scholarly journals Everyday hazards and vulnerabilities amongst backyard dwellers: A case study of Vredendal North, Matzikama Municipality, South Africa

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia J. Zweig
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Future Development ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Development Planning ◽  
Small Towns ◽  
Local Municipality ◽  
Low Cost Housing ◽  
The Town

The populations of many small towns in South Africa continue to expand unmatched by parallel economic growth, entrenching high levels of poverty. The town of Vredendal, located close to the national route between Namibia and Cape Town in South Africa, is a West Coast development node and an emergent industrial and processing area that continues to attract an influx of people seeking economic opportunities. This is challenging the capacity of the local municipality, which has a waiting list for state-provided low-cost housing units, whilst the provision of adequate infrastructure to meet growing local need is also a developmental concern. In the suburb of Vredendal North this has resulted in the proliferation of unplanned informal dwellings in the backyards of formalised low-cost housing areas. Largely overlooked by urban researchers, little is known or understood about small town backyard populations. This prompted a brief study of Vredendal North backyard dwellers commissioned by the local municipality to identify their everyday hazards and livelihood vulnerabilities to inform future development planning. A community workshop identified critical development needs and suggested that backyard dwellers in small towns experience similar living conditions and hazards to those in the cities, although underlain by some unique differences.

scholarly journals Architectural and Urban Attractiveness of Small Towns: A Case Study of Polish Coastal Cittaslow Towns on the Pomeranian Way of St. James

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 724
Author(s):  
Alicja K. Zawadzka
Keyword(s):  
Small Towns ◽  
Urban Life ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Development Policies ◽  
Quality Of Urban Life ◽  
Size Criterion ◽  
The Town ◽  
Modern Technologies

The paper presents the results of a study on the attractiveness to tourists and natives of the cultural qualities of coastal towns on The Pomeranian Way of St. James that are members of the Cittaslow network. Attention to the quality of urban life is inscribed in the development policies of towns applying to join the Cittaslow movement. In order to join the network (apart from the size criterion), towns need to meet a minimum of 50% plus one of the 72 criteria grouped into seven categories. One of the category is Quality of Urban Life Policy, so the towns applying to join Cittaslow commit themselves to actions aimed at improving the quality of urban life. The study on the attractiveness of cultural qualities of towns to tourists and natives was conducted using the author’s BRB method, whose added value is its universality and the possibility to study small towns regardless of their membership in the Cittaslow network. BRB is an acronym that stands for BUILDINGS, RELATIONSHIPS, BALANCE, and comprises three scopes of activities: BUILDINGS (iconic building and important sites where the inhabitants and the tourists are present); RELATIONSHIPS (the visual effects of the relations between the inhabitants and the town) and BALANCE (solutions that implement modern technologies). This method enables identification of places that are important to the inhabitants, where urban life takes place and which are often created with the involvement of the inhabitants. These are often the same spaces as those that attract tourists and perhaps stimulate them the desire to visit the town again (BRB—be right back). The aim of the BRB method is shown the attractiveness of small towns. The study has shown that the characteristic feature of Polish Cittaslow towns is their diversity: the architectural attractiveness of three towns is high both to tourists and natives. On the other hand, the urban attractiveness of the examined towns is an insufficient.

“The Information Was Hard and Tough”: Low-Cost Housing Information in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

Libri ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
William Dansoh ◽  
Christine Stilwell ◽  
Athol Leach
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Low Cost Housing

scholarly journals Analysis success factors of the new cities establishment (case study: Pardisan town)

2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (04) ◽  
pp. 1231-1242
Author(s):  
Narjes Ghaempanah ◽  
Mohammad-Taghi Rahnamaei
Keyword(s):  
Research Method ◽  
Field Data ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Urban District ◽  
New Town ◽  
New Towns ◽  
The Town ◽  
Topsis Model

New towns and cities are proposed as the places for absorbing the population overflow and limiting the population growth in metropolises. In Iran, these towns and cities are built very close to the metropolises, and gradually, they are being used only as dormitories. The new town of Pardisan is built 13 kilometers southwest of Qom as the largest new town of the urban district of Qom in order to organize the residence system and absorb the population overflow of the metropolis of Qom and reduce its problems. This paper studies the function of the Pardisan new town as the absorber of the population overflow of Qom and also the residents’ satisfaction with this town. The research method adopted by this study is based on the library, documentary, and field data, and also interviews and collection of data by questionnaires and TOPSIS model. The results of this research indicate that many of the families living in the Pardisan town constitute the population overflow of the metropolis of Qom; Among the most important reasons for the migration of families to the Pardisan town is the low cost of land and residence, and 4.67 percent of the residents do not like to live in this town. This unsuccess is mostly due to lack of job and activity in this town, and therefore, the residents are less satisfied with the town.

scholarly journals Systematic conservation planning: a review of perceived limitations and an illustration of the benefits, using a case study from Maputaland, South Africa

Oryx ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 400-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Smith ◽  
Peter S. Goodman ◽  
Wayne S. Matthews
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Conservation Planning ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Distribution Data ◽  
Systematic Conservation Planning ◽  
Conservation Assessment ◽  
Game Ranching ◽  
Setting Process

Systematic conservation planning is widely considered the most effective approach for designing protected area and other ecological networks. However, many conservation practitioners still ignore these methods and we suggest that five perceived limitations of this process are affecting its uptake. These perceptions are that (1) systematic conservation planning software is difficult to use, (2) the process requires extensive biodiversity distribution data, (3) setting targets for representing conservation features is not possible, (4) the advantages of systematic conservation planning do not outweigh the costs, and (5) the resulting plans often identify unsuitable areas. Here we review these perceived limitations and argue they are all misplaced, although we recognize difficulties in the target setting process. We then illustrate the value of systematic conservation planning to practitioners using a case study that describes a low-cost exercise from Maputaland, South Africa. This preliminary conservation assessment measured the effectiveness of the existing reserve system and identified a number of candidate areas that could be the focus of community- or privately-run ecotourism or game ranching ventures. Our results also emphasize both the importance of producing planning outputs that are specifically targeted for stakeholders, and the role of systematic conservation planning in providing a framework for integrating different provincial, national and transnational conservation initiatives.

scholarly journals Self-help Retrofitting Technologies for Low-cost Housing Construction. The Case Study of Vila Novo Ouro Preto, Brasil.

2011 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 625-632
Author(s):  
Clara Masotti ◽  
Annarita Ferrante ◽  
Luca Boiardi ◽  
Carlotta Fabbri
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Housing Construction ◽  
Self Help ◽  
Low Cost Housing

Low-cost housing developments in South Africa miss the opportunities for household level urban greening

2014 ◽  
Vol 36 ◽  
pp. 500-509 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.M. Shackleton ◽  
P. Hebinck ◽  
H. Kaoma ◽  
M. Chishaleshale ◽  
A. Chinyimba ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Urban Greening ◽  
Household Level ◽  
Housing Developments ◽  
Low Cost Housing

scholarly journals Socio-economic transformation of small towns in East Germany after 1990 - Colditz case study

2012 ◽  
Vol 17 (17) ◽  
pp. 33-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Waldemar Cudny
Keyword(s):  
East Germany ◽  
Small Towns ◽  
Economic Transformation ◽  
West Germany ◽  
Social Changes ◽  
East And West Germany ◽  
Spatial Changes ◽  
Size Population ◽  
The Town

Socio-economic transformation of small towns in East Germany after 1990 - Colditz case study The article presents the main demographic and social, as well as functional and spatial changes that took place in Colditz after 1990. The town is inhabited by 4,870 people (2009) and is situated in Saxony, in the area of the former German Democratic Republic (GDR). The aim of the article is to present the main changes, which took place there after East and West Germany reunited in 1990. The author describes demographic and social changes in the population size, population growth, migration balance, unemployment, and other elements of urban community. Moreover, the article presents the changes in the economic-functional structure, such as de-industrialisation, succession of urban functions, and tourism development, as well as the main spatial changes in Colditz, such as architectural revitalisation and reconstruction of urban infrastructure. In the conclusions, the author briefly presents potential directions in the future development of the town.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document