Factors affecting progress of South African planning students' in problem-based learning : a contextual approach based on work integrated learning experience

The purpose of this study is to investigate and compare the factors affecting the progress of planning student in an environment that they are assigned to one specific task as compared to where they are assigned into multiple tasks. The paper tends to suggest way to support work-integrated learning for knowledge work as this pose great challenge to future career progression and practice

The challenge facing social housing institutions in South Africa : a case study of Johannesburg

The rapid growth in housing demand represents a mammoth task for both the present and future housing policy in South Africa. Local Government in an effort to address this challenge has placed a high premium to inner-city regeneration. An important part of this regeneration is the development of social housing. Since inception the social housing institutions have been struggling to meet their mandate due to end-user default in rental payment and these calls for investigation. The problem of default in rental payment by residents of social housing institutions has reached a crisis point in addressing housing challenge facing the country. Some of the social housing institutions have reached a point that this tendency might force them to close down. Hence, this investigation intends to find out the underlying reasons behind the inability of the end-users in meeting the set obligation in relation to rental payment. This investigation will be based on a literature review. This finding will be contextualise in Johannesburg as a case study because this happen to be one of the municipalities with both a high rate of migration and attendant housing shortage. Affordability, confusion in understanding the terms and conditions of the rent/lease and culture of entitlement and lack of proper check on the prospective end-user were found to be one off the reasons why most default in payment. Added to this is shift in labour practice from permanent to contract appointment as a result of global economic meltdown and the pandemic of HIV/Aids. This investigation also finds out that the social housing sector is to some extent bringing a new lease of life to inner-city regeneration. For rental housing to be sustainable it is basically meant for people who have regular income and who can afford to pay as they are based on cost recovery. There is need for training and proper end-user awareness of the rent/lease terms and conditions so as to create understanding and avoid default in payment

A new approach to sustainable transport system : a critical appraisal of the Rapid Bus Transit System (BRT) in South Africa

Public transport should be considered in the urban context as a good supportive infrastructure for public space. This can be considered based on the World Bank report of 1986 which considered public transport as the most efficient means of moving large numbers of people, especially in dense areas. Bus services; in particular provide considerable flexibility in meeting demands for transport at various levels of quality and quantity. One of the legacies of apartheid is the lack of connectivity between the so called “Townships” and the “Suburbs”. Most residents commuting from the township to the city not only spend a huge amount of money to and from work. This impact greatly on their productivity as they get tired by the time they get to their places of work. To combat congestion and provide better public transport in the face of this concern the City of Johannesburg, Cape Town, Tshwane and Nelson Mandela Metro introduced the Rea Vaya BRT (Rapid Bus Transit system). This is a public transport infrastructure that is being used in developing countries with similar history like South Africa. The buses will run in exclusive, dedicated lanes in the centre of existing roads. Smaller feeder buses will bring people from the outer areas to the station on the trunk routes. The buses are of 75 or 112 capacity depending on passenger volumes and will operate in about 150 stations positioned half a kilometer apart to run every three minutes in peak times and every 10 minutes in off peak times from 5am to 12 midnight. Since the commencement of this public transport system the operators has witnessed stiff resistance and violent crashes with existing taxi operators. In this study we look at the viability of the BRT in terms of obtain a buy-in from existing operators. The research will question the sustainability of this rapid bus transport system in relation to Security, Affordability and travel time saving. The use of South Africa in this study is because this is the first time the Department of Transport is rolling out this system of Integrated Transport Plan which is backed with Strategic Public Transport Network

Rental default facing social housing institution in South Africa : a case study of Johannesburg

High rates of urbanization have concentrated housing needs in urban areas. This has resulted to large-scale housing and service backlog. The rapid growth in housing demand represents a mammoth task for both the present and future housing policy in South Africa. Local Government in an effort to address this challenge has placed high premium to inner-city regeneration. An important part of this regeneration is the development of social housing. Since inception the social housing institutions have been struggling to meet their mandate due to end-user default in rental payment and this call for investigation

Sustainable land use and development: perspective on Cosmo City, Johannesburg, South Africa

The rapid growth in housing demand since 1994 represents a mammoth task for both the present and future housing policy in South Africa. The new Developmental Local Government in an effort to address this challenge has placed high premium to informal settlement formalization and mixed income housing development. The rationale behind these two approaches is to address urban poverty, segregation and redevelopment. The goal of this paper is to appraise mixed income housing development as it relates to sustainable land use with the objective towards integration along racial and social grounds. The problem associated with South African housing policy in creating separate residential development based on income group has reached a crisis point in addressing housing challenge facing the country. The poor remain located on the peripheries of the cities where the land is cheap and far from their places of work and have to travel long hours to and from work. The City of Johannesburg is characterized by fragmented housing development that lack harmonious integration and this impact on infrastructural provision and access to job opportunities. Hence, this investigation tends to appraise the development of mixed income housing development in addressing these challenges. This investigation will be based on an exploratory research and will reviewing the success and challenges of mixed income housing development. Both published and unpublished literatures were equally use in this study as well as focus group discussion and interview with the beneficiaries as well as the principal developers and City of Johannesburg representatives. Integration of the poor into the urban system is achievable with effective and efficient Public Private Partnership

Interrogating South Africa’s people’s housing process - towards comprehensive collaborative and empowering aided self-help housing approaches

Abstract: Please refer to full text to view abstrac

Metropolitan housing development in urban fringe areas - a case study of three metropolitan cities of South Africa: Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane

Purpose: The metropolitan cities of Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane plays an important role in the economy of the Gauteng province in South Africa. The region constitutes to 22.4 percent of the total population of South Africa and has a strong presence and contributes in areas of manufacturing sector, financial and business services, retail and wholesale trade, etc. The rapid urban population, increase in the informal settlements and socio-economic opportunities has resulted to considerable urban sprawl in and around the urban fringe areas of these metropolitan cities. The urban fringe areas of these metros often come under the influence of rapid urbanization process and pressures. Coupled with the economical and potential land dynamics and lack of priority of spatial development guidelines, these areas attract rapid and haphazard development from communities and developers. Research Design/ Methodology: This research is based on a qualitative approach through a comprehensive literature review that included content analysis of key documents on housing sector such as Integrated Development Plans (IDPs), Municipal Annual Reports, Growth Development Strategies, and among other sectoral documents on housing sector. Some of the key priority issues considered in the housing sector included: eradication of housing backlogs, spatial restructuring of housing, provision of choice in terms of location, tenure and housing typology. Findings: The current paper discusses the approaches of metropolitan housing development processes in three metropolitan cities of South Africa from Gauteng region, namely: Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane. The paper discuss the existing housing sectoral scenario along with the fringe areas in three cities with focus on: formal and informal settlements, housing segregation and the backlogs, current institutional arrangements, role of public private participation, and scope for alternate mechanisms. The paper concludes in discussion on sustainable development options for housing development in urban fringe areas

The impact of Electricity Blackouts and poor infrastructure on the livelihood of residents and the local economy of City of Johannesburg, South Africa

This paper discusses the impact of electricity blackouts and poor infrastructure on the livelihood of residents and the local economy of Johannesburg, South Africa. The importance of a stable electricity grid plays a vital role in the effective functioning of urban infrastructure and the economy. The importance of electricity in the present-day South Africa has not been emphasized enough to be prioritized at all levels of government, especially at the local level, as it is where all socio-economic activities take place. The new South Africa needs to redefine the importance of electricity by ensuring that it is accessible, affordable, and produced sustainably, and most of all, by ensuring that the energy transition initiatives to green energy take place in a planned manner without causing harm to the economy, which might deepen the plight of South Africans. Currently, the City of Johannesburg is a growing spatial entity in both demographic and urbanization terms, and growing urban spaces require a stable supply of electricity for the proper functioning of urban systems and the growth of the local economy. The growth of the city brings about a massive demand for electricity that outstrips the current supply of electricity available on the local grid. The imbalance in the current supply and growing demand for electricity result in energy blackouts in the city, which have ripple effects on the economy and livelihoods of the people of Johannesburg. This paper examines the impact of electricity blackouts and poor infrastructure on the livelihood of residents and the local economy of Johannesburg, South Africa.Comment: 13 Page

Developing a Technological Innovations Framework for Energy Security: a Case of City Power, Johannesburg

Rapid urban growth in the world’s cities, particularly in the Global South has placed unprecedented demand for energy supply that keeps vital urban energy systems functioning in order to support life and economic activities in urban areas. Cities are the net consumers of energy (electricity) and other life-supporting services, as a result they require proper planning and coordination to ensure the resilience and energy security of urban areas. South African Cities, have consistently been experiencing energy shortages through rolling blackouts that date back to 2008.The study aims to develop a holistic framework that informs appropriate innovations that enable the achievement of energy security at City Power in the City of Johannesburg. The work adopted a mixed methods approach that uses both quantitative and qualitative data. Specifically, data was collected through interviews, surveys and observations; reviews of published journals, journals reports and government policy documents. Descriptive statistics, content analysis, narrative analysis, and discourse analysis were used to sieve information from the data. The research findings reveal that residents of the City of Johannesburg are only able to access electricity for an average between 7-12 hours in a day due to energy shortages. The city of Johannesburg is experiencing vulnerability of energy systems in the form of energy blackouts as the result of energy power cuts at the City of Johannesburg. The work posits that, through an energy planning model, the City of Johannesburg, through its power utility City Power could plan for the mitigation of energy black outs through implementation of microgrid planning. Consequently, the study recommends that the City of Johannesburg follows the existing legal frameworks and other planning laws that are available to develop spatial plans for infrastructure development for renewable energy within its area of jurisdiction. The framework for sustainable energy (electricity) security in the City is developed by combining technological innovations with spatial planning