Hijacked Buildings and Emerging Forms of Informality in South Africa: Insights from Recent Urban Case Studies

This paper examines the emergence of hijacked residential buildings in affluent suburbs as a new form of urban informality, using a qualitative case study of Bryanston in Johannesburg. Drawing on secondary data and informed by theories of informality as a mode of urbanisation, grey space and the Right to the City, the study shows that suburban hijackings are not isolated criminal incidents but structural outcomes of housing exclusion, weak governance of vacant property and housing financialisation. The findings reveal how informal rentalisation of high-value suburban properties provides precarious access to well-located urban space while reproducing vulnerability and exploitation. The paper argues that the suburbanisation of informality challenges spatially bounded planning imaginaries and enforcement-led responses and calls for metropolitan-wide, justice-oriented planning approaches that address vacancy, regulate informal rental markets and expand access to affordable housing in well-located areas

Wiener Forschungsfragen: Wissen für eine klimagerechte Stadt

Städte und Regionen stehen angesichts des Klimawandels, wachsender Bevölkerung, Fragen der sozialen Gerechtigkeit und rasantem technologischem Fortschritt vor tiefgreifenden Veränderungen. Städtische (Nachhaltigkeits-)Politik, Stadtentwicklungs- und Transformationsprozesse leben von einem adaptiven Zusammenspiel vielfältiger Akteurinnen, Akteure, Interessen und Wissensbestände. Um wirksame (planerische und strategische) Entscheidungen für die Transformation treffen zu können, braucht es verlässliche, praxisnahe wissenschaftliche Grundlagen. Genau hier setzt das Projekt Wiener Forschungsfragen an. Ziel des Projekts war es, jene Wissens- und Forschungsbedarfe zu identifizieren und sichtbar zu machen, die für die Erreichung der Wiener Klimazieleentscheidend sind. In einem strukturierten Dialogprozess wurden Bedarfe der städtischen Verwaltung, stadtnaher Unternehmen und der unterschiedlichen Wissenschaftsdisziplinen zusammengeführt. Über 200 Expertinnen und Experten aus Magistratsdienststellen, Infrastruktur- und Versorgungsunternehmen, Hochschulen und Forschungseinrichtungen wirkten in 16 thematisch fokussierten Workshops mit. Das Ergebnis ist ein priorisierter Forschungsfragenkatalog, der die aktuell dringendsten Wissensbedarfe aufzeigt und gleichzeitig als Orientierung für zukünftige Forschungskooperationen dient. Der Praxisbericht demonstriert, wie Städte evidenzbasierte Planung stärken und wissenschaftliche Ressourcen gezielt aktivieren können, um die Herausforderungen des Klimawandels, der Transformation urbaner Infrastruktur und der sozialen Nachhaltigkeit zu bewältigen. Die Wiener Forschungsfragen sind nicht nur für Wien relevant, sondern bieten ein übertragbares Modell für andere Städte und Regionen. Sie eröffnen neue Wege, wie Wissenschaft, Verwaltung und Praxis gemeinsam die Zukunft gestalten können

Cost Optimisation – the Key to Energy Transition and Climate Protection

There is a big difference between having electricity just as the sun shines, 24-electricity, and 24×365 electricity. There is a big difference between replacing 8 kWh thermal energy by 1 kWh electricity at scooters (very small gasoline engines have terrible efficiency) and replacing 1.6 kWh thermal energy by 1 kWh electricity by changing cement production from heating the clinker by burning to heating it by electricity. Some decades ago, it was great for the first photovoltaic owners to run the washing machine when the sun shone. Now the target is to run energy-intensive industry even during a dark doldrum at a competitive price. Many thought about the energy transition, “We have to do it, whatever it costs”. This idea is a sure way to lose. To meet the necessary cost optimization targets, we cannot hold the energy problem separate from all other problems: another major problem is housing. This ranges from demotivation due to having no chance of owning one's own house up to mass homelessness. My first approach to combining energy production and housing was in 1991 with the “GEMINI inhabited solar power plant”. The transition from the rotating GEMINI inhabited solar power plant to the GEMINI next Generation house with east-west photovoltaics shows what a profitability transition means: in 1992, tracking the sun was cheaper, but from 2010 onwards, a fixed solution became cheaper. Every component of our civilization must be examined for profitability transitions that have already taken place and those that are yet to come. We cannot design our future based on already outdated conclusions: (1) Large apartment buildings vs. single-family homes, (2) Traditional village layouts vs. the new energy-optimized, (3) Urbanization vs. reruralization, (4) Energy from Biomass vs. Power-to-X, (5) On which latitudes is a high-voltage grid an advantage or a burden? We designed our GEMINI next Generation house and energy-optimized settlements for maximum cost optimization and for worldwide use. At our research, what could our project do for the energy transition? We encountered many points where profitability transitions had taken place without being noticed. Some are so big that they can be called paradigm shifts

Regional Innovation Systems and Transformative Innovation Policy: An Embedded Approach

Transformative Innovation Policy (TIP) is a strategic framework that addresses major societal challenges by promoting (distruptive) innovation, participatory processes and cross-sector collaboration. Due to its multi-scalar perspective, TIP is gradually being adopted in regional policy contexts, where place-based needs and local capacities play a pivotal role. However, effective regional approaches require integration into strategies at a higher governance level, which address infrastructure, legislation, and regulation and provide shared learning environments. Building on a recently completed project initiated by the Austrian Conference on Spatial Planning (ÖROK), this paper proposes a practitioner-oriented approach in which regions and their innovation ecosystems are embedded within a multi-level governance framework (TrIP – Transformative regionally embedded Innovation Policy). The model links: (i) shared visions and cross-sectoral strategies; (ii) innovation spaces and co-creative processes; (iii) learning, scaling up and diffusion across regions; and (iv) the adaptation of regulations, norms and institutions, including exnovation. This approach is illustrated through two case studies: an energy transition initiative in a rural area and a logistics innovation in an urban area

From Crisis to Growth: Pre-Disaster Planning as a Catalyst for Sustainable Innovation and Circular Economy in European Cities

The proposed contribution analyses how short- and long-term strategies in urban planning can foster urban resilience and a circular economy by comparing technological measures, nature-based solutions and integrative communication processes. In examining how authorities engage the public to address emerging hazards, this study demonstrates the role of pre-disaster planning in catalysing sustainable innovation. We highlight communication as the key driver for inclusive, resilient long-term policy. Our case studies include Graz (AT) and Ljubljana (SLO). Though confronted with similar ecological and socio-demographic challenges, the two cities address these challenges in markedly different ways, reflecting culturally biased divergent policy priorities and communication strategies. Using Graf et al.’s 2026 introduced Aware–Prepare–Act (APA) lens as a heuristic, the paper conducts a comparative policy analysis of two contrasting urban governance models. The paper tests the thesis that technological upgrades (e.g., expanding tram networks, cycling infrastructure, digital tools and AI) only produce urban resilience when anchored in sustained communication and participatory processes, a relationship made visible through an overarching APA lens on prevailing practices. In addition, inclusive, participatory formats are crucial for the achievement of a Social Licence to Operate, needed for boosting involved stakeholders’ acceptance to redesign cities for enhanced biodiversity, integrate green infrastructure, and organizational learning on all levels

Planning for the Margins: A Stakeholder-Centred Legislative Analysis of Sustainable Human Settlements Policy in South Africa’s Small Rural Towns

South Africa’s pursuit of sustainable human settlements is underpinned by a complex web of policies and legislative frameworks designed to redress spatial inequalities and promote inclusive development. Yet, small rural towns remain at the margins of planning and implementation, often constrained by weak institutional capacity, limited investment, and fragmented stakeholder coordination. This paper undertakes a stakeholder-centred legislative analysis to unpack how critical actors engage with, interpret, and implement sustainable human settlements policies within these rural settings. It examines the interplay between national frameworks, such as the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act (SPLUMA), the Housing Act, and the National Development Plan (NDP 2030), and local governance realities. Using a qualitative stakeholder analysis method, the study identifies and categorises stakeholders according to their influence and interest, ranging from national and provincial departments, district and local municipalities, traditional authorities, private developers, civil society organisations, and community-based structures. Secondary data from policy documents, planning frameworks, and implementation reports are analysed to determine stakeholder roles, responsibilities, and levels of collaboration in advancing sustainable human settlements in small rural towns. Findings reveal a fragmented institutional landscape characterised by limited coordination between state and non-state actors, inadequate inclusion of traditional leadership in planning processes, and misaligned accountability frameworks. The study argues that the current legislative environment lacks mechanisms for shared governance and participatory decision-making at the local level. Consequently, a rural-responsive stakeholder framework is proposed, one that clarifies roles, strengthens vertical and horizontal collaboration, and promotes legislative harmonisation to enhance collective implementation. This paper contributes to debates on inclusive governance and spatial justice by advancing a stakeholder-oriented approach to sustainable human settlements planning in South Africa’s small rural town

It’s A Kind of Magic! Addressing The Arnstein Gap in Planning with the QICE Public Participation Performance Framework

The gap between citizens’ aspirational desires for public involvement quality in planning and the perceived current level, a.k.a. the Arnstein Gap, is well-documented (Bailey and Grossardt 2006, 2010). Authors Bailey and Grossardt have demonstrated in recent work how this Arnstein Gap is consistent across different geographical contexts and that it has remained more or less consistent across twenty-five years of these measurements (Bailey 2019, Bailey and Grossardt 2025). To the degree that Arnstein Gap presents a societal problem, for instance, a large Gap reflects lack of public confidence in professional activities and plans, and thereby signals a lack of legitimacy in the planning system overall, it is a problem that merits attention, analysis, and efforts directed at solution – even if these can only ever be partial (Weymouth and Hartz-Karp 2019). Building on previous work including CORP here I explore strategies that planners can use for delivering strong public involvement performance and thereby nudging the Arnstein Gap smaller. Strategically avoiding engineering process aims around slippery, opaque, loaded and contradictory terms including “trust” and “consensus” (Shakeri 2025), this paper applies the QICE (Quality, Inclusion, Clarity, and Efficiency) framework for public involvement design and measurement and explores how QICE allows planners to address the competing desires of multiple stakeholder groups including citizens, planners, and project managers and sponsors (Bailey et al. 2015). Performance measurements are presented and the impacts are discussed using extensive real-world data from more than twenty years of project work. With acknowledgment to Freddie Mercury and his bandmates, this is not really “A Kind of Magic”; instead, these results suggest that public involvement process design using a multistakeholder framework in conjunction with careful operationalization that includes logical method selection and sequencing can deliver high performance across multiple criteria

ZuZugLeben(s)Raum Passauer Straße – Tactical Urbanism als strategischer Baustein der Quartiersanierung

Im Forschungsprojekt „ZuZugLeben“, gefördert durch den Klima- und Energiefonds, revitalisiert die ÖBB das historische Wohnquartier „Eisenbahnerhöfe“ in St. Pölten und entwickelt prototypische Ansätze für klimaresiliente und leistbare Quartierssanierung. Ein Schwerpunkt liegt auf der Rückgewinnung und qualitativen Aufwertung öffentlicher Räume als soziale und klimawirksame Infrastruktur im Wohnumfeld.Da Wohnqualität nicht alleine durch den Gebäudebestand bestimmt wird, untersucht das Projekt zusätzlich die funktionale und räumliche Einbettung des Quartiers in sein städtisches Umfeld. In diesem Kontext wurde die Passauer Straße zwischen zwei der drei Höfe als Testareal für eine einwöchige Intervention mittels Tactical Urbanism ausgewählt. Ergänzend zur Gebäudesanierung wurde die Passauer Straße als Testareal für eine temporäre Intervention mittels Tactical Urbanism ausgewählt. Durch die Umwidmung vormals verkehrsdominierter Flächen in Aufenthalts- und Bewegungsraum wurden Akzeptanz, Nutzungsverhalten und klimarelevante Gestaltungselemente (Begrünung, Entsiegelung, Beschattung) unter Realbedingungen erprobt. Die Intervention wurde als Phase-0-Prototyp angelegt, um frühzeitig belastbare Entscheidungsgrundlagen für eine langfristige Umgestaltung zu gewinnen

Unsichtbare Gruppen – sichtbare Effekte: Eine Untersuchung potenzieller Auswirkungen von Untererfassungen in deutschen Melderegisterdaten und Meldepflichtsbefreiungen auf gängige visuelle Darstellungen von Bevölkerungsgrößen in SDSS

Datenbasierte räumliche Entscheidungsunterstützungssysteme (Spatial Decision Support Systems, kurz: SDSS) besitzen ein hohes Potenzial kommunale Planungs- und Entscheidungsprozesse effizienter zu gestalten. Ihr Einsatz ermöglicht eine umfängliche Erfassung, automatisierte Analysen und objektive Bewertungen von Kriterien – allerdings nur, wenn die zugrunde liegenden Daten von hoher Qualität und frei von Verzerrungen sind, und der Algorithmus an allen kritischen Stellen sorgfältig konzipiert wurde (Sugumaran und DeGroote, 2010). Aggregierte kommunale Melderegisterdaten sind hierbei eine häufig genutzte und zuverlässige Quelle mit überwiegend standardisierten Attributen, die auf verschiedenen räumlichen Granularitäten Informationen über die lokale Bevölkerung bereithalten (Mayer und Memmel, 2026a). Diese Daten werden von den kommunalen Stellen sorgfältig gepflegt und verarbeitet, sind jedoch aus praktischen und systembedingten Gründen nicht völlig frei von Verzerrungen. Eine solche Verzerrung ist der sogenannte Untererfassungs- Bias, der bedeutet, dass nicht alle Einwohnerinnen und Einwohner einer Kommune im Melderegister erfasst sind. Dies betrifft häufig marginalisierte Gruppen wie wohnungslose Menschen oder Personen ohne legalen Aufenthaltsstatus (BMAS, 2022 und Fisher, 1999), aber auch NATO-Angehörige (BfJ, 2020). Diese Arbeit untersucht am Beispiel der Stadt Kaiserslautern, ob und wie der Untererfassungs-Bias quantifiziert werden kann. Unter Anwendung einer softwarebasierten Exploration werden die potenziellen Auswirkungen weiterer Verarbeitungslogiken oder Konzepte auf die Genauigkeit und Verlässlichkeit von SDSS-Visualisierungen betrachtet. Zudem wird analysiert, wie Datenaggregation auf verschiedenen räumlichen Ebenen diese Effekte verstärken oder abschwächen. Häufig genutzte Darstellungsformen wie Balkendiagramme und Choroplethenkarten werden herangezogen, um diese Dynamiken zu illustrieren

Exploring The Impact of Intelligent Transportation Systems on Johannesburg Park Station and Transit-Oriented Development

The efficacy of transportation systems generally relies on the pillars of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and strategically located transit-oriented development (TOD). Moreover, this study examines the impact of ITS on the operations of Johannesburg Park Station within the framework of its TOD. The paper explores how it optimizes passenger flow within the station by leveraging various transportation modes, improved multimodal transfers, and enhanced TOD. The study uses a case study research design to investigate traffic management and passenger flow. Additionally, the study adopts both quantitative and qualitative research methods to gather relevant data. Interviews and questionnaires were used as tools to collect data. The preliminary findings reveal that it significantly contributes to Johannesburg Park Station by improving efficiency, accessibility, and the transportation network within the Gauteng region. The study concludes that it is data-driven and serves as a key tool for a thriving transportation ecosystem