equality and social inclusion, as well as sustainable urban development, of the National System of Urban Mobility with the legal bases of Law 12,587 of January 12, 2012, Urban Mobility Law. Direct result of the analysis allowed to identify the social externalities arising from the administrative management of the National System of Urban Mobility and the role of the State in its effectiveness, a scope of great importance in the context of large cities / A presente pesquisa possui como marco teórico o Direito Urbanístico e pretende ser um estudo multidisciplinar entre as ciências na área de Direito, Sociologia e Urbanismo, tendo como desiderato, investigar o Sistema Nacional de Mobilidade Urbana, limitado ao sistema viário urbano em vias terrestres (excluindo-se, metodologicamente, as questões viárias aquáticas e aéreas), como instrumento viabilizador do direito de acesso à cidade, sob a égide do Direito à Cidade. Com esse propósito, para que se cumpra de forma satisfatória o objetivo, o estudo analisa com profundidade o sentido de cidade e suas funções sociais, refletindo sobre seu uso e apropriação, igualdade e inclusão social, assim como o desenvolvimento urbano sustentável, entrecruzando a gestão do Sistema Nacional de Mobilidade Urbana com os fundamentos legais da Lei nº 12.587, de 12 de janeiro de 2012, Lei de Mobilidade Urbana. A decorrência da análise permitiu identificar as externalidades sociais advindas da gestão administrativa do Sistema Nacional de Mobilidade Urbana e o papel do Estado na sua efetividade, escopo de larga importância no contexto das grandes cidades

Given that access to adequate housing is defined under South Africa's constitution as a fundamental human right, it is understandable that the post Apartheid government focuses significant time and expense on establishing human settlements intended to redress the historically unequal distribution of wealth and resources. This thesis is concerned with looking at why, in spite of this attention, the government has underperformed in delivering low income housing projects that evolve into socially sustainable and integrated communities. Since there is no substantial evidence that a comprehensive study of the consolidation of human settlements has been done in South Africa, this research and the recommendations it engenders will be an important resource for planning truly sustainable and integrated human settlements in the future. Both theoretical and applied research methodologies were utilised in this thesis to examine specifically six human settlements in the KwaZulu-Natal Ethekwini region, selected for their diversity in terms of social, economic and location characteristics, as well as the differing historical circumstances surrounding their establishments. That the analysis included three settlements with Greenfield and social housing projects developed during the Apartheid regime and three settlements established after the 1994 democratic elections, permits comparisons to be drawn and so facilitates a deeper understanding of the successes and failures of the creation of sustainable housing settlements. A thorough review of the limited literature in South Africa in this field and an assessment of strategies contained in the National Housing Policy, was complimented by a more practical approach, including the use of a Delphi survey method, which was conducted with experts in the housing field, policy makers and settlement inhabitants, and extensive on site data collection. This investigation shows that, paradoxically, the Apartheid housing settlements, designed to entrench racial segregation and inequality, have in fact flourished as consolidated communities, in comparison with post Apartheid housing projects. The thesis draws the conclusion that in the Apartheid settlements inhabitants are using their housing units as an invaluable asset to improve their living conditions and to create a sustainable environment. However, in the settlements developed by the post Apartheid regime, inhabitants are struggling to use their home as an asset to improve their living conditions and to create a convenient and sustainable environment. Consequently, poverty, social exclusion and vulnerability of the beneficiaries of low-cost housing are deepening. While this does not justify the Apartheid policy of enforced removals or the subsequent social evils, the sense of ownership that ensued from forcing inhabitants to thererafter pay for their dwelling based on a calculated proportion of household income, is key to understanding this disparity. In comparison, post Apartheid housing policy, framed within a socialist agenda, does not allow for equitable distribution based on income levels and so for the mainly poor and economically inactive inhabitants, there is an absence of this same ownership incentive to either care for or improve the dwellings that they are given. Furthermore, the current National Housing Policy fails to take a holistic approach to the issue since its priority is simply meeting short-term high demand to eradicate the most visible effects of Apartheid. Subsequently, the National Housing Policy has failed to consider how access to education facilities for children, availability of consumer goods and the proximity to commercial activity, jostle with the need for shelter as high priorities for low income households, which fundamentally affects the success of any housing policy. For this reason, several beneficiaries of post Apartheid housing units have sold their homes to raise income to meet more pressing needs. All social housing settlements that formed the sample of this research study have long term viability issues and so replicating any model is problematic. The thesis suggests therefore, that in the future, legislators and policy makers look towards cultivating mixed use housing settlements centred around vibrant commercial, business and retail sites with connecting public transit and pedestrian networks, and various tenure options, including rentals, rent-to-buy and outright purchase. Development initiatives taking into considerations the reforms and recommendations outlined in this thesis could be implemented on housing projects that use developed buffer zones of land that were left over from the Apartheid era housing policy or on "lost spaces" within existing human settlements. The advantages of such a new approach for creating sustainable housing settlements provides an opportunity to link spatially and economically dislocated communities while ensuring beneficiaries and stakeholders in housing settlements meet a wider variety of needs. The conclusion that this thesis draws is that South Africa needs a post Apartheid approach to create sustainable human settlements. The Delphi Study reveals that the strategy to be adopted should represent the expectations of both policy-makers and beneficiaries. Consequently, this thesis proposes a sustainable housing development model and has developed guidelines and processes that take into consideration the many issues affecting housing policies and so becomes a workable tool for future housing professionals. Consolidated and integrated settlements that evolve into socially sustainable communities then becomes a real possibility. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

Cities are defined as the ecological phenomenon of the 21st century since urban form is becoming dominant geographical context for human settlement on Earth. Due to that one of the major tasks of contemporary urban planning policy is adaptation of urban areas to the changing realms. In connection to the adaptation strategies, concept of resilience is gaining much more attention in the current planning discourse as an approach which perceives problem of climate change as the opportunity for better development. New aspect that concept of resilience brings to the planning is a view that social and ecological dimensions are interlinked. According to that, main aim of the thesis is to find an answer for the research question “What is the connection between culture and nature and its role in sustainable adaptation of urban areas to the climate change?” and through the research and analysis develop a theoretical foundation for the strategy of adaptation to the climate change which offers an opportunity for more effective urban growth based on three main pillars of sustainability: Environmental responsibility, Economic viability and Social justice as well as currently distinguished new dimension i.e. Cultural vitality.

Sustainable urban development is mentioned together with the concept of urban form in contemporary planning literature. The main reason behind this is a need for determining an ideal physical development scheme and its main principles of urban future in a broad term. Besides, the operational side of urban planning requires a concrete set of design codes in order to transform urban space in both macro and mezzo scale. At this point, the concept of urban compactness and the idea of Compact City have come into the agenda of planning. In the last decade, the model of compact city has become a prototype of sustainable urban form in developed countries. It is also argued whether compact urbanity is a nostalgic metaphor or an engineering solution. It has emerged as a reaction to the negative consequences of urban sprawl and suburbanization as the anti-urbanist urban phenomena in Western geographies. Hence, the relevance of urban compactness should be examined for developing and underdeveloped countries and their settlement structures. The basic motivation of the thesis is to examine the relevance and validity of urban compactness in the case of Turkey as a developing Eurasian country. For this end, the evolution of urban compactness as a fact and an idea in the historical context of developed countries and it&rsquo / s meaning for the developing world / Ankara is examined as a case study by re-reading its planning history and the transformation of its urban form from the point of view of compactness.