OpenUCT :: Browsing by Author "Dewar, Neil"

Browsing by Author "Dewar, Neil"

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Open Access
An assessment of resettlement programmes in Southern Africa
(1997) O'Donoghue, Bridget; Dewar, Neil
The resettlement programmes in Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa aim to provide secure access to natural resources and infrastructure for landless people within rural areas, in order for them to achieve self sufficient livelihoods through the production of agriculture. Resettlement programmes are a development initiative and a component of rural development. In order for the resettlement programme to be a positive component of rural development by contributing to economic development and improving the welfare of the beneficiaries, the correct procedures need to be followed in the planning and implementation stages. The aim of the study is to establish a set of criteria for assessing resettlement programmes. Zimbabwe's resettlement programme is reviewed to assist in the establishment of the criteria. The criteria is used to evaluate the two case studies, namely, resettlement schemes at Garn, in Namibia and on Elandskloof, in South Africa. Guidelines are developed from the criteria to assist in the planning of resettlement programmes. Unless effective planning which takes the socio-economic and biophysical environments of resettlement areas into consideration, the objective of resettlement programmes practicing sustainable resource use, is reduced.
Open Access
Confronting black low cost housing delivery in the Western Cape Metropolitan Area : a critical appraisal
(1996) Evans, Paul Desmond; Dewar, Neil
This thesis presents a critical evaluation of the current responses being made by the new Government of National Unity towards solving the low cost housing and community development crisis. This crisis is largely confined to the black low-income residential areas and is manifest in a shortage of adequate formal accommodation, municipal infrastructure and public facilities. Moreover, these areas are also characterised by poverty, poor living conditions, environmental degradation and the socio-economic deprivation of the households living within them. The Reconstruction and Development Programme and the National Housing Policy have recently been introduced by the new Government in response to this problem. The purpose of this study is to examine the degree to which these policies represent an effective long-term solution to this crisis and whether they are an appropriate means through which low-income households can obtain the type of housing-they both need and can realistically afford. Emphasis is placed upon a critical evaluation of the National Housing Policy and the Cape Metropolitan Region is used as a study area. A household survey was carried out in the black low-income residential areas of this region in an effort to determine the actual housing and development needs, perceptions, socio economic characteristics and locational preferences of these communities. The results of the survey are presented along with an analysis of the origins, nature and magnitude of the housing crisis in the Cape Metropolitan Area.
Open Access
Development in Cape Town's Central Business District : the office component
(1985) Rideout, Timothy William; Davies, R J; Dewar, Neil
The first part of the thesis covers the background to the research, namely (a) a selective review of previous work in the field of office development and location studies and the subsequent identification of the objectives of the present research, (b) a summary of the historical development of the central area of the City of Cape Town, (c) the definition of the study area, this being the Central Business District of the city of Cape Town and (d) a discussion of the collection of land use and gross floor area data, the identification and resolution of problems in the data and the administering of a postal Questionnaire to 1,400 office establishments in the CBD. This section also covers the problem of identifying and delimiting land use clusters. The technique selected for use in such delimitation was that developed by D. H. Davies (1965) augmented by the development of three 'indices of clustering '. The second part of the thesis presents, by means of thirty-three detailed maps, a comprehensive analysis of office land use patterns in the Cape Town CBD in 1983. Clusters are indicated according to the Davies technique. It was found that many office functions exhibited clustering in distinct parts of the CBD and, moreover, certain functions appeared to show close similarities in their respective location patterns. A factor analysis identified six groups of similarly located land uses, on which basis a model of the spatial organization of the CED was proposed. Data, derived from the postal questionnaire, on the characteristics and requirements of individual office functions was used to explain the location patterns. Previous studies have usually considered linkages as being the primary locational determinant for the office sector, but in this case it was found that clustering and the existence of similar location patterns between office functions usually arose from a combination of common locational requirements. The major locational determinants were found to be the rent paying ability of establishments, the relative importance of the accessibility of the establishment to either general public or commercial clients, the existence of strong linkages with other functions (especially where such functions were eccentrically located with respect to the CBD, such as the Docks) and in some cases the importance of occupying prestige premises. The comparatively minor role of linkages with other functions was considered to be a reflection of the relatively small size of the CBD. The thesis concludes with a study of past trends and future projections of the development of the CBD. The growing dominance of the office sector is clearly revealed, as is the effect of the Foreshore Reclamation Scheme in promoting a northward migration of the Office Core while leaving the Retail Core largely unchanged from its 1957 location. On the basis of current development projects it was projected that there would be considerable short-term vacancy in the office sector by late 1986. In the longer term, though, gross floor area requirements for all uses are predicted to rise by almost 50% to 3.475 million square metres by the year 2000. Such development of all of the space currently permitted by the Town Planning Scheme raises the possibility of space shortages and the loss of remaining historic buildings.
Open Access
An environmental impact assessment of urbanisation in the Erongo Region, Namibia
(1996) McCallum, Alison Nicola; Dewar, Neil
The assessment conducted in this dissertation was shaped by the intended formulation of an Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan (ICZMP), as proposed by the Danish Co-operation for Environment and Development. An ICZMP provides an integrated and holistic approach to planning, in which the various activities and resource demands that occur within the coastal belt and neighbouring regions are appropriately coordinated. The first phase of the formulation of this management plan entailed the compilation of a baseline report summarising the present state of the environment in the study area, with particular emphasis on the major issues which will require attention in an ICZMP. This study was undertaken by Masters students from the Department of Environmental and Geographical Science at the University of Cape Town. The study area is located within the coastal belt of Namibia's Erongo Region, and more specifically within the magisterial districts of Swakopmund and Walvis Bay (Map 3). This includes the National West Coast Tourist Recreation Area and a portion of the Namib Naukluft Park. The southern boundary extends to the Sandwich Harbour, while the northern boundary extends to the southern bank of the Ugab River. The eastern perimeter is that of the Swakopmund magisterial district, and includes the municipal areas of Walvis Bay, Henties Bay and Arandis, together with Rossing Mine and its immediate environment. The seaward boundary is defined by the three nautical mile limit from shore. The Baseline Report: Coastal Zone Management Plan for the Erongo Region, Namibia was submitted to DANCED in March 1996. The findings of the investigation, as recorded in the report, highlight a number of issues which require urgent attention in the ICZMP. One such issue concerns the rapid influx of migrants to the urban centres in the study area. Population is a determining factor which significantly influences the functioning of other key sectors within a given location. As such, an understanding of the ramifications of increased population numbers is imperative to the formulation of an ICZMP. The objective of this dissertation was, therefore, to identify the factors generating rapid migration to the study area, and to facilitate an assessment of the impacts of this phenomenon. Once identified and assessed, these impacts can be better managed within a holistic, integrated framework.
Open Access
From Salisbury to Harare : the geography of public authority finance and practice under changing ideological circumstances
(1988) Dewar, Neil; Davies, R J
This study is based on the assumption that money 'powers the urban system'. Its focus is the geography of public finance in Harare and ideologically inspired change in urban management. The context is the changing circumstances attendant upon the transfer of power from minority White settler colonial rule to Black majority rule in Zimbabwe. The ruling ZANU-PF party professed a continuing ideological commitment to the principles of "Marxist-Leninist-Maoist" socialism. It was surmised that application of these principles to the discharge of urban management and to the provision of public goods and services by a Black City Council would have been reflected in changing trends in the generation, allocation and distribution of public funds. Expressed as an aphorism, the geography of public finance investigates 'who gets what, where; who pays, who benefits, who decides, and who decides who decides'. These issues are addressed in the present study. Annual income and expenditure on both capital and revenue accounts for selected Council operations, were analysed in an attempt to identify significant trends from 1978 to 1984. Analytical methods include regression analysis, tests for statistical significance, multi-variate analysis and shift-share analysis. Local authority organisation and practice in colonial Salisbury is described as a basis for the evaluation of changing patterns of public service delivery after independence. Perceptions of priority issues for the city's growth and development were solicited from Councillors in a structured, open-ended questionnaire, and Council by-laws were analysed for evidence of change in the regulation and control of urban activities. Major findings include: 1. that the accounting procedures employed by the City Council are inappropriate for geographical analysis; 2. that the organisational structure and operational procedures of the Council, particularly with respect to urban finance remain virtually unchanged; 3. that the financial and other data provide evidence of the reallocation and redistribution of public funds to redress the colonial legacy of inequality; but 4. that fundamental structural change consistent with criteria indicating transition to a socialist urban space-economy has not occurred. Evidence is advanced in support of these conclusions and major reasons are suggested.
Open Access
Integration in spatial planning : case study of the Cape Town Metropolitan spatial development framework
(2002) Shepherd, Desiree; Dewar, Neil
It is the underlying position of this thesis that -sustainable development embraces the concept of integrating economic, social, environmental, demographic and political issues. High levels of poverty and previous unequal access to resources and power in South Africa emphasise the need for an integrated approach, with a critical focus on democracy, participation and transformation of institutions. Sustainable development requires trade-offs, for example through regulatory frameworks. City managers use these frameworks provide a just and equitable means for informed, integrated and sustainable decision-making. The thesis, in terms of theory and precedent attempts to derive an understanding of What integration is in terms of the broader context of sustainable development and how it is perceived in both Spatial Planning and Strategic Environmental Assessment processes. although both have, at times, common objectives, they have different rationales and the assumption is made that spatial planners believe their procedures and methods pare sufﬁcient for the integration of biophysical, social and economic issues. The question is: how is it possible to ascertain whether integrated planning is occurring? The intention of this thesis is to evaluate the extent of integration which occurred in the Cape Town Metropolitan Spatial Development Framework (MSDF). The Integration Framework is used as a tool to evaluate the MSDF - it constitutes ﬁve dimensions, substantive, methodological, procedural, institutional and policy integration. These provide the criteria for determining the extent to which integration has occurred in the MSDF. The MSDF process was initiated in 1991 and was the ﬁrst planning exercise attempting to change the city structure and reverse the legacy of apartheid. It took into account the unique environment of the Cape, its people and the economy; the plan itself was prepared during a period of political, legislative, institutional and social change. The MSDF was adopted in 1996 by the Cape Metropolitan Council. An Environmental Evaluation was also done for the ﬁrst time at metropolitan level, giving the spatial planning process a new dimension.
Open Access
A post hoc scoping assessment of the rapid rate and scale of urban development along the 'West Coast' : 3 case studies
(2006) Charter, Simon; Dewar, Neil
Includes bibliographical references (p. 119-123).
Open Access
A social and economic impact assessment of the South African mineral and petroleum resources development act on the small-scale diamond mining sector
(2004) Terlien, Damien; Dewar, Neil
The small-scale mining (SSM) sector in South Africa has been overshadowed by the wealth generating capacity of the formal mining industry. To address the disparity between the SSM sector and the large formal mining industry, a number of government initiatives have been introduced, the latest being the preparation of the Minerals and Petroleum Resources Development Act 28, which was finalized in October 2002. The Act, which has not yet been implemented, is expected to redress some of the sector's current obstacles. Two case studies conducted in the Northern Cape and North West Provinces, provided the basis for this social impact assessment (SIA). The aim of these studies was to identfy the most serious issues faced by the SSM sector and to assess the likely socio-econiomic impacts of the Act.
Open Access
The viability of perceptual analysis in predicting social impacts : a case study
(1993) Priilaid, David A; Dewar, Neil
While no one impact is identical to the next, the case of the University of Cape Town's purchase and take-over of two local flat complexes; Forest Hills and Liesbeek Gardens; represented a unique opportunity to compare two impacts analogous in all respects but time. Because one impact had already occurred and the other had not yet begun, the accuracy of social impact predictions could thereby be assessed. Through the use of self-administered questionnaires, the local perceptions of Forest Hills and local cognitions of Liesbeek Gardens were drawn out and compared. So doing, this study concludes that perceptions of potential impact show little correspondence to the actuality of such an impact should it occur without intervening mitigatory initiatives. Since pro-active planning procedures rely to a large degree on the accuracy of impact prediction, such findings suggest strategic flaws within the analytical framework of Social Impact Assessment. Included within the qualitative findings of this report are recommendations as to how the conflict stemming from these impacts might be resolved.

Browsing by Author "Dewar, Neil"

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