11_3 August 2006

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Contents of August 2006

COMMENT
Is almost alright?

LETTERS
Greening of our townships

UPFRONT

INSPIRATION
Orange Farm’s regional park

INSULT
Appropriate housing solutions?

PLANNING PERSONALITY
Jeunesse Park: green initiatives

BATTLE OF THE ’BURBS
Alexandra v Newtown

CITY VISIT
Clarens: Preserving a sense of place

ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING AND DESIGN
A living park for Jwaneng, Botswana

WASTE AND POLLUTION MANAGEMENT
Life after Linbro

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COMMENT

Is almost alright?
In July 2006, the fifth in a series of six Urban Age conferences took place in Johannesburg.

Initiated by the Cities Programme of the London School of Economics, the principal aim of The Urban Age is to shape the thinking and practice of urban leaders.

As a sort of ‘urban laboratory’, the New York conference in 2005 posed a provocative question:

‘Is almost alright?’ New York is probably the epitome of a city that has turned itself around and, through muddle and dynamism, has definitely succeeded in the truest sense of the word.

The difference between somewhat better and somewhat worse should never be underestimated in a planning context. Wise Land Use, the White Paper on Spatial Planning and Land Use Management of 2001, makes provision for ‘incrementalism’ and ‘minimalism’ to be at the core of the South African planning system.

In this edition of Urban Green File, small achievements that make our world somewhat better, instead of somewhat worse, are celebrated.

For instance, the ‘battle of the ‘burbs’ (see page 18) reminds us of successes that have been achieved in terms of inner city revitalization and it tells the story of innovative housing provision.

This edition’s ‘inspiration’ is a new regional park in Orange Farm (see page 10). Our visit to Clarens (see page 26) highlights efforts – not only there but countrywide – to improve the livelihoods of all.

Urban Age
The two-year Urban Age conference series is set to create an ongoing forum, which will debate and influence how the city is studied, planned and managed. It will be a ‘mobile laboratory’, testing and sampling the urban condition with expert presentations, site visits and opportunities for informal information exchange. The first four conferences took place in New York, Shanghai, London and Mexico City. Berlin will be the final venue in November 2006.

Upcoming editions of Urban Green File will cover the Urban Age conference that took place in Johannesburg.

Clarens draws many visitors at weekends and holidays. Will the recently-drafted planning and environmental frameworks be able to manage development, which threatens to destroy its attractive ‘country village’ atmosphere?

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LETTERS

Greening Soweto
– Jenny Moodley, marketing and media manager, Johannesburg City Parks
Extensive efforts are underway in South Africa’s traditional ‘townships’ to provide much-needed open spaces for communities.

Johannesburg City Parks and its management are avid readers of Urban Green File and would like to commend you and your team for delivering a greening publication that we can all look forward to.

We would also like to invite the Urban Green File team to visit Soweto to review some of the recent greening developments in the area. Projects such as the acclaimed Thokoza Park and Moroka Dam wetlands development have been complemented with the upgrading and development of five other regional parks, including the Dorothy Nyembe Park and Environmental Centre, the Mofolo Park and Amphitheatre, the Mapetla Park and Wetlands development, the Orange Farm Regional Park and the Oppenheimer Park and Cultural Centre.

This is also supported by the development of various community parks and other city-led initiatives such as the Orlando Ekhaya development and the Jabulani and Maponya retail centres.

Tree planting is also being fast-tracked in Soweto by taking advantage of the momentum of the 2010 soccer showcase.

Championed by the executive mayor of Johannesburg, 2 000 established trees will be planted by high-profile dignitaries and celebrities on Friday, September 1, 2006 to officially launch National Arbor Week – 300 000 trees are required to address the disparities and City Parks will be urging ‘corporate SA’ to partner the city in bridging the green divide as part of the Greening Soweto Campaign.

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UPFRONT

Clean air
A plan to ensure ‘clean air’ has been launched by the City of Cape Town, aimed at improving the quality of air in all informal settlements with specific emphasis on diesel-driven vehicles.

The key objectives of the Diesel Vehicle Emissions Project are set to change the behaviour of diesel-vehicle owners and drivers towards caring for the environment and to educate the public about the effects of diesel exhaust emissions on human health.

Sandton park
A 26 ha city park has been proposed for Sandton. Along the lines of Central Park in New York, this park will need a staggering R1-billion investment for it to materialise. The park will be bordered by William Nicol Drive with its commercial developments expected to play an important role in its success by injecting necessary financial support into the project. The City of Johannesburg Property Company hopes that agreements will be finalised by the end of 2006.

Solar water heaters
The installation of solar water heaters in all Cape Town houses is expected to reduce peak electricity demand by 40%. The city now aims to source 10% of its energy from renewable sources by 2010.

Thanks to a US$35 000 donation from the ICLEI Cities for Climate Protection initiative, R227 000 will intially be spent on the installation of 250 solar water heaters in the homes of council employees.

Dunblane Estate
Construction on the new Dunblane Estate, earmarked as one of the largest developments of its kind in the country with an estimated budget of R2-billion, began in the first week of June.

It took two-and-a-half years for the project to be approved. The 3 000 ha site of the ‘mountain golf estate’ is situated at the foot of the Drakensberg Mountains in the Newcastle/Memel district. The project has been divided into five phases – 700 residential units and two hotels have already been approved.

The development is valuable in that it promises the possibility of economic upliftment and expanded investment for the area. It has been named after one of the six farms on the property.

Boschendal development
An innovative plan is on the table for the subdivision of 420 ha of Boschendal farm land into Founders Estate. The proposal centers on the entire 420 ha of the estate continuing to be farmed as a single entity by an already-established, fully-experienced and fully-equipped team of 60 people. The owners of the new Founders Estate, with a 99-year lease, will not be able to interfere with farming activities and they will neither benefit from any profits nor share in any losses the farm makes. They will, however, be able to buy certain products at preferential rates. The visual impact of the development will be minimal as there are already homes on some of the land to be subdivided. Construction will be limited to 0,8 ha under strict architectural guidelines.

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INSPIRATION

Orange Farm’s regional park
Providing traditional South African townships with neighbourhood amenities is becoming a priority for local authorities.

Phase 1
The main features completed in the first phase of construction include a public space to serve as a ‘civic centre’ for local residents – with a sandpit and playground equipment for the children – and pedestrian routes, concrete seating, trees and a fence around the play area.

Soweto is greening up for the 2010 Soccer World Cup – the Greening Soweto Campaign is underway to beautify and ‘green’ the Johannesburg township.

The project, targeting previously neglected areas, also aims to create a sense of civic ownership of open spaces: dealing with littering, illegal dumping, vagrancy and vandalism, according to communications and marketing manager for City Parks, Jenny Moodley.

This includes the development of the Orange Farm regional park nearing completion (at the time of writing) south of Johannesburg as part of an initiative by Johannesburg City Parks to upgrade and develop five regional parks in the greater Soweto area.

Before work began on the Orange Farm park, the site was strewn with litter and there was a clinic in its south-western corner. Now it benefits, among others, numerous school children by providing a play area and sports facilities.

Although it was challenging to co-ordinate the activities of various Johannesburg Metropolitan

Council departments and utilities in the project, according to Daan Eksteen of Green Inc Landscape Architects, the councillor for the area was involved in both phases, which helped achieve buy-in from the community. Authorities are still negotiating with an illegal squatter on the site set to be developed for parking in the third phase of the project.

Phase 2
During the second phase, the size of the playground was doubled. A ‘garden of remembrance’ was developed, and a basketball and netball court were built. A full-size soccer field was set up on the eastern side of the site. At the time of writing, toilet facilities were under construction.

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INSULT

Admirable or admonishable?
The construction of 80 houses for workers at the Berg River Dam near Franschhoek in the Western Cape is commendable but is the development ultimately sustainable?

The R1,6-billion Berg Water Project (BWP), which will supply water to the City of Cape Town by December 2007, includes the construction of 80 houses completed at a cost of R12-million next to La Motte, a small hamlet north-west of Franschhoek, within the municipal district of Stellenbosch this year.

The BWP includes the building of the Berg River Dam, implemented and funded by bulk water infrastructure development body TCTA, which introduced the Franschhoek First Policy to determine minimum local employment and black enterprise procurement targets for all contracts. Two local female-led black businesses were awarded multi-million rand contracts for 40 of the houses.

The intentions are clear and commendable but municipalities seem so eager to accept ‘free’ housing that locality is not always in line with development policies.

TCTA engaged in discussions with local authorities but the final decision on the location of the housing project depended on the availability of land. By extending the village of La Motte, is it not a move in the opposite direction of the national policy of densification?

Is it not reinforcing the fragmented character of our cities and towns?

The houses are apparently intended for workers involved in the construction of the Berg Water Dam but the dam is nearing completion. This begs the question: Is the construction of these houses not a political move in disguise? And badly disguised at that. Are municipalities so desperate for housing and other freebies from developers that they sometimes leave good judgement by the wayside?

According to the most recent spatial development framework (dated December 2005 and drafted as part of the Integrated Development Plan), there is an urgent need to do a ‘Franschhoek valley study’.

Due to extraordinary economic growth in the valley, all planning proposals must be reviewed and a new plan prepared.

Specific mention is made of the importance and urgency of a growth management strategy.

Housing will always be welcome but have we not learned by now to be more careful with our housing investments?

Housing is a powerful instrument in improving and changing people’s lives, and urban structure.

In July 2006, approval was granted for the De Hoop Dam to be built in the province of Limpopo. The scope of the project also includes the provision of housing for workers and the eventual transfer of these houses. Are these decisions yet again going to be left to development companies and agencies? Or will this housing development fit in with local planning and perspectives?

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PLANNING PERSONALITY

Jeunesse Park: green initiatives
Jeunesse Park, chief executive officer of Food and Trees for Africa (FTFA), has responded to the needs of disadvantaged South African communities with ‘greening’ programmes.

1. Permaculture
The permaculture (a radical approach to food production, urban renewal, water, energy and pollution) programme creates a food-rich environment in which ecology, organic gardening, agro-forestry, landscaping and architecture are combined.

It is becoming increasingly important in the wake of HIV/Aids as communities are taught to grow immune-boosting vegetables, medicinal plants, fruits and herbs. HIV/Aids education is then a natural accompaniment to this programme, which also helps alleviate poverty by teaching schools and low-income communities to grow food.

2. Woolworths Trust EduPlant
The Woolworths Trust Edu-Plant, supported by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, LandCare SA and SABC Education, began as a schools competition 12 years ago and is now an extensive development and educational programme, which motivates schools and communities to address food security; poverty alleviation; skills development; greening and capacity building – and thus creates a sustainable solution:
*            Teachers attend workshops and are shown how natural food gardening can be incorporated into the curriculum to ensure that it is not just seen as a competition but as an educational tool for transferring skills. Since January 2006, FTFA has trained over 4 000 teachers and run over 46 workshops.
*            It ensures everyone receives proper nutrition and does not rely on feeding schemes.
*            Unemployed parents also become involved in projects.
*            Environmental conservation is explained.

Some 16 years after Trees for Africa (now FTFA) was established as a national greening organisation dedicated to uplifting the lives of disadvantaged South Africans, it is reportedly one of the most successful non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in South Africa.

Having realised that environmental crises went further than just preserving wildlife, the organisation devised its own initiatives.

3. Trees for Homes
Joe Slovo once said: “A house is not a home without a tree”. FTFA has retained this as one of its slogans and this is the aim of the Trees for Homes programme, which does not only provide trees but also creates employment while communities are educated about greening. Each project is community-based: unemployed people are hired and trained, and then sent out to inform others of the benefits of planting trees. On ‘open days’, when FTFA hands out trees, people are shown how to plant and care for trees. This project not only has a positive effect on the environment but also on the communities involved – the environment is aesthetically more pleasant; air quality is better; property values are up; sustainable communities have been established; houses are more energy-efficient; food is often readily available; soil drainage and management has notably improved; and there is greater biodiversity as wildlife, birds and insects move back into the areas.

4. Community upliftment
The organisation also works closely with the government and municipalities to create parks and nurseries within communities.

Over the years, parks have been developed in Soweto, as well as nurseries, food gardens and small-scale agricultural projects across South Africa. FTFA now receives numerous requests for help not only from communities but also government and municipalities.

In response to civil society, the National Tree Planting programme is directly related to community upliftment at schools, clinics, churches and other community centres.

This programme has encouraged the government to extend Arbor Day to Arbor Week, with greater emphasis on tree planting. The Urban Greening Fund has also been created as a ‘basket fund’ to support partnerships for sustainable development through tree planting, parks and food gardening projects.

Obstacles
Fundraising is the greatest obstacle FTFA faces as so many NGOs vie for funds and there is just not enough to go around.

Park believes that, at government level, there is a serious lack of facilitation, and NGOs are not willing to pull together and help each other out. “Instead of coming together and seeing what we can achieve as a united body, each organization is blatantly trying to outdo the other in order to obtain some form of funding.” Park also finds the lack of education and understanding in communities hugely frustrating. “Among the privileged and the poor, there is very little understanding of what is going on in our environment, the youth need to be educated if we want to see a difference.” Park is adamant that environmental issues can be overcome if individuals know what they can achieve. “Every single person can make a difference and we need people to understand that, starting with the youth.”

State of our cities
Park feels that we have made tremendous advancements in the development and sustainability of cities as the world has become more urbanised. “There is still much to be done but in some areas we are on the right track.”

She feels the greatest downfall in South African cities lies in urban planning. “Our cities are expanding so fast that we need to put the brakes on and assess what we need to do before we plough ahead,” she said. “It is vital for our health and prosperity that our cities are designed better,”

Park added. “Row after row of high-density housing without gardens or trees is not a sustainable or healthy environment and this will not encourage a prosperous community.”

Advanced technology being implemented around the world can help with the planning of areas, she pointed out. “Research has been done – we just need to use it now.” Not a single brick should be laid until the implications of the integrated design of an area have been carefully considered, Park believes.

Personal growth
Park finds her job fulfilling but “very hard work”, she told Urban Green File.

She finds the NGO arena cut-throat and to succeed requires passion, dedication, focus and staying power.

Park believes she has surpassed her own expectations in terms of her achievements (and those of FTFA).

“I never dreamt we could achieve what we have – the past few years have been exceptionally successful,” she said.

Park continues to highlight what one person can do to single-handedly uplift an entire community. “Nelson Mandela has always been an inspiration to me and he helped me to realise that one person can make a world of difference.”

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BATTLE OF THE ’BURBS

Alexandra v Newtown
Major government intervention
Alexandra’s East Bank and Newtown in the inner city of Johannesburg have both been subject to major government planning intervention. What was the impact on these suburbs?

To compare the East Bank of Alexandra with the development of Newtown in the inner city of Johannesburg might seem like comparing apples and pears. There are, however, similarities that make the comparison not as absurd as it may appear. Both of these suburbs have been, and still are, subject to major government intervention. The subsequent positive spin-off is that both these suburbs have seen innovation in terms of land use, design and the like, partially due to available finance but also because these are (in the South African context) high-profile suburbs that lent themselves to ‘pilot projecting’. Another aspect that these two suburbs share is that they both have a rich history in terms of development and redevelopment.

Greater Alexandra’s history dates back to 1912 when the land was sold as freehold plots to ‘black’ and ‘coloured’ owners.

The East Bank of Alexandra was developed over the past few years as part of the Alexandra Renewal Project (ARP). The estimated budget for the ARP is R1,3-billion over seven years.

The size of the population of Alexandra is estimated at a minimum of 158 000 and a maximum of more than 700 000 people.

Alexandra is a dormitory suburb of low-income communities beside the Jukskei River. It comprises ‘old’ Alexandra (about 360 ha) on the West Bank, the relatively new East Bank (about 90 ha) and the Far East Bank (about 240 ha).

Newtown also has a rich history. At the turn of the 20th century, the Newtown precinct was known as Brickfields. This area was rich in clay and brickmaking was the most popular way to generate an income. By 1896, about 7 000 people of all races lived in the area, which later became known as Burghersdorp. After a fire, the area was surveyed, then replanned and renamed Newtown in 1904.

Newtown is one of five tourism developments aimed at regenerating the inner city. In partnership with Gauteng agency Blue IQ, the Johannesburg City Council, through the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA), is transforming Newtown into a safe and attractive place to work, live and visit. The idea is that this development would serve as a catalytic project, attracting people and investment to the inner city.

With the completion of the bulk of the Brickfields housing development, as well as office developments, the area is becoming a truly mixed-use precinct.

Land use
6 East Bank
*            Lack of land for housing
*            Introducing residential options
*            Neighbourhood parks

Some call it home and have been in Alexandra for many years. For others it is a transitional area where they find their feet and move on.

Due to the extremely high population densities in the area (some areas in greater Alexandra cater for more than 900 people per ha), combined with a lack of land available for development, compulsory relocation has taken place over the years to places such as Diepsloot and Soweto.

However, understandably, there has been resistance to relocation and, in late 2004, the Gauteng government and the City of Johannesburg agreed that no further relocations would take place. This decision has had major implications for the way housing provision is approached on the East Bank.

The very first challenge is to find additional land to accommodate housing. As it is located in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg, property in and around Alexandra is very expensive.

According to Neels Letter of the ARP, negotiations with the Gauteng provincial government enabled them to secure some of the land originally set aside for proposed K-routes. Development on a large portion of this land is set to go out to tender in August 2006.

A further challenge is to design for high densities while still providing good-quality housing to residents of Alexandra. This required the design of new housing typologies.

Plans have been approved for housing complexes accommodating about 520 rooms, each at least 14 m� in area with communal ablution facilities. ARP involved urban designers to ensure that the two- storey complex would be on a human scale and not resemble the hostels of old.

These new housing developments will also make use of solar heating panels, public lighting and other innovative solutions to save costs and counter negative aspects such as vandalism. The plan is to have this development completed by the end of 2006.

In line with the ‘Breaking New Ground’ strategy of the Department of Housing, which aims to diversify housing products, the ARP did extensive research on affordable rental options. They found that many Alexandra residents are temporary and can only pay around R300 a month. The idea is to provide residents with a mix of titled and rental housing.

Although the old part of Alexandra has a unique mixture of informal and formal settlements, with a lot of squatters along the Jukskei River, the East Bank fortunately doesn’t have informal settlements.

This is not a chance occurrence as the ARP office appointed contractors to assist them in countering land invasion.

Functioning primarily in a dormitory capacity, the East Bank has also invested in community facilities and services to serve residents. One of the success stories is the development of open spaces and parks on the East Bank.

A shopping centre in the area is not yet complete but the East Bank is serviced by a number of small community vendors. A new library and multi-purpose community centre have been completed and sports facilities are under construction. The ZCC church owns a significant portion of land, which it reportedly plans to develop in the future. As in many other South African townships, some urban agriculture is taking place on the East Bank.

7 Newton
*            New residential development
*            Vacant land
*            Cultural facilities
*            Retail and offices

The JDA has a specific vision for the Newtown development to be “the creative capital of Johannesburg and South Africa” but the agency realized that a sustainable development in this context is reliant on mixed land use. According to Celestine Mouton of the JDA, the project could be used in a catalytic context because a large portion of land in the area was government-owned.

The area already had a strong cultural base, principally in the area surrounding Mary Fitzgerald Square and Newtown Park, in the form of a number of memorable buildings and institutions, including the Market Theatre, museums and venues for music, dance and exhibitions.

The development of Newtown has been around as a project since 1985, attracting a large amount of good will but limited private-sector participation.

Re-evaluated in 1999, the project really took off.

According to Mouton, the JDA ensured the cultural focus of the area by specifying the importance of cinema, theatre, craft and music in tenders.

Since the early 2000s, significant private investment has been attracted, especially around the heart of Newtown, the Mary Fitzgerald Square, with a number of restaurants and specialist creative industries established.

Office development is also taking off in the area, with the Anglo Ashanti headquarters being constructed at the old Turbine Hall a case in point.

One of the cornerstones of inner city rejuvenation is getting residents back into the city. The Brickfields housing project in Newtown forms part of the drive of the Johannesburg Housing Company to do just that.

Located at the foot of the Nelson Mandela Bridge in Newtown, this project is cited as the biggest public-private partnership in social housing and residential development in South Africa.

The development offers one- to three-bedroom flats catering for a range of people across income groups. It is one of the first Presidential Job Summit pilot projects, announced by the Minister of Housing in 2001. The R98,7-million project is the first residential development in Johannesburg’s inner city in the past 30 years.

The final phase of the Brickfields Housing Project, Phumulani, is under construction.

Once completed, it will bring the total investment to R121-million.

In addition to the Mary Fitzgerald Square, Newtown Park also serves the open space needs of residents and visitors.

Construction is taking place all over and there are still a number of vacant sites, so the mix of land use in the area will, in all probability, become even more exciting.

Accessibility
7 East Bank
*            Accessible from N3
*            Close to places of employment
*            New Gautrain station

Being in a prime locality in terms of the rest of Johannesburg and especially job opportunities, the East Bank’s accessibility is probably its biggest selling point. An off-ramp from the busy N3 provides direct access to the suburb of Alexandra.

The proposed Marlboro station for the Gautrain rapid rail link will have a major impact on the area. During Urban Green File’s visit to the site, surveys were underway.

On a more local level, links across the Jukskei River, joining the East Bank with old Alexandra are crucial. There are three bridges: London, Rooseveldt and Cheetah. The latter will be demolished as soon as the Vasco da Gama bridge is completed as it was built below the floodline. Vasco da Gama will complete a circular route through Alexandra.

Pedestrians make use of a few smaller bridges. Properly maintained sidewalks and good signage also adds to the accessibility of the East Bank.

6 Newtown
*            Nelson Mandela Bridge
*            Taxi rank
*            Train station

Apart from severe traffic in Johannesburg’s inner city, Newtown is relatively accessible.

The Nelson Mandela Bridge opened in July 2003 and has become the new gateway from the north into Newtown. The associated M1/Carr Street interchange also provides for direct access to the cultural precinct.

Newtown is efficiently linked to the rest of the inner city along Bree and Jeppe Streets.

Public transport is well accommodated with a major taxi rank on the eastern side of the precinct as well as Park Station.

It actually forms a public transport and retail hub with the Metro Mall. Accessibility will also improve with the development of the Gautrain station.

As could be expected from an area specifically focused on becoming a cultural precinct, signage is clear and sidewalks are spacious and well maintained.

Environment
5 East Bank
* Tree planting and landscaping
* Open space development

The urban environment of Alexandra is unique as a result of historical impacts, high settlement densities as well as the limitations in terms of legislative frameworks to govern the area.

One of the success stories of ARP’s interventions is the development of public open spaces in the form of parks.

Due to the extreme densities found in greater Alexandra, these parks are used extensively by the community.

Pollution of the Jukskei River remains a problem, mainly because of informal housing on the West Bank. And this has a negative impact on residents of the East Bank as the Jukskei River forms a central part of the entire township.

Although not part of the East Bank, the Linbro Park landfill site is just across the N3 highway and the closure of the site (see page 36 for an investigation into the future of Johannesburg’s landfill sites) will definitely improve the visual attractiveness of the East Bank.

5 Newtown
* Park development
* Jukskei River

As the Newtown precinct is located within the inner city, sound and visual pollution is particularly difficult to manage. Landscaping and tree planting is evidently taking place but the overall feeling is that a ‘green’ environment is nonexistent or else under construction.

The Transnet site on the northern border of Newtown is an eyesore and, hopefully, it will receive attention in the immediate future.

Community and sense of place
6 Newtown
* 'Sense of place’ still lacking
* Eyes on the street

The vision set for the Newtown precinct specifically states that the area should be “dynamic, vibrant, sophisticated and cosmopolitan”.

The idea is therefore for the suburb to have a very strong identity and unique character. Everything is set in place to provide this but, as yet, it remains only a vision.

The JDA’s plans for the area include cultural festivals, which will, of course, enhance its vibrancy.

The Brickfields housing development within Newtown is designed to enable pedestrians to be there 24 hours a day, ensuring ‘eyes on the street’ and thus creating the perception of a safer living environment.

As residents are new to the area, it is understandable that it will take a while for Newtown to develop a sense of community.

7 East Bank
*            Smaller precincts
*            Pedestrians
*            Sense of belonging

The East Bank actually consists of a number of smaller precincts or neighbourhoods, each with a slightly different character. Driving through the area on a Tuesday afternoon, there are groups of soccer-playing children all over. Due to the high densities, people live on the streets and it is clear that there is a definitive sense of belonging.

The planned high-density group housing developments, set to be realised in the near future, will add a different dimension to the character of the East Bank. But, hopefully, this suburb, which has been adapting to differing circumstances over the years, will be more than able to accommodate and even celebrate these changes.

Conclusion
East Bank: 25 (out of a possible 40)
Newtown: 24
Each upgrade or renewal programme is unique and must develop its own solutions appropriate to its own particular context and problems.

Both the East Bank and Newtown have seen major changes, mostly improvements, over the past few years. Newtown is probably set for additional development and investment in the immediate future while the situation in the East Bank will increasingly become a question of sustainable urban management.

The interventions of the ARP and the JDA will come to an end within the next few years.

Whether the changes and interventions are sustainable will only be determined at that point in time.

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CITY VISIT

Development pressure
Over the past few years, Clarens has seen major residential development, which has put pressure on the town.

Set in the Klein Caledon Valley not far from the Lesotho border, between Bethlehem and Fouriesburg, Clarens is literally ‘taking off’ like Dullstroom in Mpumalanga and Prince Albert in the

Western Cape. This is partly due to its convenient proximity to a major urban center (a mere three hours or so from Johannesburg), partly because of its extraordinary natural beauty and partly because of the network of artists’ studios and galleries that grace the village.

Development history
Over the past few years, privately-owned B&B and similar establishments have sprung up within the town itself and on neighbouring farms to cater for growing numbers of visitors. Properties are being subdivided and astute investors from the major centres are building holiday or retirement homes there. And land values have soared.

The history of Clarens is unusual in that its establishment was motivated neither by church nor state but private development by two neighbouring farmers who held a public auction for the stands in 1912. The town was named after the town Clarens on Lake Geneva in Switzerland where Paul Kruger died. He participated in a battle with the Basotho in the late 1800s, which is commemorated with a monument in the Clarens town square.

For decades, the village lay virtually dormant. However significant development pressure on the town and its surroundings – with a sensitive natural and cultural heritage – has caused concern among local residents, caught the attention of local and provincial government, and initiated studies by organisations and consultants in the area.

Clarens had long been a ‘sleepy little town’ surrounded by a large agricultural community, according to Dave Blair of SiVEST Selatile Moloi. But, for economic reasons, farmers have had to seek alternative land uses. “There is pressure on almost every farm for some kind of development,” said Blair. “There are very real concerns that this massive change of land use is not sustainable. Furthermore Clarens has never been earmarked as an urban node – it has been a really low-ranking area in terms of urban infrastructure.”

As tourism is seen by local and provincial government as a major contributor to the economic development of the area, projects focusing on leisure, entertainment and adventure sports are being prioritised.

New development
To maximise the potential of tourism and related activities, the local municipality of Dihlabeng is busy adjudicating a private investment strategy that focuses on local economic development hand-in-hand with tourism. The idea is to position the area as a major destination in South Africa, according to Ockert Lotriet, manager for business development at Dihlabeng. The project involves a tourism route between the five towns of Clarens, Bethlehem, Fouriesburg, Rosendal and Paul Roux, and aims to optimize the unique natural and cultural assets of each.

Extensive development planned for Clarens and its surrounds could potentially bring many benefits to local communities and, if handled correctly by the relevant authorities, could make the most of the town’s existing assets. “We are trying to ensure that private developments source local labour through the Dihlabeng offices by implementing agreements that are part of the deeds of sale of council land,” said Lotriet. “We also believe that, through these developments, suppliers and businesses related to the construction industry will start to flourish.”

Infrastructure provision
The problem of additional load on existing services is serious enough and yet the municipality continues to support new development. Insufficient parking, inadequate public toilet facilities and refuse removal are only the beginning. Sewage management is a critical issue, according to Louw van Biljon, town planning consultant and Clarens resident. In the mid-1990s, sewerage was upgraded to a combination French drain/flush system with a 50 mm-diameter pipe – a ‘cheap’ and effective system for a town with low volume. For the last three or four years, this system has simply not been able to cope with the weekend and holiday influx of visitors, and drains regularly run over.

For the time being, water supply is sufficient as supplementary water is available from the Lesotho Highlands Water Project at a premium. Electricity capacity is also adequate as the network has been upgraded. However, with so many new developments in the pipeline, this situation might not last long.

The future
The successes enjoyed in Clarens could teach a lesson or two to other aspiring villages.

The secret lies not only in its natural assets but the commitment of the people of Clarens to attracting visitors, believes Lotriet, including all role players in a mix of activities such as adventure sports, art and restaurants.

“There is a malaise in South Africa in general, in that the only development model considered is the suburban model,” he said.

“There is very little talk of alternative approaches to planning and of sustainability in general,” added Lotriet. New developments should consider environmental and social sustainability as well as economic feasibility, he stressed.

Van Biljon, however, raised serious concerns regarding future development in Clarens. Residents were very excited about the new SEA and SDF but, unfortunately, political aspirations and expected economic fallout dilute diligent town and environmental planning. “However hard appointed consultants may try, good planning is not the end result in a politico-economic environment where estate development is seen as the holy grail of tourism, social upliftment and a better life for all,” Van Biljon concluded.

Clarens is in an enviable position in that it is still early enough for the residents, interested developers and relevant authorities to prove that, through environmental, cultural and social sustainable development, an area’s economic potential can be enhanced while its sense of place is carefully preserved.

“In the past a lot of municipalities have pressed on with an SDF without having done all the relevant environmental studies,” said Gemey Abrahams of SiVEST Selatile Moloi.

“They are not strategic or rooted in a thorough biodiversity approach so this was a good opportunity to start from fundamentals, especially in an area where these things are so important as to how one conceptualises future development,” she added. “We put together a comprehensive package for the municipality that includes guidelines and an environmental management plan.”

Assessing the environment
The project involved the preparation of an SEA of the development pressures; a socio-economic assessment of the tourism and leisure residential demand for the area; an infrastructure and municipality capacity analysis; and a spatial planning analysis of the area.

“Essentially, municipalities are meant to be the gateways through which provincial and national departments bring in support,” explained Brent Corcoran of the MDTP. “So an integrated development plan needs to be strategic, investment-oriented and sustainable,” he added. “We were able to do really good work in getting a product on the table that links the SEA to something more statutory,” continued Corcoran.

“We wanted to test the idea that an SEA can be used in conjunction with spatial planning analysis to come up with a micro SDF for an area of focused pressure.”

Abrahams said: “Through the input of the community, we had to build a vision for the area. Then we looked at how to achieve that vision, what underpins it and what are the principles that are sacrosanct.

This involved considering the needs of all the players in the area. Luckily, besides the MDTP, we had a lot of support from provincial government – they were key to the process. Ultimately, it’s about people and how they are committed to the vision for the area.”

Blair briefly explained the process undertaken to reach the final product.

“From an environmental perspective, we had to define a study boundary that we could scientifically justify. One of the key aspects was the visual – the sense of place. The second was to establish where the development pressures are being experienced. And the third was identifying the catchment area for the Klein Caledon River. We analysed biodiversity, agricultural potential, geology, slope, vegetation, view shed, water quality and catchment management issues, among others. We then used GIS to interpret the layers of information spatially.”

Eventually three primary zones were identified and categorised according to their suitability for development.

Corcoran’s work is focused on the correct implementation of the product by the local municipality. He is faced with several challenges. “At times one encounters the most amazing political hesitancy,” he said. “A great deal of handholding is necessary and the staff are not proactive. Co-operative governance is just not a reality in South Africa.”

Managing development
A recently-completed study assessed development pressures within an environmental and socio-economic context.

In order to accurately assess the significant development pressures being experienced and to possibly prevent the negative impacts that have afflicted many similar areas, an in-depth study of the Greater Clarens area has been completed.

SiVEST Selatile Moloi was appointed by the Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Project (MDTP) on behalf of the relevant land use planning and decision-making authorities for the Eastern Free State to prepare a micro SDF and development guidelines for the greater Clarens area. The aim was to provide a scientifically defendable tool for assessing development applications and for land-use planning, and the process involved comprehensive public participation as well as co-operation between both local and provincial government.

“In the past a lot of municipalities have pressed on with an SDF without having done all the relevant environmental studies,” said Gemey Abrahams of SiVEST Selatile Moloi.

“We wanted to test the idea that an SEA can be used in conjunction with spatial planning analysis to come up with a micro SDF for an area of focused pressure.”

Blair briefly explained the process undertaken to reach the final product.

Eventually three primary zones were identified and categorised according to their suitability for development.

Corcoran’s work is focused on the correct implementation of the product by the local municipality. He is faced with several challenges. “At times one encounters the most amazing political hesitancy,” he said. “A great deal of handholding is necessary and the staff are not proactive. Co-operative governance is just not a reality in South Africa.”

Development considerations
The area was divided into three primary zones, depending on their suitability for development.

1. Conservation: This zone represents areas of very high biodiversity or biodiversity under significant pressure that therefore warrants high levels of protection. These areas should not be developed and only low impact, sustainable activities should be allowed.

2. Limited opportunity: Areas falling within this zone generally have high levels of biodiversity or contain biodiversity features under moderate to high pressure of transformation. In these areas, specific development and management controls must be implemented.

3. Opportunity: This includes areas where the natural environment has experienced significant transformation, is not associated with high levels of biodiversity, and is not in threatened or sensitive habitats. Greater development could be allowed in these transformed areas.

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ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING AND DESIGN

Jwaneng’s living park
Acknowledged by the Holcim Foundation with an award in 2005, the Living Park in Jwaneng, Botswana, promises to create harmony between human and the environment.

Living Park was first covered by Urban Green File when it was awarded the Holcim acknowledgement prize for Africa and the Middle East in December 2005. This ambitious project will celebrate the cultural and physical environment in which it is to be built. The original project was a joint venture between Bauer Consult and CCI. Having worked extensively with the community, the design team from Bauer Consult in Gaborone attempted to create common ground in a cultural melting pot with a mix of leisure and learning.

The park has been designed to explore the interactions of society, culture and the natural environment, explained Carl Bauer of Bauer Consult.

“The park will eventually create an oasis of beauty on the edge of a functioning mining town” Bauer says. In essence the park is a community resource centre where both culture and nature will be conserved. It will consist of a number of local economic development initiatives aimed at attracting tourists to the area. The park comprises naturally created buildings, botanical gardens, fields and an amphitheatre.

The journey begins
There are two paths that take the tourist on a journey around the park through the cultural village, the gardens and the restaurant and conference centre. Which path to take is up to the visitor but both promise a cultural journey. The path to the left takes the visitor through the fields, gardens and natural landscape to a cultural village. At the cultural village, visitors can participate in local customs such as earth brick making, plastering with soil and cow dung and thatching a roof. The path to the right is a journey through different cultural experiences, eventually ending at the same cultural village.

Natural construction
The final design is to represent a harmony between human and the natural environment. Natural products such as soil and cow dung will be used during construction and solar heating will also be installed to help save on energy costs.

The focus on natural materials being used in the construction is to ensure that resources can ultimately be reused or returned to the natural environment without the risk of polluting it.

The buildings have been designed to respond to the environment both physically and visually, and the team has ensured that “the design elements of the park are nestled into the natural environment”.

Hands-on experience
Another focus of the project has been to address the basic need for education and cultural exchange.

The park has been designed to accommodate visitors from all walks of life: local residents, tourists and school groups, Bauer explained. It aims for hands-on participation in environmentally- and culturally-sustainable experiences for all visitors.

Bauer described the park as a living, cultural and environmental laboratory, which allows for continual innovation. With the interaction of visitors within the centre there will be a continuous transfer of ideas in and out of the park, he added.

A celebration
“The park is more than a response to its cultural and physical environment, it is a celebration of them,” Bauer pointed out.

Construction was originally scheduled to begin in August 2006 but the Jwaneng Town Council has yet to secure the necessary funding.

This will be a project to watch with interest – minimising environmental impact is high on the team’s agenda. And a lot could be learned from this culturally-rich site.

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WASTE AND POLLUTION MANAGEMENT

Life after Linbro
Johannesburg’s northernmost landfill site at Linbro Park is about to close as it has reached capacity but the suggested replacement is being fiercely opposed by nearby residents.

There is nothing like a new landfill to raise the ire and passions of citizens living in its vicinity yet, unless residents are better educated and cease undisciplined disposal techniques, either more landfills will be needed near residential areas or the cost of collection and disposal of solid waste will skyrocket.

The disposal of solid waste is problematic all over the country but more so in our large cities and metros with the challenges of coping with a burgeoning population contributing to the waste stream.

Johannesburg’s waste disposal utility, Pikitup, estimates that tonnages will increase by an alarming 13% per annum at existing rates of influx and population growth.

Five disposal sites are located within the 1 625 km� metro limits of Johannesburg – stretching from Midrand in the north to Orange Farm in the south and Krugersdorp in the west to the Ekurhuleni boundary on the ‘East Rand’. Pikitup is now trying to deal with 850 t/day of waste ordinarily sent to the almost defunct landfill at Linbro Park. A final decision had not been made by the time this edition of Urban Green File was printed.

But of equal importance is a long and hard look at alternative methods of disposal as well as improved measures of waste reduction and recycling.

Jo’burg landfill sites
Johannesburg’s five waste disposal sites, with a cumulative life of around 21 years even if the proposed Northern Works site is developed, simply cannot cope with volumes generated. As Johannesburg continues to expand northwards, with developments such as Cosmo City and the integration of Diepsloot into Dainfern, the jostle for space will increase. Issues standing in the way of the Northern Works site are among many to be resolved as more formal and informal areas become integrated into the metro, and provision has to be made for essential infrastructure – the location of landfill sites is perhaps the most contentious.

Landfill rehabilitation
Although a firm decision has not for yet been made on a replacement the Linbro Park site, plans are underway for an ambitious landfill rehabilitation project launched in September 2005.

The first phase will begin the process of transforming the wellknown landfill site into a passive recreational and educational area with environmentally-focused facilities that will ultimately serve the community at large.