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South Africa is undergoing a rapid decline in social and political cohesion at various scales. This paper explores Cape Town's experience of socio-territorial messages and identities deployed by the City administration and the leading party, the Democratic Alliance. I focus on relational constructions of the subjectivity of the 'ratepayer' and the deserving Capetownian as constructed in the City and the DA's discourse and policy measures in juxtaposition to 'street people' and other supposedly deviant urban subjects and how, as such, the wilful ignorance of the first remains both unchallenged and in service of an exclusionary and unjust spatial order. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While existing literature has amply demonstrated how states may "see" their populations, we know less about which residents are legible to the state as populations. Drawing on extended ethnographic fieldwork and interviews conducted between 2011 and 2019 in Cape Town, South Africa, this paper compares the fate of two large land occupations, one of which was evicted, one of which was not. In doing so, this paper demonstrates how rather than taking "populations" as a given, this status should be understood as an outcome. It suggests that participants in each respective occupation began with different views of the state. In other words, the way residents saw the state impacted each respective organizational outcome, which in turn affected how they were seen by the state. In one occupation, participants saw the state as a partner in obtaining housing, and so they organized themselves as atomized recipients. In the other, they viewed the state as an obstacle, and so they organized themselves collectively. Only in the latter case were residents viewed as a population; in the former, they were all evicted. Ultimately, this paper argues that, by bringing tools from political sociology to bear upon urban ethnography, we can gain insight into a process otherwise overlooked in the literature, allowing us to make sense of a question that is central to understanding urban politics in the global South: how do municipal governments decide which occupations to evict and which to tolerate? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many urban settings around the world the severity of water scarcity has induced changes in household behavior, leading to reduction in the volume of water demanded. One of the most widely used strategies is the adoption of water-saving equipment that collects, stores and eventually treats wastewater from various sources within the household. This paper investigates the factors that drive adoption of water-saving equipment in Cape Town, South Africa, following the catastrophic "Day Zero" water crisis in 2018. First, the paper develops a disaggregated technology diffusion model. Second, we make use of choice experiments to determine the attribute levels and socioeconomic characteristics that influence adoption of water-saving equipment in urban communities in South Africa. Data collected from a sample of 465 representative households in Cape Town are used in a choice modelling framework. Latent class analysis (LCA) is compared with both multinomial logit and conditional logit models to estimate marginal willingness to pay (MWTP) for adoption of water-saving equipment. The LCA identified three household classes with distinct preferences, suggesting divergence in adoption of water-saving equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and related policy measures on livelihoods in urban South Africa. Using qualitative research methods, we analyse two rounds of semi-structured phone interviews, conducted between June and September 2020 in the township of Khayelitsha, Cape Town. We contextualise these by presenting a snapshot of the nationwide dynamics using quantitative panel data. Our findings describe how the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic has deepened the economic vulnerability which preceded the crisis. Survivalist livelihood strategies were undermined by the economic disruption to the informal sector, while the co-variate nature of the shock rendered social networks and informal insurance mechanisms ineffective, causing households to liquidate savings, default on insurance payments, and deepen their reliance on government grants. In addition, the impact of the pandemic on schooling may deepen existing inequalities and constrain future upward mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The success of the Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG 11) depends on the availability and accessibility of robust data, as well as the reconfiguration of governance systems that can catalyse urban transformation. Given the uneven success of the Millennium Development Goals, and the unprecedented inclusion of the urban in the SDG process, the feasibility of SDG 11 was assessed in advance of its ratification through a series of urban experiments. This paper focusses on Cape Town's participation in piloting SDG 11, in order to explore the role of urban experimentation in highlighting the partnership arrangements necessary to allow cities to meet the data and governance challenges presented by the SDG 11. Specifically, we focus on the relationship between data and governance that lie at the heart of the SDG 11. The urban experiment demonstrates the highly complex and multi-level governance dynamics that shape the way urban experiments are initiated, executed and concluded. The implications of these dependencies illustrate that more attention needs to be paid at the global level to what data are important and how and where the data are generated if SDG 11 is to be met. Overall, this paper makes the case that the success of SDG 11 rests on effecting local level change and enabling real opportunities in cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cultural and creative industries (CCIs) are increasingly being recognised in South Africa, as in other countries, as wealth-creating, given appropriate investment, rather than primarily a non-market subsidized sector. However, national innovation policy is still predominantly focused on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) skillsets and related product markets. This paper analyses how the CCIs in the Cape Town cluster innovate by combining digital technology, creative inputs, and workforce diversity. Based on a similar study conducted in Brighton, UK, a cluster of innovative CCI firms was identified that are to varying degrees "fused", defined as combining digital technology and creative design in production. Fused firms have higher levels of innovation in business processes, goods and services. Fused firms were also more likely to employ demographically diverse people, adding insights from the South African mix to the UK studies on disciplinary diversity. While fused creative-digital firms employ greater diversity, a qualitative analysis of SA gaming and animation firms nevertheless demonstrates the challenges for improving diversity in a developing country context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The global agenda to address increasing accumulation of plastic in the marine environment is challenging key decision-makers to develop grounded responses. Current life cycle assessment approaches are unable to adequately quantify the environmental damage associated with accumulation in the natural environment, presenting a critical challenge for the life cycle management of plastic products. This paper investigates the feasibility and potential influence of using leakage rates as a proxy indicator to inform the life cycle management of plastic products. Methods: A method is proposed for the quantification of leakage rates which utilises results from beach accumulation rate surveys coupled with sales data as a proxy for waste generation. It is demonstrated for the case of Cape Town, South Africa, for selected plastic products. Through interviews with key value-chain actors in South Africa, the potential influence of providing such specific knowledge on current approaches to plastic product life cycle management is investigated. Results and discussion: The developed leakage rates demonstrate that vastly different leakage rates exist for different types of products. In particular, plastic products associated with food consumed on-the-go were found to be highly prone to leakage. In South Africa, value-chain actors are taking a more active role in plastic pollution mitigation primarily through widespread adoption of design for recycling in packaging strategies and investment in downstream recycling activities. However, the lack of reliable information regarding plastic flows is still a constraint, resulting in a multitude of approaches for strategy development particularly when it comes to the prioritisation of products for intervention. This has the potential to result in ineffective strategies due to the inadvertent prioritisation of products which are not major contributors to marine pollution. Conclusions: The adoption of leakage rates as a proxy indicator for potential marine environmental impacts takes a step towards addressing a critical limitation of life cycle assessment, enabling the consideration of leakage into the marine environment during product life cycle management. Furthermore, product-specific leakage rates have the potential to provide guidance for the development of targeted strategies to address plastic pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focusing on the urban enclave in Cape Town known as De Waterkant, this paper examines the product and process of 'quartering' urban space-shaping urban space as the locus for the symbolic framing of culture. This paper advances recent studies of De Waterkant by applying the concept of quartering to understand urban change in an African context. Complicating existing research on De Waterkant, the findings show that the area has witnessed four distinct quartered identities including an ethnic quartering which was dismantled under apartheid, a Bohemian quartering that changed racial dynamics and improved housing stock, a 'gay village' quartering that engaged sexual identity performance as a strategy for place making and most recently a consumer lifestyle quartering that exhibited new notions of citizenship and consumption. This paper advances theorisation of how quartering as a process is articulated through the application of discursive and material tropes to the urban fabric of the city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Successes and failures in the use of urban edges or urban growth boundaries as policy instruments to contain or direct urban growth in order to protect non-urban areas and encourage the development of more compact, contiguous urban areas (Nelson and Dawkins 2004) have been widely documented. This is true particularly for cities in the more developed world where edges and boundaries have been in place for an adequate period of time to allow for evaluation of spatial outcomes. More recently cities in the global south have also embarked on such policy evaluation (Lerise 2000; Mubarak 2004; Msoffe et al. 2011; Du Plessis 2013; Inostroza et al. 2013). The City of Cape Town (CoCT), South Africa, has since the early 2000s employed an urban edge line as a growth management instrument in its spatial development framework (SDF) (CoCT 2009a). However, in the most recent Cape Town Spatial Development Framework (CTSDF) of 2017, an urban edge line is no longer applied as an instrument to contain horizontal urban spatial growth. Instead, the latest CTSDF champions development that will support transit-oriented development in the urban core and notes the city's intention not to extend services towards the urban periphery in the short-term (CoCT (City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality) 2017a). This sees a considerable turn-around from the stated historic apprehension to persistent growth pressure to the northern and eastern urban extremities of the metropolitan area by using an urban edge (CoCT 2012a) and seems to suggest that the former urban edge policy was considered inappropriate or problematic to the CoCTs objectives for spatial development. While the spatial effect of the urban edge over the period of 16 years for which it was employed remains a valuable subject of research, this research is interested more in the reasons behind termination of the policy. The paper postulates that, despite a solid policy foundation, the effectiveness of its intent was gradually eroded by political decision-making counter to the policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In South Africa, the informal sector, including food vending, is either criminalized or ignored. This is despite the fact that it plays an important role in the economy in terms of employment, income generation, food distribution and livelihoods for the urban poor. This paper assesses the nature, operations, strategies and challenges of the informal food sector in Cape Town. Data was collected through a survey of over 1000 informal food vendors in the city. Most of the enterprises were single-owner businesses, financed from personal savings and started by owners seeking employment, independence and improved financial security for their families. Most businesses had little or no access to finance from government agencies, banks and micro-finance lenders. Entrepreneurs faced various challenges ranging from insufficient sales, competition, changing consumer food needs and rising stock prices. To survive in a challenging economic environment, they adopt various innovative strategies including changing the types of foods they sell, increasing food stock variety, monitoring formal food retailing prices and negotiating with suppliers for favourable stock prices. Despite the various challenges being experienced, the informal food sector has become an integral and indispensable component of the food system of the city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Debates about the role of the university in society have been going on for many decades. There have been several calls for a more 'engaged' form of scholarship which applies itself consciously to the pursuit of applied knowledge which can contribute towards solving some of the most pressing societal challenges. Closer collaboration between universities and community groups has been identified as a central component of this form of scholarship. This paper interrogates the literature on the role of universities in society, with a specific focus on university-community partnerships, and discusses the experience of the Philippi CityLab in Cape Town, South Africa to shed some light on the complexities, challenges and rewards of university-community interactions. The case of the Philippi CityLab confirms many of the pre-requisites for 'successful' collaboration between universities and communities as identified in the literature. The paper argues that the ideal of a more engaged scholarship is certainly worth pursuing and that there is no doubt that South African universities do have a role to play in terms of working with communities to find workable solutions to the myriad of development challenges which they face. However, the experience of the Philippi CityLab also shows that stakeholders should not be naïve about the time, effort and investment which these kinds of engagements require and the difficulty of establishing, maintaining and sustaining genuine, mutually beneficial university-community collaborations. Furthermore, a truly engaged scholarship requires a significant transformation of the institutional context within universities in order to not only facilitate and support, but also reward research which seek closer collaboration between universities and communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Like similar urbanised regions in the world, key ecological thresholds in the greater Cape Town area are being breached by the prevailing approach to growth and development, resulting in dysfunctional costs for the local economy. This condition of rising costs caused by a new set of material, ecologically driven variables creates the context for rethinking what growth and development means. This paper provides a synthesis of critical ecological flows and resources in the Cape Town region, drawing on the most current available data on energy, water, waste, transport, land, biodiversity and climate change. Rooted in emerging disciplines of ecological economics and the new institutional economics, it argues that investments in growth and poverty eradication will be undermined unless we recognise environmental resources and ecosystem services as binding constraints and move rapidly towards a sustainable resource use economy. The paper suggests some bold system changes and initiatives to position the Cape Town region as a global leader in the new sustainability revolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper will reflect on research currently in progress in Cape Town’s De Waterkant neighbourhood—an area also known as Cape Town’s ‘gay village’. This paper engages the literature of utopia as a framework of analysis for interrogating the performance of community—while at the same time problematising the terms “community” and “utopia” upon which much geographical description of the area is based. This research argues that both ‘comforting’ and ‘unsettling’ relational achievements amongst the human and non-human actors in De Waterkant function as building blocks of real or imagined community and further recognises multiple tensions that affect the formation of community and the pursuit of utopia in the South African urban context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on Cape Town's planning strategy for the spatial and economic integration of the South East sector, where the majority of its informal settlements are located, with the privileged sectors of the city. It discusses the Wetton-Lansdowne Corridor plan (City of Cape Town, 1998; 1999) within the Metropolitan Spatial Development Framework (MSDF) (Cape Metropolitan Council, 1996; 1999), reflecting the evolving dynamics of the new post-apartheid planning spirit, which oscillates between a revamped interventionist approach and the meta-tale of private sector driven development. Critiques of this plan are emerging from a number of angles (Watson 2000; Watson, 2001). At the same time it has been argued that integration is happening, not through planned approaches, but through their contestation, by means of land invasions and the emergence and persistence of informal settlements (see Saff, 1996; Lohnert, 1998). In this light, it is relevant to examine how the planning initiatives for integration deal with the reality of informal settlements. This, the paper aims to do through the example of the South East sector of Cape Town. The paper does not present an overview of informal settlements in this sector, but rather focuses in detail on the living conditions in one of the settlements, Phola Park, which is strategically located within the planned Wetton-Lansdowne development corridor. The settlement occupies vacant land between a former "coloured" and "black African" township (Manenberg and Gugulethu respectively), at the intersection of a railway line and Lansdowne Road. As part of a bigger research project at the University of Hamburg, which focuses on socio-spatial change in post-apartheid Cape Town, a household survey was conducted in September 2000. In Phola Park we conducted approximately 40 structured interviews with residents, and gained some insight in the socio-economic situation of the community. The survey data of Phola Park contradicts some of... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the state has an imperative to deliver housing, at the same time, many communities actively organize to develop housing in their areas. In the Cape Metropolitan Area alone over 220 000 families live in informal settlements and backyard shacks and qualify for state assistance (Van der Walt, 2001). Researchers have focused on many aspects of the low-income housing development process in South Africa: on state policies and financing (Bond and Tait, 1997; Bond, 1997; Tomlinson, 1998; Behrens et al., 1998), and on community participation (Miraftab, 2001).Yet, analysis of the upgrading of informal settlements through the provision of housing often stops at the stage when communities receive services and basic infrastructure. Understanding of the aftermath, the affects of housing delivery on community structures and patterns of governance, has not received the same levels of attention. This paper addresses this disparity through an empirical analysis of the after effects of partial formalization of housing on community structures and mechanisms for governance in an informal settlement in Cape Town (see Oldfield, 2000a for a theoretical exploration of these issues). In this area, residents succeeded in securing formal homes and servicing for onethird of the community, but two-thirds of the residents persist in informal structures without basic sanitation and household water supplies. The paper examines the effects of the partial formalization of the area on community structures, the articulation of residents' needs, and longer-term community development initiatives. The analysis facilitates an examination of processes of differentiation between new homeowners and those who continue to squat; processes, in this case, that are concomitant with upgrading and the physical consolidation of a community in an informal environment. By analyzing the specific roles that community-based organizations and residents play in the delivery of housing, the impacts of housing... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports that the papers for this special issue were selected from a pool of nearly 700 presentations which were made at the 10th Congress of the World Council of Comparative Education Societies (WCCES), which was held in Cape Town, South Africa, from 12 to 17 July 1998. Report that the papers were selected by the convenors of the conference?s standing commissions, which provided a significant focus for the conference proceedings; Themes of the conference, including teachers and teacher education, curriculum, higher education, lifelong learning, language, literacy and basic education, gender and education, policy, theory and theory shifts, basic education in Africa, peace and justice, dependency, European education, policy research in Africa, and culture, indigenous knowledge and learning.

Urban growth boundaries (UGBs) or 'urban edges' as they are known in South Africa have been widely implemented by cities internationally with the intention of curbing urban sprawl. However, technical complexities and high levels of contestation frequently present challenges for their implementation. In particular, it is important to ensure that their demarcation includes appropriate land reserves to accommodate urban growth. Drawing the boundary too tightly can stifle economic growth and lead to land price increases, while including too much land within the UGB may result in unchecked urban sprawl and its associated environmental, social and financial costs. The aims of this paper are firstly to review international and local literature with reference to the merits and appropriateness of UGB policies and secondly to consider methods used by cities internationally to determine UGBs and describe the method used by the City of Cape Town to review its UGB in 2010. The Cape Town method evaluates land reserves against urban growth forecasts and is consistent with methods generally used by US cities. However, a number of adaptations for local and rapidly urbanising third world environments are outlined. The Cape Town method is evaluated with reference to the literature and lessons learnt are discussed. Key findings include the value of rigorous, defensible methods and clear policy guidelines in a contested environment, the value of integrating UGB reviews within broader land-use planning processes, the usefulness of information generated for broader urban planning processes and the utility of accurate information on past trends in moderating growth expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking a socio-ecological perspective the World Health Organisation recognizes that housing comprises four interrelated dimensions-the physical structure of the house, the home, the neighbourhood infrastructure and the community. Housing related health vulnerability arises when residents are exposed to poor conditions in any one of these dimensions and augmented when two or more co-exists. Regardless the relationship between housing and health in the global south remains largely under explored; in particular there has been little focus on health outcomes resulting from upgrading of informal settlements. Applying this framework we report from an in situ upgrading of the informal settlement of Imizamo Yethu in Cape Town, South Africa. Data gathered from surveys are used to determine whether differences in each of these dimensions exist between housing type; both formal upgrades and shacks. Results show that whilst no significant differences exist in self-reported physical health, residents of formal housing are less likely to report mental health issues, have a stronger sense of belonging and report greater satisfaction with both neighbourhood and home than shack residents. However, these contested spaces are not easily interpreted and community tension, exclusion and disadvantage highlight the complex interactions between each of the interrelated dimensions and policies regarding housing intervention. The paper highlights the complex relationship between housing and health that is often lost in simplistic measures of housing when outcomes related to the indoor environment alone are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The South African National Department of Housing's 'Breaking New Ground: A Comprehensive Plan for the Creation of Sustainable Human Settlements' was released in 2004. This policy directive acknowledged that informal settlements had grown significantly since 1994. It resulted in the development and implementation of the informal settlement upgrading programme across the country. The principle objective of the study discussed in this paper was to investigate the City of Cape Town's (the City) rationale in the technique of upgrading the informal settlements of Makhaza and New Rest in Cape Town and explore the implications of this rationale for women's social networks in these two settlements. The research has found that the rationale used by the City to plan and implement the upgrading of informal settlements is contradictory to the needs of the residents within these settlements. The settlements therefore do not meet the needs of the residents (particularly women) and do not enable or ensure the maintenance of strong social relationships which are crucial for the survival of livelihoods in these areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In his 2001 State of the Nation address former President Mbeki announced the launch of the Urban Renewal Programme (URP) as an area-based approach which would form part of a 10 years initiative to address poverty and underdevelopment in targeted areas. It had a specific emphasis on improving joint government planning and implementation. Townships were spatially engineered by the architects of apartheid and excluded by design. They are today typified by high levels of poverty and crime. It is in the undoing of these two social malaises that the URP has anchored itself on the policy agenda. The URP focused on eight urban townships in the country as pilots that would pave the way for an urban development strategy on urban renewal to be developed and implemented nationally once the 10 years pilot period elapsed. The paper is a review of lessons learnt and best practices in two anchor URP projects in Cape Town, South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on in-depth interviews with 78 middle class Whites in two neighborhoods of Cape Town, this paper focuses on domestic geographies of encounter. By looking at the motivations to fortify houses with walls, gates and alarms, it will be demonstrated, first, that seemingly banal actions to secure the residential environment are not only dependent upon the socio-spatial exclusion of poor people, but also specifically targeting it. Secondly, it will be argued that fortified homes provide, nevertheless, one of the rare places where White, middle class South Africans interact across class and race lines. Precisely because of the perceived absence of a crime threat, encounters with domestic workers, builders and homeless people inside and around fortified homes do not only help middle class Whites to shatter their naive assumptions about crime, poverty and privilege, but to set up small-scale acts of generosity as well. Based on these findings, the conclusion raises three issues to take up in the geographies of encounter literature. They relate to the nature of interactions, the conditions under which they emerge and their potential effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces the PHP (People's Housing Process) approach to housing provision in South-Africa as a noteworthy third way that allows housing provision for the urban poor. In this contribution we will illustrate how, in an assisted approach of self-help housing, the government can play an important role in safeguarding the production of homes rather than merely providing dwellings. In doing so taking into account the more intangible and symbolic meaning of the house and home, which we argue is a central factor for a sustainable housing strategy. This assisted self-help housing scheme was approved in 1998 and was inspired by the work of the homeless people's federation and saving and housing schemes from around the globe. The further development of the scheme has been a challenging process but we argue that the PHP programme deserves more attention as a housing provision mechanism. Additionally, one of the strengths of the PHP approach is its applicability in a wider area of project types, from township upgrading to hostel redevelopment projects, and illustrated in this contribution by introducing the hostel redevelopment poject Ilinge Labahlali in Cape Town. In what follows, the PHP approach is introduced, and the increasing interest of the government illustrated. Then, using two case studies, the importance of the assistance of the government and NGOs is elaborated upon. In conclusion the challenges that still need to be met are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vacant land in cities is an important resource as it presents opportunities for urban renewal and revitalisation and can contribute to municipal revenue. In a context of growing informality and homelessness in cities of the South, the presence of large tracts of vacant land is a sign of inefficient urban planning and a dysfunctional land market. It is therefore critical for local governments to have reliable data of the extent of vacant land parcels in cities and their potential for housing development, particularly affordable housing for the poor. This paper will detail and discuss the 'Potential Housing Land Model' developed by the Cape Urban Observatory, part of the African Centre for Cities, based at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. South African cities, and in this case the city of Cape Town in particular, face huge constraints in terms of suitable, well-located and affordable land for low-cost housing development. A tool like the 'Potential Housing Land Tool' is one tool which could assist decision-makers in identifying such land parcels. Besides identifying land that can potentially be used for housing; the model can also allow officials to pin-point areas that are not well-serviced. The deployment of the model on the World Wide Web makes the tool available to a range of users including municipal officials, academic researchers and organised sectors of civil society who might benefit from this kind of information. The responsible and strategic use of this model and the information it provides, can facilitate a broad-based discussion about vacant land and its potential use in the city, allowing for more transparent and participatory planning. The application of tools like the 'Potential Housing Land Tool' can therefore greatly assist in improving urban governance and can contribute towards more efficient and sustainable urban planning and management systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Creative industries are increasingly attracting the interest of academics and policymakers around the world. Policy enthusiasm is also directed in many countries towards developing knowledge-intensive or high-technology sectors. The new media sector is considered an innovative growth sector which holds potential for emerging countries. This case study examines innovation in new media firms situated in Cape Town. Theoretically, creative industries are linked to post-industrial and knowledge-based economies and the growth of services, and innovation in high-technology small and medium enterprises is also considered. This paper provides micro data regarding the innovation activities of new media firms based on purposive interviews. The study found that these firms are dynamic in terms of technological innovation. However, their innovation activities tend to be incremental and localised. Furthermore, various barriers limit their innovation enhancement and growth prospects. Public policy can support new media firms in terms of access to new business development funding and programmes supporting small enterprise innovation, improved design education and network opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is increasingly argued that gentrification is incorporated into public policy and the by-product of a range of contemporary neoliberal urban development policies intent on attracting investment capital. However, gentrification can also be the unintended outcome of well-meaning urban policy frameworks, such as urban densification, inner-city regeneration and urban heritage conservation but with arguably negative consequences. Focusing on Cape Town, the argument of this paper is that one of the outcomes of a neoliberalist approach to urban regeneration in the city centre is the impact it has on conserving the living and built environment heritage of the historic Bo-Kaap district. The last remaining inner-city neighbourhood that has not yet gentrified appears to be succumbing to this process. The outcome is a neighbourhood which is in economic and social flux and challenging the coherence of this once 'indigenous' community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Living sustainably entails fulfilling Maslow's hierarchy of needs. The need for leisure and recreation is one of the most essential higher-order needs, and local authorities can meet these needs through park delivery. The existing park literature in South Africa is limited in scope and dates back to the apartheid era, with little evidence pertaining to community neighbourhood park (CNP) use in townships. The aim of this paper is to determine the perceptions, preferences, needs and uses of CNPs in five black townships in Cape Town. Findings indicate that townships have few CNPs, which therefore require travelling greater distances by public transport for access. Due to a lack of private garden space, respondents visit CNPs regularly and spend more time there, participating in either active or passive recreation. The main concerns about CNPs include safety and maintenance, and a lack of CNP facilities. These concerns extend to the type of facilities that respondents want to develop in CNPs, to create their ideal setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the 1990s, a small group of women constructed 148 houses near the townships of Gugulethu and Nyanga in Cape Town. The small neighbourhood became the flagship project of the South African Homeless People's Federation (SAHPF), and the government used the insights of these women to develop their People's Housing Process (PHP) housing framework. In this contribution, their story is told, and in explaining why these women were so successful, we use the theoretical concepts of Pierre Bourdieu and pay specific attention to the changed meaning of power. The paper argues that the coinciding of a 'vacuum' in the planning field, the transition in South Africa to a democratic state and the personal motivation of the women of Victoria Mxenge created a momentum that enabled them to influence governmental policies on a national scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water resources, and in particular run-off, are significantly affected by climate variability. At present, there are few examples of how the water management sector integrates information about changing intra-annual climate conditions in a systematic manner in developing countries. This paper, using the case study of Cape Town in the Western Cape, South Africa, identifies processes and products to facilitate increased uptake of seasonal climate forecasts among water resource managers. Results suggest that existing seasonal forecasts do not focus enough on specific users' needs. In order to increase uptake, forecasts need to include information on the likely impact of precipitation variability on runoff and water availability. More opportunities are also needed for those with climate knowledge to interact with water resource managers, particularly in the developing country context where municipal managers' capacity is strained. Although there are challenges that need to be overcome in using probabilistic climate information, seasonal forecast information tailored to the needs of water resource planners has the potential to support annual planning and is therefore a means of adapting to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper was presented at the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery Meeting in Cape Town in October 2008 during the post-meeting Focus Session on Intraoperative Neurophysiology. It reflects the personal views of the author and is intended as a pragmatic approach to cases where a non-invasive pre-surgical evaluation has not been successful in localising the epileptogenic zone. It is based on the experience of the multi-disciplinary team at Great Ormond Street Hospital without whose support none of the surgical work would be possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to show the reverse side of the (football) medal. The N2 gateway project in Cape Town is presented, by government and media, as a ‘flagship’ project of the new Breaking New Ground strategy, to fight the housing backlog of 400,000 houses in the city. But I want to argue that the fast-tracking of the project has to be understood as a beautification strategy to prepare the city for 2010. Massive slum eradication and the construction of ‘beautiful formal housing opportunities’ between the airport and the mother city are becoming a painful reminder of the forced removals under the apartheid regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sex workers, sex tourism, and their management during the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup is a controversial topic under much discussion in the media and there is a need for an academic debate on the issue. How city managers, tourism marketing organizations, the general public, and law enforcers will manage and deal with such an influx poses numerous practical and moral dilemmas, especially in the face of the growing tourism industry. In the paper, the opinions of various role-players in the tourism sector on the planning and management of sex work space in the City of Cape Town are investigated. Key aspects debated are decriminalization/legalization, prospects for a healthy city, spatial planning for sex spaces, and policing them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban change has systematically been researched for more than a century. One of the key foci has been the Central Business Districts (CBDs) of cities. The past decades has seen an extensive literature develop on CBD decline focusing on why such decay sets in and which strategies, as well as policies, that might be deployed to stimulate the revitalisation of these areas. The debates are, however, in the main developed within the context of large cities, whilst the geographical focus tends to be on countries of the post-industrial north. In the South African context, a small, but nevertheless significant literature has developed chronicling both CBD decline and subsequent revitalisation strategies deployed to reverse such decline. Similar to the international experience, the focal point has been South Africa’s main metropolitan regions, whilst secondary cities have remained beyond the investigatory focus. The aim of this paper was to provide an outline of the prospects and obstacles that face CBD revitalisation in the secondary city of Bloemfontein. It is argued that whilst generic revitalisation programmes in cities such as Cape Town and Johannesburg have seemingly stemmed further CBD decline, other strategies might be required in secondary cities such as Bloemfontein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last 20 years has witnessed an explosion not only in the growth of private residential territories throughout the world, but also in the literature addressing them. The majority of research is centred on experiences in the United States and Latin America (although studies elsewhere are increasing) and suffers from a tendency to homogenise the processes and consequences of gating as synonymous whether experienced in Los Angeles, New York, Mexico City or São Paulo. Whilst axiomatic to state the unlikelihood of identical trends in such differing contexts, the absence of such a statement in the literature is significant. This paper addresses the social and spatial phenomenon of residential gated communities in three of South Africa’s major cities: Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. Detailed background and discussion regarding the development and experience of ‘gating’ in each city is analysed, emphasising the uniqueness of each city’s gating experience. These indications, that gating is not a universal experience despite some common themes, serve to counter the homogenous discourse in both popular and academic parlance throughout the world and within South Africa. In addition, particular concerns related to the growth of residential forms based on exclusion and privatisation within the South African context, are considered. In essence, we conclude that while ‘gating’ may be an individually rational decision in the context of South Africa’s growing crime, its collective consequences produce a divided city, at odds with post-apartheid ideals of unity and equality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recent study on the growth potential of towns in the Western Cape evaluated the growth potential of 131 towns qualitatively and quantitatively (Van der Merwe et al., Growth potential of towns in the Western Cape, Cape Town, Department of Environmental Affairs and Planning, 2005). Two of the several outcomes of this extensive study were first to index, rank, and categorize the towns according to their development potential and, second, to use these categories of town profiles to develop an investment typology as prescribed in the National Spatial Development Phramework (NSDP). Compared with the provincial mean, 79 (60%) of the towns score negative (‘low’ and ‘Very Low’) development index values, whereas conversely, 16 (12%) towns register ‘high’ and ‘very high’ growth potential index values. Three of the four towns with a ‘very high’ status on both the quantitative and qualitative development ratings are well-known tourism towns (Stellenbosch, George, and Paarl). In other towns (Hermanus, Knysna, Mossel Bay, and Oudtshoorn) with “high” values for growth potential on both indices, tourism also contributes substantially to their local economic development. The main objective of this paper is to emphasize the special role that tourism plays in the growth and development of small towns in the Western Cape. Unfortunately, in some urban centers, unrealistic expectations abound regarding the role that tourism might fulfill as an economic growth mechanism for a town. Although many of the towns in the province possess the resources and attractions to support tourism development, competition is strong. Other prerequisites (tourism infrastructure, potential investors, appropriate services, and skilled labor) are absent from many Western Cape towns. Some of these towns possess a unique place identity, and it will be wise to preserve these towns to qualitatively enrich the province’s small town heritage that will complement tourism development in general and also contribute to economic growth over the long term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of leisure and tourism to re-image and redevelop cities has been interpreted as a mechanism for attracting capital and people. In a period of intense inter-place competition and urban entrepreneurialism, whole built environments become centerpieces of urban spectacle and display. Waterfront developments have become emblematic in this regard. Over the past two decades the redevelopment of the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront (V&AW) in Cape Town has been transformed from ‘port’ to ‘playground’ and is internationally acknowledged as one of the most successful of these developments. This redevelopment has, as has been the case with numerous other waterfront developments, not been uncontroversial. New tensions and conflicts have arisen over the use, meaning, and ownership of this space. The acquisition of the waterfront by a consortium of London- and Dubai-based property developers in 2006 has renewed concerns about the ‘plasticization’ of the waterfront and signals the symbolic start of a new phase in this waterfront’s development trajectory. The paper tracks the development of the V&AW since its inception in the late 1980s and argues that general critiques of waterfront developments sit uneasily in the Cape Town context. It is also suggested that these developments can fulfil a very significant and positive role for developing world cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the history of South Africa, which has resulted in a significantly skewed pattern of access to scarce resources in favor of a wealthy racial minority, the issue of access to land and shelter is a central and emotive one. It is also a potential arena of conflict and social and political divisions. It is therefore important to understand, monitor, and resolve these conflicts. This paper is the first in a series of case studies, drawn from within greater Cape Town, which examine conflicts over land and housing and how these conflicts are being managed. This case is that of Wallacedene, a primarily informal settlement in the north of the city, which has been the subject of an informal settlement upgrading process. Different forms of conflict occur over the life cycle of an informal settlement. Community-based institutions form an essential component of conflict management strategies. However, there have to be checks and balances on how these institutions operate. Moreover, accurate, local level records of transactions in land rights, which are often informal transactions, are an essential part of land and housing delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a paper on the different approaches to public participation in service delivery in Cape Town, South Africa. Factors influencing the construction of a democratizing state; Examination of the role of local government in fostering public participation in service delivery; Concept of the development of local government; Efforts of the community development directorate to build citizens as customers.