From the Guest Editors

Journal of Contemporary Rural Social Work Special Issue, Volume 8, Number 1 2016 From the Guest Editors: Dheeshana Jayasundara and Randall C. Nedegaard, University of North Dakot

From the guest editors

When the Scientific Research Council Bill was introduced in Parliament back in April 1945 the Council that was to be created from Act 33 of 1945 with the same name was presented as an institution with a very broad agenda. Not only would it conduct, coordinate and popularise research into the use and beneficiation of the country’s resources in service of the nation, butalso train young researchers, assist in elevating South Africa onto the world stage through highlevel research, provide government with credible information and, in doing all of these activities, contribute to the promotion of “peace and happiness” (sic) throughout the world

From the guest editors

Cities are engines of socio-economic growth and development. In facilitating this growth, cities have been notorious for delivering inequality and spatial imbalances, spatially accentuating the socio-economic population groups’ differences across income groups, social class, gender, minorities, and vulnerable groups, and thereby impacting on spaces, places, cultures, inclusion, and diversity. Perhaps, more challenging, and subtle but starkly disappointing has been that cities have been efficient machines in ejecting approximately 70% of greenhouse gas emissions on this planet (Xue, 2022: 102699). This is a great concern in a context in which over half of humanity (this figure is projected to reach 68% by 2050) lives in urban areas (Wheeler, 2021: 10). The onslaught of climate change is meeting our biggest urbanisation and settlement dynamics wave and drive in human civilization, as millions of people continue to migrate into cities in the hope of a better life. This phenomenon and momentum do not seem to show any signals of slowing down soon and is occurring despite the reality that many of our cities are already showing cracks and gaps in respect of their ability to act on climate change and impacts. The need to achieve net zero CO2 emissions in future makes the call for climate action an urgent priority for all

From the guest editors

Spatial change phenomena in SA – explorations and innovations We would like to dedicate this special edition to our beloved colleague and friend, Maria Joe Coetzee who passed away on 2 November 2014. The work depicted in this special edition is testimony of her visionary leadership, insightful contributions and dedication to planning practice, policy development and research and development in the fields of integrated development planning and intergovernmental collaboration. Maria’s ability to conceptualise, rationalise and then to realise new ideas and challenges was evident in the passionate way she supported innovations in planning systems, tools, technologies and policies. Her desire for making a difference in the planning field and her belief in the potential of people to achieve this was and is evident in the importance given to collaborative practices, capacity building, and knowledge transfers – providing a platform and opportunity to strengthen planning in South Africa