This dissertation explores renewable energy strategies for low-income housing in South Africa using several case studies from the City of Cape Town and surrounding areas. The paper engages with the background and theories underpinning renewable energy for low income housing, analysing the key literature and focusing on renewable energy policies and current research in Cape Town, South Africa. It attempts to analyse the implications of current policy, the practical implications of renewable energy in low income housing developments and the conflicts that can occur between environmental and poverty interventions. The research for this paper involved face to face interviews with individuals working in the renewable energy for low income housing field or exposed to projects of this type. From these interviews it emerged that renewable energy interventions in housing can more significantly reduce environmental impact when applied in middle and upper income housing developments. but also that particular kinds of renewable energy and energy efficiency interventions are suitable for low income housing developments. It became clear that the role of the town planner is central in ensuring the success of renewable energy projects, and that political will is also a key factor. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2007.

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.

No abstract available. / Thesis (MTRP)-University of Natal, 1995.

Urbanisation is one of the most forceful social and economic trends currently affecting large cities in the developing world and is an important component of national economic development processes. This is despite the general decline of formal urban economies in both developed and developing countries. A mirror-image reflection of the urbanisation process is increasing urban poverty, clearly evident in large cities and metropolitan areas in South Africa. The urban poor, local government, and urban planners have responded to urbanisation and poverty in different ways. Informal settlement processes take place and consolidate themselves in a climate of isolation and continuous conflict with the rules of the established formal urban economy, with the informal sector providing a safety net for survival. With the barest minimum of resources people living in informal settlements have provided some sort of shelter for themselves in spite of successive and systematic governmental opposition. They have generated many income earning opportunities in the informal sector; and in some cases they have made and effort to supplement household food supplies through direct production within the city. The practice of urban agriculture is guided by the "logic for survival" and it may be equated to squatter housing and street trading in that they are all examples of innovative responses from the urban poor. In the recent past the general response of local government planning authorities in African cities has been the fomiulation and implementation of urban management programmes linked to poverty alleviation programmes. It is within this context that various government authorities have responded by repressing the survival strategies of the urban poor, · tolerating it if they lacked the capacity to control it, or encouraging it by having had enabling mechanisms in place to support such activities. Generally, government authorities have used all of the above strategies simultaneously due to a relatively greater acceptance or tolerance of some informal activities in comparison to others. The practice of urban agriculture has been repressed in certain countries, while tolerated or promoted in others. For urban planners the connection between food and the land on which it is produced has become increasingly remote and abstract as an issue that directly concerns urban planning and wellfare. Food production and distribution is intricately linked to the global economic trade, and it will be difficult to change the terms of trade in an effort to produce subsistence food supplies. People living in urban areas are reliant on the cash purchase of food which in turn is linked to levels of affordability. However in the face of declining real incomes and reduced purchasing power, and as mentioned above, the poor and destitute have resorted to supplementing their household food supplies through direct production within the city. Food relief programmes are an added expense to government's already overburdened coffers. As such food security is a matter that urban planners and policy makers should consider from now on. Urban agriculture has an important role to play in feeding the ever growing urban popUlation, especially the urban poor. The planning of cities rarely considers the production of urban food supplies since the prevailing attitude is one that consigns food production to the rural areas, with the focus of the city on the pursuit of economic activities. There is an compelling urgency to defeat the ethical, ideological, psychological, attitudinal and practical obstacles to promoting urban agriculture since positive policies in support of urban agriculture are unlikely to emerge from this negative frame of mind. / Thesis (MTRP)-University of Natal, Durban, 1995.

The research explores the relevance of communicative planning theory to South Africa's new development planning approach: the Integrated Development Planning. Communicative planning theorists claim that communication that meets Habermas's validity claims ofcomprehensibility, sincerity, legitimacy and truth could result in consensus being reached which will reduce power and conflict between participants. Tlie research investigates the extent to which the above contentions are valid in the context of Durban Metropolitan's Outer West Local Council's Integrated Development Planning. The research investigates the extent to which communication results in consensus. The research hypothesises that power is an important factor"in determining outcomes. The research explores the following questions in more detail: how does power of various actors shape planning outcomes? How does power penetrate good intentions of communicative planning? Is it meaningful to operate with a concept of communication in which power is absent? What is the impact of asymmetrical power relations to communication that is aimed at development planning? Is consensus an achievable ideal? Given the new and changing role of planners, can the planners' professional judgement be "neutralised" and can they act as valueneutral participants as the theorists claim? Tewdwr-Jones & Alldimendinger (1998) are critical of the diminishing role that is given to the planner by the collaborative planning theory. The research investigates the role of the planner by asking the following questions: what is and what should the role of planner be given that collaborative planning or communicative planning theorists tend to remove the planner from the centre to the periphery? Should there be a planner at all or can the community through participatory planning do it all by themselves without the need tor the 'expertise' ofa planner? What are the obstacles to eftective public participation that is aimed at building consensus and to what extent can individual stakeholders participate meaningfully. The assumption ofthe communicative planning theory is that when there is platform to participate, people will argue, talk, debate and negotiate. The research also contextualises the study by looking at contemporary literature on changing urban landscape: the new models ofmunicipal administration and governance ie.public-private partnerships, the macro-economic trends that would aftect the delivery ofplans and services. To accomplish this, the research looks at communicative planning theory in relation to the actual local development planning practice of the chosen case study area. There are principles of communicative planning which are similar to those ofthe IDP approach which make it safe for one to claim some resemblances between theory and the new approach. One such principle is the emphasis placed on communication between the planner and resident communities achieved through public meetings/workshops. The findings of this research show that communicative planning theory is relevant to South Africa's new Integrated Development Planning. The results of this research also show that communicative planning that meet the validity claims ofcomprehensibility, honesty, legitimacy and truthfuJnessare important because in the case study under discussion, development was derailed by the lack ofpolitical legitimacy (authority) and lack ofpower to take decisions, as a result the power of resident community overwhelmed those of planning consultants. Conflict resolution was not reached through communication between planners and resident communities because participants exercise their power to the detriment ofthe whole process. There were some difficulties in the application of communicative theory to real life planning practice in that the theory push for communication yet during participation citizens did not have enough skill and expertise that would enable them to participate meaningfully in the planning sessions. Communication therefore became a mere question and answer exercise and lacked effective argumentation, dialogue, negotiation, proper talk and debating. The findings of this research show that it is meaningless to operate with a concept of communication in which power is absent. Power has indeed been an important factor in determining outcomes in this planning initiative. To a greater extent, communication was penetrated by asymmetrical power relations between interlocutors - to such an extent that the development planning process came to a stand still. The findings also show that communicative rationality is a means to an end and not an end in itself The end product is a document which has to be produced using some technical rationalities. It was clear from the planning episodes and from interviews that consensus is not an achievable ideal. There are many factors that influence reaching consensus. The research also showed that it is not possible for planners to adopt a valueneutral stance during planning meetings given that they themselves are an interested party and not just observers. Their education and training makes them an interest group in their own right. The research has shown that true community participation (argumentation, talk, debate, negotiation) is dependent on the skills level of participants, their education, experience, background and personalities; these became hindrances or obstacles to effective communication. It was clear from the findings that the role ofplanners during the planning workshops is increasing instead of diminishing as the theorists contend. There are additional roles that planners have to play including capacity building, advising communities, playing advocacy role, filtering and mediating information and interests of various parties during planning meetings. There were technical skills that could only be obtained from the qualified planner, namely the ability to delineate boundaries using maps, writing technical reports and the ability to selectively collate information for processing using sophisticated computer packages. / Thesis (M.U.R.D.P.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2002.

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.

This study seeks to examine the contribution of land reform programmes to beneficiaries and focuses on post settlement development for beneficiaries once they have resettled on the farm. The contribution of land reform programmes is examined in this study through the investigation of the Rocky Drift Farm, a rural area in Muden, KwaZulu-Natal Province, This case study has been chosen because it became one of the first Land Reform Pilot Projects transferred in 1997 to a Trust, representing a large number of owners (232 in total), under the government assisted land redistribution programme. It is now 12 years since the residents have returned to Rocky Drift Farm and this period is regarded as sufficiently long enough to enable the critical examination of development progress relating to land reform since 1997. This research has hypothesized that "whilst the Land Reform Programme does generate some benefits for beneficiaries, it has proved to be an inadequate mechanism for improving the quality of life for beneficiaries, and thus needs to be supplemented by a number of other key support programmes in order to fully contribute to the lives of the poor". While this investigation has proven beyond reasonable doubt that the lives of of the beneficiaries have not fully improved as a result of Land Reform Programmes at Rocky Drift, improvement in infrastructure and service provision such as upgrading of 3 roads. construction and upgrading of 5 schools, building of 1 creche and the supply of portable water, has been noticed. Furthermore, benefits such as a sense of belonging, identity, trust, hope and reconciliation, resulting from the implementation of the Rocky Drift Project have also not gone unnoticed. However, despite the benefits mentioned above, it is strongly argued by this dissertation that these benefits are inadequate to boldly conclude that land reform programmes have improved the standard of life for Rock Drift residents after 12 years of resettlement. Therefore, this study recommends, inter-alia, the following supplementary measures as boost for land reform programmes to enable the beneficiaries to fully benefit from these programmes, during post settlement; • improving communication, co-operation and co-ordination among the government departments, • maintaining the continuity of the key stakeholders, • establishment of agri-villages; • link land reform projects with lDPs: • re-establishing the Rocky Drift community structures and the • letting of unused portions of Rocky Drift Farm, to mention a few. Lastly, since the Rocky Drift Project piloted other farms, this study also recommends that a further investigation needs to be conducted. This will draw a comparative analysis and critically examine whether or not the lessons from this project were used to improve other similar projects. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2009.

The degeneration and decay of urban areas is a result of a combination of factors that lead to the downward spiraling of the performance of the economy concerned, the quality of life of citizens residing in the area, a lack of investor confidence, and environmental degradation and vice versa. The purpose of this study was to determine if South Beach, Durban, is blighted, what the causes of blight in the area are, how the existing blight can be eliminated and if it requires an urban renewal intervention. Through various methods, such as mapping, observation studies, questionnaire surveys, and interviews, it was determined that certain areas of South Beach are in a state of economic, physical and social decline. The decay of the case study area is occurring in pockets, with a greater concentration on Point Road. The decay of the region is due to a culmination of contributive elements that are slowly leading towards a blighted neighbourhood. Forms of blight that have been noted in the case study area are physical, functional, frictional and economic. This is partially because land-uses are incompatible, there are several vacant sites and empty buildings, the area lacks green spaces, and there are also several irregular-shaped sites. Other factors contributing to the blight of the area are the land-uses of South Beach, which are not in keeping with what was the original intent, i.e. what the area was zoned for. This has also given rise to blight in the case study area. South Beach's deterioration and urban decay is due to many factors, including poor maintenance and the mismanagement of buildings, poor co-ordination between key role-players and stakeholders, a lack of urban management, unsafe areas, and a lack of the private sectors' contribution. In order to reduce the spread of the various forms of blight evident in the area, the South Beach case study area requires an urban renewal intervention. Urban renewal of the area is required to attract investment; to create an environment that is aesthetically simiiar to, and works in conjunction with the new uShaka Island and Marine Theme Park, attractions at North Beach, Suncoast Casino and Entertainment World; and to position itself as an active role-player within the Golden Triangle of Suncoast, uShaka Island and the International Convention Centre. Recommended methods of renewal are aimed at sustainability and the rehabilitation, conservation, and revitalisation of the area. There is a need to collaborate strongly with the private sector in order to renew South Beach. The collaboration will increase the confidence levels of both domestic, as well as foreign investors. Other recommendations for the sustainable urban renewal of South Beach include the proper urban management of the case study area, management of the buildings, incentives provision to the respective stakeholders, and ongoing public participation processes. By-laws also need to be passed to ensure that the area is properly renewed and that it will be sustainable over the long-term. South Beach does require an urban renewal intervention in certain areas that will address the physical, social and economic spheres of the case study area. In order for the area to be renewed in a sustainable, transparent and equitable manner, all stakeholders must be equally represented and their views taken into account in the planning, implementation and monitoring phases of the renewal of South Beach. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2003.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006.

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