Urban greening in South Africa : an analysis of present trends and recommendations for the future

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The abolishment of Apartheid and the transition to a democratic political dispensation hasushered in a new era for urban development in South Africa. This change implies a range ofchallenges for managing urban areas which also includes the urban environment. Urbanenvironmental creation (defined as activity to green the urban environment) holds the potential tomitigate the consequences caused by Apartheid to South Africans and in addition, if plannedproperly and applied sensibly, can contribute significantly towards social and economicprosperity in this country.Relatively few attempts to date have been made to research urban greening within the so-callednew South African context. Currently a lack of vision exists regarding strategy development forfuture urban greening and dissension regarding the objectives of urban greening has beenidentified as a key problem area. This makes it particularly difficult to take decisions at projectexecution level. From the outset, the aims of this research were two-fold, namely to measureprogress at project co-ordination level and further to conceptualise a theoretical framework forfuture decision making.The literature review documents the agendas for urban greening, both past and present. An,analysis of various urban planning and design strategies, together with South African centralgovernment policies which refer to urban environmental management, has shown that a paradigmshift is occurring within the urban greening discipline. This shift is characterised by a movementaway from urban greening which focuses on secondary social needs of people, and a shifttowards urban greening which is more sensitive to the primary social and economic needs ofcities' inhabitants.This research uses a case study approach to measure progress gained in urban greening practiseand to determine the current state of affairs. A sample of projects for analysis was obtained fromfour organisations. Information gathered was then analysed in terms of selected characteristics.In addition, the execution processes (planning, implementation, construction and maintenance) offour urban greening development projects, which were selected randomly from the sample, aredescribed. The research is concluded with a synthesis of findings and recommendations into a conceptualframework for future decision making.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University