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Travelling long distances to access public service facilities is costly and time consuming, especially to those who suffer the burden of poverty and deprivation. Assessing accessibility based on route-based distances does not work well in rural areas of Africa where people often travel along footpaths and dirt roads (in and out of vehicles) that are not mapped, not necessarily well-defined, could vary based on the season or change over short periods of time. The South African government therefore recommended that geographic accessibility be assessed based on a road network that is augmented by connecting communities to the main road network via a triangulated irregular network (TIN). While this method is recommended, a study about its suitability has not been published. We do this by describing an implementation, analysing the results and comparing these to other techniques. In this paper we present and compare the recommended method to geographic accessibility results of two other frequently used distance measuring techniques: 1) straight-line distances; 2) route-based distances in the road network. We applied the techniques to South African Police Service stations in the O.R. Tambo District Municipality, Eastern Cape, South Africa, which is characterized by rural villages scattered across the landscape, not connected to the road network and where data for footpaths and dirt roads does not exist. The results confirm that in the absence of a completely mapped travel network, the recommended method is a suitable alternative for measuring geographic accessibility in rural areas of Africa without having to spend time and money on mapping footpaths and dirt roads that keep on changing anyhow. However, the results reveal sensitivity to the threshold distance and significant local variation depending on distance from urban areas and proximity to natural barriers such as rivers. The latter must be considered when deciding whether to apply the recommended distance measurement technique in rural accessibility studies. Further research could compare the techniques for other study areas and also refine the method, e.g., by experimenting with different algorithms for centroids of populated areas and finding ways to estimate travel speeds on TIN arcs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Urban decision-makers in South Africa face growing challenges related to rapidly expanding populations and a changing climate. To help target limited resources, municipalities have begun to conduct climate change vulnerability assessments. Many of these assessments take a holistic approach that combines both physical hazard exposure and the underlying socio-economic conditions that predispose populations to harm (i.e., social vulnerability). Given the increasing use of socio-economic conditions in climate change vulnerability analyses, this paper seeks to explore two key research questions: 1) can the spatial distribution of relative social vulnerability be estimated in six mostly urban South African municipalities, and if so, 2) how sensitive are the results to a range of subjective methodological choices often required when implementing this type of analysis. Here, social vulnerability is estimated using socio-economic and demographic data from the 2001 and 2011 South African censuses. In all six municipalities, social vulnerability varies spatially, driven primarily by differences in income, assets, wealth, employment and education, and secondarily by differences in access to services and demographics. Even though social vulnerability is estimated from a wide array of population characteristics, the spatial distribution is surprising similar to that of the percent of working-age individuals making less than 800 rand per month. Areas with high percentages of previously disadvantaged, extended family, and informal households tend to display relatively higher levels of social vulnerability. In fact, demographics (e.g., race, language, age) are often highly correlated with other characteristics that have direct ties to social vulnerability (e.g., income, employment, education). The spatial patterns of relative social vulnerability are similar in 2001 and 2011. However, there is some evidence social vulnerability is relatively lower in 2011. While the choice of input data and aggregation method can affect the spatial distribution of social vulnerability, the general spatial patterns appear to be fairly robust across a number of subjective choices related to methodological and aggregation approach, spatial resolution, and input data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Logistics sprawl has been observed in many urban areas around the world, but the assumed link between increased logistics sprawl and increased freight transport activity has little empirical evidence. Because this link could influence policy-making to either fight or facilitate logistics sprawl, this paper investigates the implications of using different methodologies to quantify the relationship. Three different methodologies are compared. The first two methodologies are from well-respected sources in literature and the third is proposed in this paper. The methodologies measure transport activity related to logistics sprawl in three urban areas in South Africa between 2010 and 2014. The results from the methodologies are contradicting with the methodology proposed in this paper questioning the link between logistics sprawl and freight transport activity altogether. The comparison of the methodologies also shows that it is essential to include empirical data of actual vehicle movement when investigating logistics sprawl's impact on transport activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to select appropriate waste-to-energy (WtE) technology considering both subjective perspective of decision-maker and objective evaluation of the actual performance metrics of each alternative. Based on this premise, a novel hybrid multi-criteria decision making method based on Fuzzy-analytic hierarchy process (Fuzzy-AHP), Fuzzy-Entropy and Fuzzy-Multi-Objective Optimization on the basis of Ratio Analysis plus full multiplicative form (Fuzzy-MULTIMOORA) is applied as a decision tool. In this study, four (4) alternative WtE technologies (i.e., anaerobic digestion, incineration, pyrolysis and gasification) with fourteen (14) sub-factors that cut across four sustainability aspects (i.e., technical, economic, environmental and social factors) are considered. The applicability of the model is tested for a WtE technology selection in the City of Cape Town, South Africa. The result obtained reveals that for all the alternatives considered, the most sustainable WtE technology for investment in the City of Cape Town follows the order: anaerobic digestion > gasification > pyrolysis > incineration. Sensitivity analysis shows a high degree of consistency, robustness, and stability in the obtained results. The current work recommends that the integration of anaerobic digestion and gasification should be promoted as it has the potential to offer a well-balanced WtE technology compared to the stand-alone systems. Although, the case study is a city in South Africa, the methodology could be applied for selecting WtE technology in any developing countries' city with similar waste characteristic and economic nature like that of South Africa. • An objective-subjective hybrid MCDM model is put forward. • The criteria weights are determined using Fuzzy-AHP and Fuzzy-Entropy methods. • The waste-to-energy technologies are ranked using Fuzzy-MULTIMOORA approach. • Managerial implications of the most sustainable waste-to-energy technology is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial planning plays a significant role in enhancing climate change adaptation especially within urban areas by improving their resilience. Despite all this, cities especially in developing countries still experience the effects of climate change. This paper adopted a mixed method approach to examine township spatial planning and climate change adaptation in identifying potentialities for an integrated approach. Mdantsane case study as one of the largest townships in South Africa was assessed as a unique landscape with reminiscent of apartheid legacies to improve the people's climate change adaptation under urban poverty, lack of basic facilities and other environmental challenges. In keeping with a case study design, we collected data making use of pretested open and close-ended survey forms with an interplay of GIS and remote sensing techniques. This study reveals that Mdantsane is extremely susceptible to the impacts of climate change due to their built-up and natural environment set up as well as the existing interrelations. Thus, comprehensive integration of spatial planning is essential for proofing, health, wellbeing and resilience. Consequently, recommendations to seek strategic intervention and planning were made to sustain adaptation of residents to climate change in the future with specific focus to reduce climate and environmental risks in Mdantsane Township. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]