Browsing by Department "Environmental Humanities"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    A systematic methodology toward creating spatial quality in urban settings
    (1989) Thomas, Derek Charles; Fuggle, Richard
    Urban settings, conceived and implemented in the climate of modern-day urbanisation and technology, show undesirable trends. In the typical situation, due to the absence of the urban dweller's participation in the planning and design process, prescriptive decision-making directs and shapes the urban environment on the basis of the objectives of the trained professional or a developer. The disciplines of architecture, urban design, and urban planning, well endowed with research in terms of their philosophical, cultural, and historical dimensions, traditionally overlook systematic and impartial methods in realisation of design objectives. In addition, architects generally focus within the confines of the immediate site, ignoring the wider context. Urban planners and designers tend to follow their perceptions of the urban setting and pragmatic objectives, and to overlook the elements which constitute spatial quality for others. Planning and design tasks performed in this way are prescriptive and perfunctory, and do not meet the urban dweller's perceptions of spatial quality. Although the planning and design disciplines can avail themselves of considerable intellectual resources, systematic methods to synthesise both the subjective opinion of the urban dweller and expert opinion of specialists are lacking. With current global scenarios, the need to develop methods for participation becomes even more relevant and urgent. The likelihood of high-density settings is ominous without changes in planning and design approaches. The overall objective of this thesis is to develop a methodology which meets the demands of the situations described. The data for this study are derived from a theoretical examination of the attributes which contribute to the perceptions of spatial quality in the urban setting. A thematic analysis, carried out against the background of factors, such as spatial patterning, links social well-being with characteristics of the urban environment. Consistent and invariant spatial quality indicators are derived which are then associated with spatial performance. A spatial frame is then identified to structure the methodology into recognisable and manageable urban spatial components. Expectations of spatial performance are translated systematically into primary planning and design generators to complete the elements of the methodology. The problem of how to involve urban dwellers and specialist designers and planners for a consensus useful in the planning process is examined. The comprehensive methodology developed by Sondheim for assessing environmental impacts incorporates the necessary features for adaptation to new urban settings and resolves the problem of polling divergent priorities without requiring discussion or consensus amongst participants. The matrix procedures of the chosen methodology involve both subjective and informed qualitative evaluation without the use of environmental indices, which are found wanting as measures of quality. Post-multiplication of the matrices produces ranking of planning and design generators in order of importance, which, effectively, represents the choice of the urban dweller. The methodology is operationalised to test the matrix and post-multiplication procedures, and the rationality of the result. For the case model presented, a rational result was obtained, which supports the adaptation of the methodology for creative purposes. The ranking is referred to a source book, which allows the systematic transformation of the primary planning and design generators into recognisable and conventional planning directives. As a contribution to the planning and design fields, the methodology is a useful creative tool, effectively addressing the problem of the interface between planner and user in the attainment of spatial quality in the development of new urban settings. Furthermore, the procedures can be operationalised to meet an infinite range of variables, or spatial scenarios within the urban setting.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Atrazine: a lively chemical journey
    (2023) Dornbrack, Kevin; Twidle, Hedley; Petrik, Leslie
    Atrazine is a widely used pesticide, particularly popular in corn plantations for its herbicidal properties of killing and preventing the growth of certain weeds and grasses. Evidence of its neurotoxicity, hormone disruption and reproductive toxicity led the EU to ban the chemical in 2003. Despite long standing evidence of its harm, South Africa continues to use atrazine, the majority of which is imported from the EU. Drawing on South Africa as a case study, I illustrate Atrazine's unique journey through South Africa's political economic landscape, interpreted in relation to those of the USA and EU, highlighting that problems of chemical pollution are political as much as they are molecular. In this project, I have employed biochemical, epidemiological, historical, social and political scientific approaches to form an interdisciplinary understanding of atrazine's biochemical, ecological, and economic effects; how its harm lands unevenly on poor and marginalized people, often in the global south; and how commercial and governmental structures enable and maintain its use. This interdisciplinary understanding of atrazine's uneven effects as well as its varied socio-political figurations illustrates how and why regulatory processes have proved vastly inadequate to curtail the chemical pollution caused by atrazine and many other pesticides. The results of this research should hopefully serve as a case study and cautionary tale of globally increasing and unevenly experienced chemical exposure. This project argues that effects of atrazine within their political and historic contexts should be considered a form of unspectacular violence, that slowly but persistently degrades quality of life. By tracing the networks of atrazine's chemical relations, this project illustrates that the molecular is always political.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Construction of personhood within Xhosa ethnicity: critical perspectives mediating state and community conflict over natural resources
    (2021) Magadla, Aphiwe; Matose, Frank; Green, Lesley
    This study examines the navigation of structural pressures, limitations and conservation policies by the community of Hobeni Village in the practice of traditional rituals within the context of nature conservation. It considers how ceremonies such as uKuqatywa komntwana, Intonjane, Ulwaluko, ukunikezelwa ko-Mkhontho, and Umcimbi/ Umgidi play a vital role in the construction of personhood among small groups of men, women and teenagers identifying as Xhosa people in the Hobeni Village in the Eastern Cape. The qualitative research drew insights from indigenous knowledge already known to the researcher, current research, participatory observation and semistructured interviews conducted on twenty-four members of the community. The ethnographic study found that systemic methods of nature conservation Vis a Vis symbolic oppression, sit in tension with the rituals performed by members of the AmaXhosa at Hobeni village. It argues that for Hobeni residents, accessing the natural resources placed under conservation is a vital aspect of their identity formation, which is impacted by conservation. The research found that current conservation practices pose a threat not only to AmaXhosa practices of identity formation and sense of belonging but also to the maintenance of their culture. The connection of the Hobeni people with nature is limited by conservation methods that force them to adapt their traditional practices that attempt to find congruence with their belief systems, but that strain the relationship between these villagers and their ancestors. In the search for alternative methods to preserve natural resources and maintain the culture of Hobeni village, this dissertation calls for the establishment of a different approach to conservation that is context-specific and community-centred. A transformative approach to conservation could advance environmental justice without compelling the community to negatively negotiate, as is currently the case, their cultural practices or erode their entanglement with nature. The contribution of this study lies in challenging the narrative or ideologically laden discourses that perceive people as a threat to nature and the environment. This dissertation concludes that people possess diverse knowledge systems and resources that enable them to coexist and conserve nature in their surroundings or living environment.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Ebbs and flows: more-than-human encounters with the Cape Flats Aquifer in a context of climate change
    (2021) Polic, Deanna; Solomon, Nikiwe; Green, Lesley
    This dissertation advocates inclusive and integrated more-than-human relations as humans, technoscience, and nature become increasingly entangled in contexts of climate change and socio-ecological crisis. Researching in the environmental humanities between 2017 and 2020, I situate my study in Cape Town, South Africa, where the fluctuations between water's abundance and absence—as evidenced by the 2018 drought—have necessitated new approaches to ontology and epistemology that critically disrupt dominant systems of thought. Using the Cape Flats Aquifer and its aboveground area, the Philippi Horticultural Area, as my primary field sites, I focused on the legal battle that has surfaced between various human actors over land and water use, to explore how different human-nature relationships emerge, and to evaluate the social and environmental implications thereof. The overall inquiry guiding my research is how the Cape Flats Aquifer can make the case for multispecies relations by examining how it flows, or is brought into, existence. First, I present the different kinds of evidence that make the aquifer and its aboveground area un/seen; second, I assess whether alternative ways of evidencing the aquifer exist with a focus on farming practices in the Philippi Horticultural Area; third, I question what ought to be part of the aquifer evidentiary if sustainable, adaptive, and resilient human-nature relations are to be achieved? I argue that humans, multispecies, and earthly bodies such as the aquifer ought to be understood as relational, multiple, and intimately implicated in each other in the face of unpredictable climatic conditions.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Open Access
    Feast Your Eyes: An Exploration of Our Consumption of Whales
    (2023) Liversage, Gwynne; Rijsdijk, Ian-Malcolm
    In an era where the urgency of climate change is paramount, this research delves into the obscured history of whale consumption and its implications for the South Durban Basin communities. As the global community grapples with the escalating challenge of climate change, proactive measures to bolster resilience are imperative. This study aims to unravel the multifaceted narrative of whale consumption, shedding light on its hidden truths while juxtaposing it against our broader planetary stewardship. Employing a qualitative ethnographic approach, specifically sensory ethnography, this research navigates through the spaces where whales were both physically and visually consumed. Leveraging sensory walks, participant observation, and archival research, the study captures the essence of these spaces, drawing out their historical resonance. Incorporating oral history through informal interviews and merging contemporary photographs with archival imagery enriches the narrative. Interpreting the gathered data filtered into what was made visible or invisible, and then analysed through that lens, the research underscores the scant awareness surrounding the historical significance and ecological impacts of whaling in the South Durban Basin. The findings underscore the interconnectedness of our actions and their repercussions on the environment, revealing the complex web of interactions encompassing reef systems, local communities, and whale migration routes. As the global discourse pivots towards innovative strategies for climate resilience, this research contributes to the ongoing dialogue by deepening our comprehension of human-nature dynamics. By acknowledging our role in shaping ecosystems and influencing climate dynamics, the study accentuates the need for informed decision-making. Armed with this understanding, future strides in climate resilience can be undertaken with prudence, taking into account the fragile equilibrium between human progress and ecological integrity on a global scale.