From the guest editor

The past is known for an epoch of overflowing and abundant resources. The present reality predicts the next World War to most likely be fought due to water scarcity. This is also true for South Africa, being the world’s 30th driest country and where water conservation, and water-use efficiency is a key national priority to address water scarcity

THE CHALLENGE OF TEACHING GENERATION Z

Incredible technology changes are defining our current reality, impacting on our approach to society, to planning and to breaking new ground in terms of education. There is a rise of a new generation that is "location-aware" and speaks a “technological-language”. This has a great impacts on the teaching-learning environment within the current university structures, as students (the new Generation Z learners) are more equipped with technology, than typical Generation X (lecturers), which increase complexity of education processes involving instruction, guidance, and supervision. This study investigated the preferences of the new Generation Z student, in terms of technology usage within formal educational systems, based on the surveys conducted among the Urban Planning students on the Potchefstroom campus of the North-West University, South Africa, over a 7 year period. It also tested perspectives and technology usage and preferences of current lecturers (of the same group of students), in order to reveal some of the complex realities and challenges faced when teaching Generation Z. The research concluded with the viewpoints of both groups and presented some solutions to bridge the gaps and enhance teaching-learning strategies

Informal backyard rentals through a social sustainability lens – a case study in Oudtshoorn, South Africa

Social sustainability is a significant field of research in post-apartheid South Africa, given the challenges and inequalities faced, evidenced in urban landscapes where millions reside in informal settlements and informal backyard rental accommodation. This article investigates the informal backyard rental phenomenon in South Africa through a social sustainability lens, focusing on a case study in Bridgton and Bongolethu, Oudtshoorn. Qualitative and quantitative research findings unveil several features in support of social sustainability framed by familial connections between landlords and backyard tenants. The article also uncovers certain challenges presented by informal backyard rentals and social sustainability, predominantly related to the quality of structures and certain social concerns. In its totality, the article provides a contextualised perspective on social sustainability in the informal backyard rental sector and provides the planning community and other decision makers with a more nuanced understanding of the complexities and potentials that may underpin it in small town South Africa and beyond.&nbsp

Considering spatial planning for the South African poor: An argument for ‘planning with’

This article considers the notion of ‘spatial planning’ in South Africa, elaborating on the challenges relating to the wide disparities between formal and informal areas. Town and Regional Planning theory and anthropological approaches are fused together in this article in an attempt to provide a more integrated approach to spatial planning, arguing in favour of ‘planning with’ poor South Africans, in contrast to ‘planning for’. By using qualitative participant observation, an ethnographic fieldwork study conducted in Marikana informal settlement, Potchefstroom, South Africa, helped form reflections that offer valuable insights in support of the ‘planning with’ approach. Marikana residents’ innovative DIY-formalisation plan of installing communal taps is considered a vivid example of pragmatic local solutions to service-delivery issues and it is argued that these solutions should be considered when ‘planning with’ the poor. The research argues that, despite being different in context, ‘planning with’ approaches have a prominent role to play in both formal and informal settlements. As such, the research elaborated on the value of ‘planning with’ approaches in South Africa, relating to environmental, social, economic, political and broader planning considerations. The article does not offer a generalizable solution to all planning challenges in South Africa. It concludes with a reflection of the ethnographic fieldwork conducted in the case study linked to broader themes of the possible planning interventions, considering the delineation of social power, context-based needs, ownership and accountability, and the importance of environmental education for all socio-economic classes, in an attempt to inspire planners, policymakers and anthropologists to find new ways of ‘thinking with’ and ‘planning with’ each other

An explorative approach to the evolving municipal landscape of South Africa: 1993-2020

The establishment of municipalities in South Africa has been a long and difficult process, which still appears to be evolving 25 years later. In 1994, the new democratic government undertook to restructure the country’s racially segregated administrative structure, by integrating areas to form cohesive municipal entities that would allow for the more efficient management of the municipal areas. However, the demarcation approach was easier to pen on paper than to implement in practice. This article explores the South African spatial reform process from 1993 to 2020, by analysing literature and legislative frameworks, in order to determine how municipalities were demarcated and the challenges they experienced. The study found that the spatial restructuring process was particularly complex, due to limited knowledge of the spatial landscape and the many unresolved spatial administrative issues. The study calls for further research to support the formation of more efficient municipal areas

Spatial planning and land-use management tools in aid of securing water sustainability: The case study of Mogalakwena Local Municipality in South Africa

The concept of Water-Sensitive Settlements is gaining importance within broader sustainability thinking. There is limited research in urban planning literature, in particular, on the quantitative impact of land-use decisions on water resources. This article proposes a spatial modelling approach that combines land-use and water-consumption data in order to identify areas of intervention, which could feed into future development plans and strategies. The research considers the Mogalakwena Local Municipality as a case study, because of its socio-economic characteristics as well as the spatial and billing data that were generated from an ongoing research project funded by the Water Research Commission. It was evident that spatial modelling of land use and water consumption can be utilised as a tool to determine the impact of land-use decision on water resources. Having generated spatial information on ‘where’ and by ‘which’ land use the demand for water is highest, municipal planners are able to make informed future land-use decisions, which will ultimately affect water resources. In addition, the information can be used to enforce new thinking within the municipal spatial planning domain on, among others, implementing water-sensitive mitigation measures such as revisiting water tariff structures; re-evaluating the promised level of services; implementing water-efficiency building regulations, and rethinking the business-as-usual approach to settlement planning

Ecosystem-based climate change adaptation for Essenvelt, Middelburg, The Netherlands

Climate change is an internationally recognised phenomenon generally held accountable for the increasing magnitude of extremes in both climatic events and temperature. With increasing urbanization and the concentration of socio-economic activities in urban areas, the challenge to contend with climate change is particularly pertinent in cities. In response to climate-change impacts, a range of climate-adaptation strategies have been developed to make cities increasingly ‘climate proof’. A qualitative research approach is employed to review climate change, its impacts and some adaptation strategies, focusing on ecosystem-based adaptation strategies from Belgium and The Netherlands and Water-Sensitive Urban Design approaches developed in Australia. The article engages a case study of Essenvelt, Middelburg, The Netherlands, where unanticipated warmer night-time temperatures are a primary concern, related to natural variability, the urban heat island effect and climate change. The article proposes certain adaptation measures for Essenvelt, based on the adaptation strategies reviewed

Challenges and Opportunities for Public Participation in Urban and Regional Planning during the COVID-19 Pandemic—Lessons Learned for the Future

The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred significant changes in the fields of economic development, social issues, everyday life, etc. Activities that used to depend on face-to-face communication were firstly suspended and then shifted to new forms of communication. This includes the public participation process in urban and spatial planning. Therefore, this study explores the new domain developed in urban and spatial planning with regard to public participation and surmises future realms in the post-pandemic era. On the occasion of the virtual collaboration platform Cyber Agora organized by the ISOCARP (International Society of City and Regional Planners), chosen participants got together virtually to share, discuss, and compare their practical knowledge in public participation before and during COVID-19. In addition, they addressed the potential benefits of shifting from traditional to virtual participation and potential benefits in the post-COVID-19 era. Considering the collected data and understanding them in the light of the available literature, this study concludes that the application of a combined approach (using both traditional and virtual modes of participation) is recommended because it would enable a larger number and higher diversity of participants. The study also elaborates particular modes of virtual participation with the pros and cons of their use in a particular context

Virtual public participation during the Covid-19 crises Hype or new normal for city planning?

City and Regional planning should be accompanied by a thorough understanding of the contemporary social dynamics of the place and the implications it has for the people and other species who inhabit and use these places. As a result, territorial planning has been increasingly linked to participatory planning approaches in most politically and fiscally decentralised countries, to create sustainable living spaces through a bottom-up approach. Participatory planning again aiming to translate global solutions locally, giving local accents. The recent Covid19 health and related economic crises brought even more complexity to the planning table, emphasising the need for supplementary stakeholder and public participation using virtual platforms. Thanks to the pandemic crisis, planners across the globe are increasingly engaged with virtual participatory approaches, some with more success than others, due to various social, economic and cultural reasons. In an attempt to contextualise the challenges and opportunities of virtual participatory planning, this paper captures reflections of purposefully selected professional planners, all members of the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP), who indicated an affinity with participatory planning approaches and the challenges and opportunities that the virtual platform provides. Specific focus was placed on a) challenges of virtual planning and b) opportunities of virtual participation - to draw conclusions on whether virtual participatory planning is only a hype, or would become the new normal for city and regional planning.Editors: Piotr Lorens and Hangwelani Hope Magidimish