Browsing by Author "Townsend, Stephen S"

Now showing 1 - 16 of 16
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    Afrikaner Nationalism and the Production of a White Cultural Heritage: An analysis of selected works undertaken by Dirk Visser and Gabriel Fagan from 1967-1993
    (2012) Darke, Nicola Susan; Townsend, Stephen S
    This dissertation entitled The Afrikaner Nationalism and the Production of a White Cultural Heritage: An analysis of selected works undertaken by Dirk Visser and Gabriel Fagan from 1967-1993 examines the construct of a white settler heritage as promoted and implemented through various restorations and reconstructions of DutchNOC buildings. The primary rationale of this study is to critically assess the actions of the main protagonists in the creation of this heritage, that is, the Department of Public Works, the National Monuments Council, Anton Rupert (and his Historic Homes of South Africa), the Simon van der Stel Foundation, the Institute of South African Architects and the provincial institutes. Directly related to this issue is the assessment as to whether the isolationist nature of the South Africa contributed to the plethora of stylistic restoration and reconstructions undertaken during the apartheid era. This study comprises two sections: first, the examination of the intellectual theoretical texts of Foucault, Nora and others pertaining to power, ideology, history and memory, as well as the seminal texts of Jokilehto and Choay which discuss the stylistic and historicist conservation theories of Viollet-le-Duc; and second, the analysis of selected case studies undertaken by Fagan on behalf of the state (The Castle of Good Hope and De Tuynhuys) and Visser on behalf of Rupert and Historic Homes of South Africa (Drostdy of Graaff-Reinet).
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    Authenticity and the perceptions of significance : examining Rust-en-Vrede in Durbanville, South Africa
    (2014) De Waal, Janine; Townsend, Stephen S; Van Graan, André
    This dissertation examines the heritage significance of Rust-en-Vrede as a structure with little surviving building fabric from its earliest years, but a rich history of four diverse uses since circa 1808. It is located in Durbanville to the north of Cape Town, an area which has changed over the years from farmland to suburban/urban fabric. The building is styled with a combination of Cape Dutch, Georgian and Victorian architectural elements. The building is not “pure” or mono-stylistic from an architectural point of view. However, its significance is found in its layers of associated meanings. This paper seeks to understand the shifting notions regarding authenticity in conservation. It identifies how a dominant prevailing idea of authenticity was challenged in heritage debates, particularly since the Nara Conference on Authenticity (1994). My intention is to confirm a hypothesis that a building with multiple layers of meaning can be perceived by many to have sufficient heritage significance to satisfy the assertion that it has heritage value. This heritage value can reside in the design, material and workmanship of such a building, with context providing a lesser, but also not insignificant contribution. As Stovel has pointed out, authenticity does not automatically on its own provide the best marker of heritage value.1 Rather, authenticity can be unpacked and qualified in a particular instance to arrive at a composite, nuanced understanding of value that looks beyond the “completeness” of a building.
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    Contemporary interventions in historic fabric: context and authenticity in the work of Gabriel Fagan
    (2011) Scurr, Michael John; Townsend, Stephen S
    This study focuses on three projects by Gabriel Fagan, one of South Africa’s most respected and awarded architects, namely The Dias Museum in Mossel Bay, the SA Breweries Visitor’s Centre in Newlands and the University of Cape Town’s Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine. These projects are all essentially contemporary interventions in historic fabric and each contains easily identifiable and iconic new portions – the sail-like roof of the Dias Museum, the glass lift shaft at SAB and the circular glazed pavilion at UCT’s Medical School.
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    Declaring urban conservation areas: the Art Deco townscape of Vredehoek, Cape Town
    (2017) Jongens, Nicoline; Townsend, Stephen S; Van Graan, André
    The research question posed in this study asks what qualities, characteristics and cultural significance need to be embodied within an urban environment that make the area worthy of conservation-oriented protection through laws and policies. The research question was explored through an assessment of the townscape of Vredehoek, an informally(1) proposed conservation area in Cape Town where there is a relatively high concentration of Art Deco buildings. The selection of Vredehoek as a laboratory within which to ask this question is due to the presence of contested opinions amongst various stakeholders and heritage-claimants about the cultural significance embodied within the built fabric of this place. This study aimed to identify what elements of the built environment of Vredehoek are of special interest, what qualities and characteristics these elements of special interest embody, to understand and articulate the values that inform these qualities, and to identify to whom these elements are valuable and why. Criteria were established with which to determine whether the identified qualities and values are special enough that when synthesised, the resultant significance of the place warrants protection through heritage area designation. The criteria developed with which to assess and evaluate proposed urban conservation areas, including Vredehoek, require that such environments need to embody cultural significance and characteristics informed by an urban history reflected in its authentic manifestations developed over time through continuity of use with a high townscape quality established primarily through the aesthetic unity of its component parts. Through historical research, the studying, mapping and analysis of the area's urban morphology, built environment and natural landscape, and the identification and evaluation of values held by heritage-claimants and views held by those critical of Vredehoek's proposed designation, evidence regarding the conservation-worthiness of Vredehoek has been assembled and assessed within the framework of criteria developed to evaluate heritage area designation. It has been found that the environment of Vredehoek does not embody high townscape quality nor does a strong aesthetic unity of its components exist. Furthermore, the area is not a richly layered environment reflecting continuity of use, the existence of cultural significance within the place is limited to a relatively small part of the townscape - a collection of Art Deco buildings demonstrating a moderate degree of architectural merit. Thus the environment of Vredehoek does not meet the criteria required for heritage area conservation.
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    Development rights and conservation constraints: urban conservation-oriented controls in the City of Cape Town
    (2003) Townsend, Stephen S; Japha, Derek Andrew; Watson, Vanessa
    The primary intention of this study is to analyse the imposition of urban conservation-oriented controls in the city centre of Cape Town during the period 1986-2000 and to evaluate their efficacy; the secondary, but directly related endeavour, is to explore the effect of these mechanisms on development rights. In brief, the study set out to explore the themes "conservation constraints" and "development rights" and their relationship so that, ultimately, conclusions regarding the efficacy of the conservation-oriented controls can be drawn.
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    Heritage, identity and value: Ida's Valley, Stellenbosch
    (2017) Ontong, Tyrone Gregory; Townsend, Stephen S
    Heritage sites, inclusive of cultural landscapes, are understood to derive their significance from perceptions of beauty, sense of place and, when it has been impacted by humans, its genius loci and tangible qualities and the overlay of their intangible associations. In order for a site to be recognized concurrence of an Authorised Heritage Discourse whose content is constructed by academics and professionally trained heritage experts and an Autochthonous Discourse defined and expressed by laypersons, occupying or having an association with the site or sites. When Ida's Valley Cultural Landscape underwent processes of identification and declaration (formal process) as a National Heritage Site in 2008 the assumption was that there was consensus between the two views, the Authorized Heritage Discourse and the Autochthonous Discourse. The hypothesis, then, in the case of Ida's Valley Cultural Landscape which lies just beyond the limits of the town, Stellenbosch, was that there was agreement between the AHD and the AD. The question that arose was whether the two readings of heritage value aligned and whether there really was agreement in terms of the significance of the site and the values it represented. This is found not to be the case. Concerns were raised regarding the manner in which the public participation process was handled, the content of the statement of significance around issues of identification, identity and, consequently, its impact on the idea of value. In addition, the issues of land for development, the locus of land ownership and the subsequent value and universal acceptance were placed under scrutiny and severely criticized by the local public and community groups. The conclusion was that there was no agreement between the two positions. The dissertation describes the exploration of these tensions.
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    The historic built environment and a sense of place : Jagersfontein : a mining town in the Free State , South Africa
    (2014) Philip, Loudine; Townsend, Stephen S
    The primary purpose of this study is to determine the degree to which the historic built environment plays a role in the establishment of a Sense of Place in the South African context with its diverse population and complex political history. The underlying rationale for this focus is that a strong connection between a Sense of Place and the historic built environment has the potential to translate to a strong motivation for its preservation. The focus in this research is on a single case, a historic diamond mining town in the Free State Province of South Africa, dating to 1869, with a rich and diverse history. The research was conducted employing a multi-paradigmatic approach grounded in Phenomenology and Psychometrics.
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    Is South Africa's social protection system addressing the causes or the symptoms of poverty? : the case of the Child Support Grant
    (2010) Allan, Claire; Townsend, Stephen S
    The South African Government's anti-poverty strategy has been largely dominated by unconditional cash transfers. A growing body of literature examines the impacts of these transfers on a range of socio-economic outcomes; however there is little discussion of why such impacts are important. Without an explicit conceptual framework within which to examine these effects, evaluating their likely long term poverty impacts remains problematic. The focus of this research is to distil the current thinking on poverty and social protection to establish an appropriate theoretical framework within which to appraise anti-poverty measures. 'An Assets-Augmented' Capabilities Framework is proposed with a focus on asset-building as the primary means of poverty reduction. Focusing on the Child Support Grant (CSG), empirical analysis is then applied to examine whether the underlying causes of poverty are being addressed. Using the National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS) Wave 1 Dataset, the effects of the CSG on households' expenditure patterns are examined to assess the extent to which CSG-recipients invest in asset-building. A propensity score matching method is employed to construct an appropriate counterfactual. Households receiving the CSG are not found to exhibit significantly different expenditure patterns compared to a control group and cannot therefore be argued to invest differently in assets. This key finding provides evidence that the CSG primarily addresses the symptoms of poverty and cannot be expected to generate sustainable poverty reduction. A linking approach is thus proposed to combine the cash transfer element of the grant with more explicitly promotional measures in order to seek greater asset effects. A key recommendation is to ensure that the CSG acts as a gateway to other complementary services and benefits in order to increase the value of the grant with relatively little additional effort or cost.
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    Kolmanskop : an industrial heritage resource or only a tourist attraction? : the assessment of value with regard to Kolmanskop Ghost Town and the industrial landscape of the Sperrgebiet National Park, Namibia
    (2010) Alexander, Nicola; Townsend, Stephen S
    Kolmanskop Ghost Town is situated within the Sperrgebiet National Park on the South-West Coast of Namibia. The diamond-mining town was established in 1908 and abandoned in 1956. Kolmanskop's status as a tourist attraction has been readily established and it is regarded as an important economic resource by the nearby community of Lüderitz. The key question of this research project is whether the site is also able to fulfil the criteria of an industrial heritage resource? The principal method employed is that of values-based conservation. The study relies principally on the survey of a broad range of individuals and stakeholders in order to establish present values as they pertain to Kolmanskop.
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    Montagu : urban conservation in a small town : the role of voluntary conservation groups and planning law in heritage resource management
    (2011) Vermeulen, Frederik Saaiman; Townsend, Stephen S
    Conservation in Montagu started in the early 1970s, with the rescuing and restoration of significant buildings and the declaration of 21 National Monuments (now called Provincial Heritage Sites), which safeguarded those buildings when no other heritage protections were in place. This was followed by a conservation study by Todeschini and Japha in 1990, identifying heritage resources, delineating conservation areas and providing guidelines. This case study has found that, with a few exceptions, the conservation endeavours in Montagu during the past 40 years have been successful.
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    Nostalgia and heritage in Korsten, Port Elizabeth, 1956 to 1990
    (2015) Wintermeyer, Bryan; Townsend, Stephen S
    This study centres on interdisciplinary notions of 'place’ (and its structures), the attachment to place, their ordinary and everyday potential heritage resources and the value of nostalgia as a method for engaging with these marginal heritages. The case is a set of values of a group of past users of a series of entertainment structures in Korsten, Port Elizabeth, from 1956 to 1990. Their everyday experience of living in Korsten, together with the trauma of displacement (as a consequence of forced removals) and the nostalgia associated with the joy of an 'era of entertainment’ they experienced as young adults in new structures such as grand cinemas and dance halls, is central to addressing the argument of this study. Three themes were explored through interviews with eight people. These were: the user experience, responses to nostalgia and the nature of the potential heritage resource. The interviews were initiated by open-ended questions that allowed for diversion and storytelling.
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    Perceptions of heritage and conservation control in lower-income communities : the case of Mamre
    (2010) De Bruyn, Cecilia; Townsend, Stephen S
    This study investigates the appropriateness of conservation controls in low-income communities. The imposition of development controls is a limitation on the private rights of individuals in the interest of the public good. This is essential in order to preserve heritage resources for future generations. However, questions arise around this practice when such limitations have a direct negative effect on the daily struggle for survival that many people face. Many poor people cannot bear the cost associated with maintenance and restoration of old buildings, and this puts many heritage resources at risk. Actors within bureaucracies also have their own goals to achieve, and this also influences the way that heritage is managed in low-income areas. The central research question of this study is: Are conservation controls in lowincome communities appropriate? This question was explored within the context of Mamre, a historical mission station approximately 50 km north of Cape Town. Firstly, several descriptive scenarios around which the research question could be explored were constructed, and this was followed by an investigation of the relevant literature. A contextual analysis of Mamre was also completed in order to gain an understanding of the character and functioning of the village. The case study then focused on two incidents where heritage-related building applications were made. Several instances where values conflict emerged from the study, and these enabled the researcher to draw some conclusions on conservation in low-income communities. The study found that the concept of significance is not well understood by officials, and its application differs widely. It was also clear that the law is often applied in a well-intended but incorrect, and in fact at times illegal, manner. This study also found that mechanisms of financial support should be available in certain cases. In order to ensure effective conservation of heritage resources, the correct legal mechanisms and strong policy must be in place. This must be based on a thorough assessment of significance and it is essential that this is done with a good understanding of the context.
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    The relativity of authenticity: Notions of authenticity in the Cape Winelands cultural landscape and the impact of wine tourism on cultural heritage
    (2015) Joubert, Elize; Townsend, Stephen S
    This study explores various notions of authenticity in tourism experience and seeks to establish if these notions are compatible with the concept of authenticity in conservation of the built environment. Three wine farms in the Cape Winelands cultural landscape, a proposed serial World Heritage Site, have been studied. The study suggests that object-related or material authenticity is being replaced with alternative notions of authenticity in tourism and that the toured object, for the purpose of winelands tourism in the Western Cape during this period, no longer needs to be authentic.
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    Restoration and re/creation of lacunae : the attitudes and principles of Gabriël Fagan Architects as expressed in the restoration of the Castle of Good Hoop [i.e. Hope]
    (2010) Büttgens, Peter J; Townsend, Stephen S
    A lacuna is a disruption in a figurative image and impedes comprehension of the unity of the whole. It is something missing, a void, in material form and, in some cases memory. The urge to eradicate or minimize a disruption to an aesthetic whole has long been a dilemma in conservation, particularly in painting and sculpture, but also in the repair of historical buildings. Any solution must address the issue of authenticity, as repair will be an insertion into an ancient, perhaps layered artefact. The solution requires a theoretically based methodology if the aim of the conservation intervention is to conserve the value and meaning of the building or artefact. The repair of lacunae at the Castle of Good Hope in Cape Town has had a distinct aesthetic impact on the complex and has changed the perception of the complex. The extensive three-decade-long intervention undertaken by Gabriël Fagan Architects is a re-establishment of the Castle complex as a VOC/Dutch fortified citadel as envisioned by the Architects and reveals the issues that must be confronted in order to conserve authenticity.
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    Social housing as heritage : case study : Langa hostels : whose values and what significance?
    (2014) Smith, Raymond; Shepherd, Nick; Townsend, Stephen S
    This study examines the first identification and assignment of heritage values and significance undertaken by the “establishment”, the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) and the City of Cape Town (CCT) in the Township of Langa in the Cape Province a decade ago. In brief, this is the story of Langa migrant labour hostels reviewed for its meaning as heritage to the diverse communities within Langa, compared with an earlier 2001/2 official evaluation by the state-led heritage management institutions. It is within a broader socio-political, cultural and heritage discourse context that this research project explores what the residents of Langa find significant. This is done with particular reference to the migrant labour hostel schemes since the intention was to establish to what extent conservation and heritage management is an appropriate response in an environment of material, economic and social difficulties; and, if so, to what degree the inhabitants of the hostels’ sense of value correspond to that articulated in the “official statement of significance” of 2004. This study questions the validity of nominating migrant labour hostels as “Grade I” national heritage resources.
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    Township churches as heritage: The case of Langa, Cape Town
    (2015) Irrgang, Berendine; Townsend, Stephen S
    This study investigates the perceived heritage significance of township churches. This is done by means of a case study which focuses on early churches in Langa, particularly the Wesleyan Methodist and the African Methodist Episcopal churches. The hypothesis is that heritage values are attached to certain churches of Langa and that these are regarded as heritage resources as a result of a particular character or built form. In support of this hypothesis, the intellectual realm of churches and heritage values was explored and the historical and spatial context which informed the development of the churches, investigated. A strong emphasis was placed on ascertaining the heritage values of the Langa community in a series of interviews. To understand the values attached to churches, views have been solicited from community members residing in the neighbourhood of the identified churches, members of the clergy and congregants and a number of 'experts’ - people who have been involved in the study of heritage in Langa, either from an academic or community perspective. Sixteen interviews, which took the form of focused, semistructured discussions, were conducted.