OpenUCT :: Browsing by Author "Parnell, Sue"

Browsing by Author "Parnell, Sue"

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Open Access
A climate of trust : exploring adaptation policy
(2003) Cousins, Thomas Daniel; Parnell, Sue
This paper aims to tease out and unpack the different value positions that inhere in the range of discourses and methods that currently permeate the field of climate change. In doing so, I will examine the underlying concepts, methods and their application by various actors and institutions.
Open Access
Continuity and change in the cultural landscape of Table Mountain
(1999) Fuller, Sam; Parnell, Sue
Table Mountain is an inherently physical and natural landscape that also holds deep cultural meaning, symbolism and value for generations of Capetonians, past and present. The first detailed accounts and artistic representations of Table Mountain come from the early European discoverers, sailors and colonists who travelled to the Cape. These visitors, prejudiced by imperial rhetoric, were polarised in their perceptions of the Mountain between those who viewed it as a heavenly paradise and others who considered it a hellish purgatory. When science and logic eventually subdued the myths and mysteries associated with the ‘Dark Continent’ of Africa the polarised conception of Table Mountain’s cultural landscape was transformed into one of savagery and opportunity. indeed, from the sixteenth to eighteenth century, Table Mountain was effectively a microcosm for European attitudes, assumptions and evaluations of Africa. In the 1990’s Table Mountain's cultural meaning is still divided between those who seek to conserve and preserve its natural and spiritual integrity and those who believe that utilising the Mountain’s landscape as a material asset is the best means for ensuring and justifying its survival. A post-modern perspective highlights the broad range of economic, spiritual, ecological and community based values the Mountain holds for Capetonians and South Africans in general. Set against this viewpoint, Table Mountain, under the structured management of South Africa National Parks, is increasingly becoming a modernist cultural landscape governed by principles of universality, order and control. The ideological clashes that arise from these contrasting interpretations of the Mountain result in the defining characteristic of Table Mountain’s cultural landscape in the 1990’s being one of conflict and reproach. Ultimately by marrying the local and nationalised concepts within the South African landscape tradition to the broader frameworks of landscape study in wider geography, this thesis formulates an eclectic approach to studying a deeply meaningful and complex cultural landscape.
Open Access
Continuity and change in the cultural landscape of Table Mountain
(1999) Fuller, Sam; Parnell, Sue
Table Mountain is an inherently physical and natural landscape that also holds deep cultural meaning, symbolism and value for generations of Capetonians, past and present. The first detailed accounts and artistic representations of Table Mountain come from the early European discoverers, sailors and colonists who travelled to the Cape. These visitors, prejudiced by imperial rhetoric, were polarised in their perceptions of the Mountain between those who viewed it as a heavenly paradise and others who considered it a hellish purgatory. When science and logic eventually subdued the myths and mysteries associated with the ‘Dark Continent’ of Africa the polarised conception of Table Mountain’s cultural landscape was transformed into one of savagery and opportunity. indeed, from the sixteenth to eighteenth century, Table Mountain was effectively a microcosm for European attitudes, assumptions and evaluations of Africa. In the 1990’s Table Mountain's cultural meaning is still divided between those who seek to conserve and preserve its natural and spiritual integrity and those who believe that utilising the Mountain’s landscape as a material asset is the best means for ensuring and justifying its survival. A post-modern perspective highlights the broad range of economic, spiritual, ecological and community based values the Mountain holds for Capetonians and South Africans in general. Set against this viewpoint, Table Mountain, under the structured management of South Africa National Parks, is increasingly becoming a modernist cultural landscape governed by principles of universality, order and control. The ideological clashes that arise from these contrasting interpretations of the Mountain result in the defining characteristic of Table Mountain’s cultural landscape in the 1990’s being one of conflict and reproach. Ultimately by marrying the local and nationalised concepts within the South African landscape tradition to the broader frameworks of landscape study in wider geography, this thesis formulates an eclectic approach to studying a deeply meaningful and complex cultural landscape.
Open Access
(D)urban identity : stories of an African city
(2006) Bass, Orli; Parnell, Sue
Includes bibliographical references (p. 263-309).
Open Access
Energy policies for sustainable development in South Africa's residential and electricity sectors
(2006) Winkler, Harald; Davidson, Ogunlade R; Parnell, Sue
Harald Winkler's thesis examines "Energy policies for sustainable development in South Africa's residential and electricity sectors: Implications for mitigating climate change". The research question asks whether there are energy policies that will make South Africa's energy development more sustainable economically, socially and environmentally, especially in the context of the local environment. Energy policies for sustainable development are explored as an approach to mitigating climate change. A methodology combining three major components is developed - modelling, evaluation of indicators of sustainable development and policy analysis. The analysis explicitly starts from development objectives. 'Backcasting' from development objectives has been not been implemented in national energy models in developing countries. Within the modeling component, the residential sector is disaggregated into six household types for the first time in a national energy model for South Africa. Energy policies for sustainable development in two sectors are identified to meet the c0untry's development objectives. Making residential energy more sustainable includes cleaner and more efficient ways of providing energy services - lighting, water heating, cooking and heating. The thesis also analyses four major electricity supply options - renewable energy, nuclear, importing hydro or natural gas. The thesis develops an analytical approach that for considering energy policies that incorporates environmental concerns. Identified policies are quantified in an energy-economic modeling framework. A wide variety of data sources is used, drawing on statistical information, official energy data, utility statistics, journal articles and research reports. Indicators of sustainable development provide a framework for assessing the suitability of suggested policy cases, while policy analysis considers their implementation for both energy and climate policies. A contribution of the thesis lies in combining these analytical tools to identify energy policies that promote both local sustainable development and mitigate climate change. The thesis finds solar water heating and efficient housing rank higher than alternatives in all dimensions of sustainable development for the residential sector. These policies provide cleaner energy services, reduce fuel use and yield cost savings for households. The latter is significant in reducing the electricity burden, particularly for poorer households. A more equitable distribution of energy services favours social sustainability and reduces inequalities. Emissions in the order of 1- 10 Mt CO₂-equiv/year can be avoided. The investment requirement is relatively modest. However, the residential sector will not deliver the largest absolute energy savings and associated emission reductions.
Open Access
Food deserts and household food insecurity in the informal settlements of Windhoek, Namibia
(2014) Nickanor, Ndeyapo Martha; Crush, Jonathan; Parnell, Sue; Battersby, Jane
Rapid urbanization and rising urban poverty characterize much of Sub-Saharan Africa in the 21st Century. Africa's urban transition provides the context within which this thesis examines the causes and consequences of poverty and food insecurity in the growing informal settlements of Windhoek, Namibia. Rapid urbanization in Windhoek has been accompanied by limited industrialization with few job opportunities in the formal employment sector. Moreover, the informal sector has not been able to absorb the ever rising volume of migrants from the rural areas, increasing urban poverty and food insecurity among the most vulnerable group in the urban environment: female -centred households in informal settlements. The informal settlements in Windhoek are an ideal site in which to examine the struggle for food security and other basic needs by poor women. Despite the accumulated literature on the food security of female-centred households, much of this work has focused on the rural sector and has paid little attention to the contribution of women to food security in the urban areas, and the strategies they adopt to eke out a living. This study combines qualitative and quantitative research methods in order to understand the factors that determine the food security status of female-centred households and to explore their strategies to access food and build resilience to food insecurity. Firstly, the thesis demonstrates that female-centred households in the informal settlements are poorer and more food insecure than all other types of household. Secondly, these households source food from a variety of sources including supermarkets, the informal food economy and rural-urban food transfers. Urban agriculture is completely unimportant as a food source. Thirdly, formal food sources such as supermarkets may offer cheaper quality food but they are located too far from the informal settlements for regular use. Fourthly, female-centred households rely heavily on the informal food sources, both as consumers and as a source of income for their own households. The informal food economy is dominated by women who find it extremely difficult to access formal sector jobs. Fifthly, food borrowing, sharing of food with neighbours and consumption of food provided by neighbours are increasingly important food sources in coping with food shortages. This thesis also addresses the broader question of whether the informal settlements of this African city qualify as "food deserts" and whether this concept (developed to describe inner-city neighbourhoods in Europe and North America) helps to shed light on the food security situation in Namibia. The thesis concludes that the concept needs to be redefined to be appropriate to African realities. The fundamental problem in the African city is not lack of spatial access to formal sector outlets such as supermarkets. Supermarkets are distant but the informal economy ensures that sufficient and diverse food is available in the informal settlements. In Windhoek's food deserts, as one respondent noted, the problem is not food but income.
Open Access
Healing the land : monitoring transformation and agricultural sustainability on a Western Cape land reform project
(1999) Mohamed, Najma; Parnell, Sue; Karaan, Mohammad
This thesis examines the viability of participatory monitoring in instituting a sustainable agriculture-based land reform programme in South Africa. The legacies of colonial and apartheid-era racial injustices have severely constrained access to land for agricultural production. Moreover, the impact of commercial agriculture on nature and society, warrants that alternative approaches to agriculture be investigated. Land reform provides a unique opportunity to motivate for social change, premised on both agricultural sustainability (land) and social transformation (life). Partnership-based models, such as farm worker equity share schemes, dominate land reform opportunities in the Western Cape. The Warmwater farming Trust, a land reform project in the Western Cape premised on this model, formed the case study component of my research. Political ecology was adopted as the theoretical framework for linking structural underpinnings and the locale. Participatory research methods were employed to develop the indicator-based participatory monitoring system on Warmwater. These included farming systems research, participatory rural appraisal and sustainability indicators. The research shows that a range of factors, related to the structures in society, the nature of the locale, and local-level action underscore land and agrarian reform in South Africa. Moreover, the research provides important insights into the transformative capacity of partnership-based land reform models. Participatory monitoring holds benefits for the farmers of Warmwater by providing an opportunity to monitor changes related to land and life and increasing their participation in planning and decision-making processes on the farm. Despite obstacles posed by structural constraints to land and agrarian reform, this thesis postulates three mechanisms to addressing the land-life dialectic. These include a consideration of new land reform models, a conflation of environmental and social justice considerations, and the promotion of local-level action geared towards social transformation and agricultural sustainability. The reconstruction of the South African landscape could be attained by adopting a participatory, sustainable agriculture-based land reform programme, which incorporates processes such as participatory monitoring.
Open Access
Legitimacy and decision making in developmental local government : participative MCDA in Stellenbosch
(2003) Scott, Leanne; Parnell, Sue; Ellis, GFR
This thesis is concerned with the problem of how to effectively address the complex issue of poverty in the context of limited resources. Poverty is a multi-dimensional problem that affects different communities in different ways. In order to use the available resources in such a way as to most effectively tackle poverty, a means of measuring and benchmarking outcomes as well as evaluating choices of intervention is required. However, smart methods of allocating scarce resources are not in themselves sufficient, if they are not regarded as legitimate by the participants of the process. The imperative of legitimacy demands that we both address the issue of quantitative rigour in resource allocation methods and that we look beyond and explore too the mechanics of effective participatory methods. The approach of developmental local government adopted by the new South African government post apartheid, places this complex problem in the sphere of local government. The primary tool available to local administrators for addressing poverty, amongst other issues, is that of integrated development planning. This process draws together the stakeholders who fall broadly into three groups of participants, namely the communities that live in the municipality, the municipal officials and the elected politicians, and allocates them the task of identifying and prioritising community and municipal issues, and developing appropriate plans to address them. This package of plans or projects is compiled into a municipal budget that targets priority issues for the area, in an integrated and coherent manner. This thesis proposes a new method for tackling this specific group decision making problem, namely Participative Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis. This method was developed in an action research setting in the municipality of Stellenbosch, South Africa, and applied to their 2001/2002 integrated development planning process. The method is grounded in the principles of participative action research in which the participation of all interested and affected patties is valued, and in which there is a commitment to work for change to the fundamental fabric of knowledge and power, leading to a greater empowerment of ordinary people. This participative framework strengthens the legitimacy of the approach by promoting a stronger sense of ownership of process and products by all participants. Within this participative framework, tools of multi-criteria decision analysis are used to support the decision making process by quantifying difficult decisions that need to be addressed. It is the synthesis of these two approaches (action research and multi-criteria decision analysis) that provides both legitimacy and rigour for this method within a highly contested and complex public decision making arena. In the spirit of action research, the method is developed by drawing on theory about developmental local government and poverty, as well as multi-criteria decision analysis. In the process of the research, over forty community workshops were held throughout the Stellenbosch municipal area. Community representatives identiﬁed and prioritised the issues of their areas; and in conjunction with municipal officials, developed and evaluated projects in response to these issues. These evaluations assisted the local council to compile the ﬁnal budget for 2001/2002 in Stellenbosch. In this process, the communities (divided into nine development areas) also developed community development measurement scales which formed the basis for the project evaluations and an ongoing basis for monitoring progress in these communities. It unfolded during the course of this research that a fundamental component of this proposed participative public decision making approach is the role of a central co-ordinating person, not connected to or answerable to any of the constituent groups, who can manage the process of participation, promote an awareness of effective and informative data; ensure the appropriate use of quantiﬁcation tools and maintain a focus on sustainable poverty alleviation. The method developed in this thesis was successfully applied to the process of identifying, prioritising and making choices about community issues in Stellenbosch, under conditions of significant polarisation of the constituent decision making groups, conclude that this method can be used to implement key aspects of integrated development planning as it addresses the issues of legitimacy and rigour in participative public decision making.
Metadata only
A matter of timing: migration and housing access in Metropolitan Johannesburg
(Palgrave Macmillan, 2005) Beall, Jo; Crankshaw, Owen; Parnell, Sue
Open Access
Municipal bonds in sub-Saharan Africa: the checkered past of debt instruments in an era of incomplete decentralization
(2019) Gorelick, Jeremy; Parnell, Sue
Cities across sub-Saharan Africa are faced with challenges in urban planning and service delivery due to insufficient capital for long-term investment projects. Despite the success of municipal bonds as a tool to assist in closing this financing gap in much of the rest of the world, there have been limited examples of success in this region. This study looks at the universal obstacles limiting sub-national governments from using municipal bonds as a financial instrument before examining four case studies - Johannesburg, Douala, Dakar and Kampala - to better understand their approaches to municipal bond issuance. Based on the findings from research, the thesis concludes that the chief obstacle blocking the uptake of municipal bond issuance as a means for raising funds stems from a variety of elements in the constitutional and regulatory systems in each country. This represents a significant departure from the commonly-held understandings that cities in the region are not eligible for long-term debt and are ill-managed, lack capacity, or are not viewed as creditworthy by institutional investors and other purchasers of municipal bonds. The success of municipal bond issuance appears to be contingent on strong interlinkages between central and subnational governments. This dissertation offers a critical review of the explicit and implicit powers granted to local governments under the constitutions of each of the countries, specifically the legislation that enables or prohibits municipalities from issuing bonds. Reform to the existing regulatory and legal environments across the African continent, ones that govern a financially-sustainable level of indebtedness for sub-sovereign governments, is an essential step in ensuring the future growth of Africa’s cities.
Open Access
Negotiating boundaries : (co)-managing natural and urban areas on the Cape Peninsula
(1998) Stephens, Anthea Clare; Parnell, Sue
The opportunities and constraints experienced in managing abutting urban and natural areas represent a microcosm of the issues facing future conservation practices. The focal areas for this study are Kommetjie and Ocean View -- two adjacent but insulated communities, that reflect basic socio-economic characteristics of South African cities, and situated amidst the natural areas of the Cape Peninsula. Current theoretical perspectives on natural and urban areas fail to offer a practical approach to inform integrated and equitable management of these ostensibly disparate realms of the environment. Although largely based in rural research, political ecology, which embraces a multidisciplinary perspective, promotes an integrated framework for managing adjacent urban and natural boundaries of the kind associated with the Cape Peninsula. Using conventional botanical methods, evidence in the case studies suggests that a relationship exists between environmental degradation in natural areas and the proximity of urban settlements. Moreover, the nature of environmental degradation seems contingent on the level of economic development of local communities. A social analysis of the communities reveals that co-operative management between landowners and key-players on either side of the boundary is similarly hindered by socio-economic factors. Using an adaptation of Blaikie's (1995b) "Chain of Explanation", the interactions between Kommetjie and Ocean View, and surrounding natural areas are integrated in an analysis which crosses disciplinary divides, and exposes the relationship between local environmental conditions and broader social issues. The boundary of a national park is not sufficient to manage the interactions between protected areas and neighbouring communities, but must be supported by partnerships between city and conservation authorities, NGOs, private landowners and residents in ways that address the needs of neighbouring communities. To facilitate local involvement in the management of the environment, residents, both rich and poor, must understand how the state of the environment directly affects their lives.
Open Access
Small-scale mining : the situation in Namibia
(2000) Speiser, Alexandra; Parnell, Sue
Small-scale mining provides income generation possibilities to a number of people and can thus help to alleviate poverty in Namibia, a country richly blessed with appropriate geological resources. A legal framework coordinating mining activities is in place, but there are obvious shortcomings regarding small-scale mining operations, particularly with respect to procedures for registering claims and obtaining mining licences.
Open Access
The strategic assessment of a curbside recycling initiative in Cape Town as a tool for integrated waste management
(2005) Engledow, Sally-Anne; Parnell, Sue
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 158-165).
Open Access
Urbanisation and the environment in Namibia : policy implications of the rural-urban relationship
(1998) Liber, Briony Frances; Parnell, Sue
Central to a policy for sustainable urbanisation in Namibia, is the recognition of rural-urban relationships. The cross cutting spatial and sectoral issues, of circular migration need to be incorporated in an urbanisation policy. Government policies based on the assumptions of linear development theories such as 'urban bias', which isolate rural from urban as two mutually exclusive areas, mask the fact that poverty is experienced by urban and rural dwellers alike. At the crux of sustainable urbanisation in Namibia, is the ability of urban areas to absorb rapidly urbanising populations by way of provision of adequate urban infrastructure and services, housing and employment opportunities. In tum, this requires appropriate urban local governance, management and planning. The adoption of approaches which embody flexibility, adaptability, cooperation between the urban roleplayers, and speed of response are key to a sustainable urban environment. In the absence of urban conditions which can support a rapidly increasing population, migrants and the urban poor are forced to maintain a foothold in both rural and urban areas as a mechanism of risk diversification and survival. Mere survival, as embodied in circular migration in Namibia, does not suggest a process which can attain economic, social and biophysical sustainability. The implication is that the longer the conditions of circular migration remain entrenched in Namibia, the less likely the attainment of conditions of sustainability, and the more likely the further degradation of the environment, which ironically would probably further necessitate the split of households across the spatial continuum. Policies, such as Namibia's National Resettlement Policy, which target beneficiaries spatially and sectorally, tend not to have the expected benefits of poverty alleviation, and instead, often unintentionally, have the disbenefit of further entrenching poverty and circular migration. Fundamental then, to the sustainability of urbanisation in Namibia, is the integration of rural, urban and environmental policies, in turn requiring multi-sectoral and multi-spatial policies based on a thorough understanding of the forces underpinning circular migration.
Open Access
The use and disaggregation of survey data to study the cross-sectional and spatial distribution of multimorbidity and its association with socioeconomic disadvantage in South Africa
(2016) Weimann, Amy; Oni, Tolu; Parnell, Sue
This study identified the need to provide a proof of concept of the use and disaggregation of existing health data in order to study the cross-sectional and spatial distribution of HIV, tuberculosis and noncommunicable disease multimorbidity and the association with socioeconomic disadvantage at a South African, Western Cape Province and urban/intra-urban scale for 2008 and 2012. This study was framed within a health geography context and draws attention to the reality of health variations which are influenced by place-based effects, including the surrounding social, cultural and economic structural factors and mechanisms that, together, constitute the social determinants of health. However, in order to identify and understand these variations in health, access to health data that is able to be disaggregated by key characteristic and spatial scales, is essential. Therefore, this study utilised existing health data from the National Income Dynamics Study, a longitudinal study with a sample of approximately 28 000 people, to perform secondary data analysis using a positivist approach to research. This study found that the coupling of geospatial and health data is able to produce new health information and the graphical representation of data provides unique insights in health variations. Secondly, the burden of disease is not consistent between spatial scales which suggests variations in epidemiological profiles between sub-national geographies, thereby supporting the argument for the need of data disaggregation. Finally, the cross-sectional analysis of this study found multimorbidity to be associated with age, socioeconomic deprivation, obesity and urban areas, while the spatial analysis showed clusters (hot spots) of higher multimorbidity prevalence in parts of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, which compared with the socioeconomic disadvantage spatial pattern. Therefore, this study provides an example of the research needed to provide information to support policy improvement and enable the urban planning and public health professions to work together.
Open Access
Water, climate change and small towns
(2007) Mukheibir, Pierre; Parnell, Sue; Hewitson, Bruce
This thesis examines the interrelationship between “water, climate change and small towns”. The research question is framed in three parts: 1) can climate change be integrated into existing planning frameworks? 2) can small towns build resilient strategies against projected climate change impacts? and, 3) is adaptation to climate change an economic issue? It is evident that very little synergy exists between the different sectors dealing with water access. A holistic view of access and the impact of climate change does not exist in the sustainable development, urban planning and water resources management sectors. It is therefore proposed that the successful delivery of accessible water services lies with the integration of the urban planning, water resources management and climate change adaptation responses. In order to achieve this, a planning framework is introduced.

Browsing by Author "Parnell, Sue"

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