Contents
of February 2007
COMMENT
Public participation
UPFRONT
News and events
CITY
VISIT
Sasolburg: a 1950s
industrial town
ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING AND DESIGN
An activity street in the making
ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING
AND DESIGN
Alternative
design solutions for low-income communities
WASTE AND POLLUTION MANAGEMENT
Incinerate and
recycle: waste management in the Kruger National Park
PLANNING PERSONALITY
Tasneem Essop - the ‘bush
planner’
BATTLE OF THE 'BURBS
Potchefstroom: Oewersig v
Miederpark
INSPIRATION
Private intervention for public
good
INSULT
Park as dumping site
TREE OF THE ISSUE
Celtis sinensis
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COMMENT
Public participation
The Urban
Green File editorial team often engages in lively discussions about our readers – we
want to add real value to your business. Probably the best collective description we have
arrived at (not that we would ever be as presumptuous as to ‘pigeonhole’ anyone)
is that our role is to provide insightful and interesting articles to the ‘custodians
of the urban environment’.
While
labelling a group of people ‘custodians’ might seem important to some people,
practitioners out in the field know that this is not a glamorous title. We work in an
environment that is actually owned by everyone so everyone (and his dog) has an opinion on
the management and planning of the urban environment.
Ours is a
very public profession. And this begs the questions:
•
Why are we not out
there engaging in the public arena?
•
Why are we not
speaking out about the 2010 debate on our cities, for instance?
Voicing
opinions in a niche publication such as Urban Green File is a good start (and we thank you
for your letters – positive and negative) but we should also speak out in our
community and national newspapers, and on television too.
Everybody
else is expressing opinions on the direction our urban environments should take and where
the money should be spent. Isn’t it time that ‘people in the know’ also
engage in the public debate?
I am very
excited about publishing the mix of articles in this edition. They are truly
representative in terms of geography (from Potchefstroom to Port Elizabeth) and detail
(from provincial planning to the design of an ‘activity street’).
Enjoy. And
please let us know what you think.
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UPFRONT
Public art
The
‘trees’ on Juta Street do not warrant a deliberate visit on their own but that
is perhaps the role of public art: it should beautify public space by blending into its
surroundings rather than dominate the environment.
The metal
tree-like sculptures in Braamfontein are part of a project that was initiated and funded
by the Johannesburg Development Agency in 2005.
The design
of these trees was born of a series of conceptual design workshops with artistic director
Claire Regnard.
Along with
the Trinity Session, Regnard conducted the workshops with a group of students from the
Imbali Visual Literacy Project at the Bus Factory in Newtown.
Former South
African Planning Institute (SAPI) president Christine Platt was elected as president of
the Commonwealth Association of Planners (CAP) in October 2006.
CAP plays an
important role in the promotion of dialogue between planners from the Commonwealth and the
rest of the world. Platt’s election is a big boost for the planning profession in
South Africa and the rest of the continent.
South African
honours
Former South
African Planning Institute (SAPI) president Christine Platt was elected as president of
the Commonwealth Association of Planners (CAP) in October 2006.
CAP plays an
important role in the promotion of dialogue between planners from the Commonwealth and the
rest of the world. Platt’s election is a big boost for the planning profession in
South Africa and the rest of the continent.
Second Holcim
Awards
The Holcim
Foundation will launch its second awards competition for sustainable construction projects
and hold an international symposium dedicated to ‘Urban_Trans_Formation’ in
2007. A commemorative book on the first Holcim Awards competition and a booklet on the
target issues for sustainable construction have been published. This will have practical
examples of sustainable construction.
The second
cycle of the Holcim Awards competition will open on June 1 2007 and remain open until
February 29 2008 for all construction projects in an advanced stage of design.
Construction
may not have begun before June 1 2007. The US$2-million competition celebrates innovative,
future-oriented and tangible sustainable construction projects around the globe.
Mandela corridor
progresses
Plans for the Mandela Development Corridor were first announced in 2002. The
project was expected to realize R1,8-billion a year for the inner-city area as well as
create approximately 9 000 job opportunities.
The corridor
was initially a government-headed project of the City of Tshwane Metropolitan
Municipality.
Even though
the rights have been sold to a private company, called the Mandela Development Corridor,
the project is still one of the City of Tshwane mayor’s ‘special projects’.
Inner city urban renewal and revival is the core focus of the privately-owned,
black-empowered company. It has secured a sole and exclusive mandate from the City of
Tshwane until 2013 to manage and facilitate new developments in the Mandela Development
Corridor by upgrading approximately 250 000 m² of space.
Nelson
Mandela Drive and its immediate surroundings form an important corridor with two main
purposes as a bridge and a gateway. It serves as a bridge between the inner city of
Tshwane and the residential areas of Sunnyside and Arcadia. The corridor has also been
upgraded to a dual carriageway and is now the main gateway into the city of Tshwane.
Memory &
Connection
In 2003,
during excavations for a new commercial development on Prestwich Street in Green Point,
Cape Town, about 2 000 unmarked graves were discovered. The subsequent public outcry
brought construction on the project to a halt and a lengthy process began to find an
appropriate solution to the re-interment of the human remains. A process was launched to
find an appropriate site for the reburial of the bones in a memorial garden within the
Green Point area.
The memorial
site will form part of a network of spaces that is intended to revitalise the pedestrian
network, link with elements of memory and help to positively change the public realm of
the city.
The
Prestwich site is located between the Cape Town CBD and Green Point where the geometry of
the city’s grid undergoes an interesting shift. A memorial garden (Phase 3) is
planned for the space in the foreground.
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CITY VISIT
1950s industrial town: is the plan
working?
Although
commonly associated with the petro-chemical industry, Sasolburg surprisingly has a rich
planning history and green heritage.
The northern
Free State town of Sasolburg is located in the Metsimaholo (‘place with a lot of
water’) Local Municipality. Although famed for Sasol’s oil-from-coal operations,
the town also has wide, tree-lined streets and green belts have been constructed.
South Africa
owes a large part of its history to the discovery of minerals – to a large extent
responsible for the location of many inland towns and a number of South African towns have
been influenced by the New Town movement that originated in Britain in response to the
conditions caused by the Industrial Revolution. The designs of ‘new towns’ were
aimed at improving conditions for the working class.
Sasolburg is
an example of a South African new town. So are Vanderbijlpark, Welkom, Carletonville and
Stilfontein.
The South
African new town was – to all intents and purposes – designed as a ‘company
town’ and Sasolburg is no exception.
The new town of Sasol
Sasolburg was planned in 1951 to serve the world’s first oil-from-coal
complex (Sasol). It was planned to serve as the residential and social center for people
who administered and operated the Sasol plant and its subsidiary companies.
Max
Kirchhofer, a Swiss-born architect and planner, was appointed as Sasol’s consulting
architect.
The aims
identified by Kirchhofer were:
•
The establishment of a
system of main roads, which permitted the free movement of traffic without interfering
with beneficial occupation of the land.
•
The layout of the
residential areas in selfcontained units.
•
The creation of a
coherent urban scene, wherever possible, in the residential areas and certainly in the
town centre.
One of the
distinguishing traits of Sasolburg is the neighbourhood cell. Mark Oranje, well-known
planning academic who also grew up in Sasolburg, told Urban Green File that each of these
cells had to have its own primary school, local shopping centre and recreation club –
separated from other cells by main traffic routes and thus kept safe from “the
destructive force of the motor vehicle without restraining its usefulness”. Oranje
reflects on this rather negative view of the motor car as being quite ironic, given that
Sasolburg was developed to facilitate the production of fuel for motor cars.
Today
A lot has been written about ‘new towns’, the most frequent criticism
being the fact that these towns were often ‘over-planned’. That might be a very
important lesson for South African town planning of today: by over-regulating design
and/or management based on the doctrine of the day, you might be running the risk of
closing certain doors to the future. On the other hand, Sasolburg’s green heritage is
a direct result of people and institutions that took their responsibility as custodians of
the urban environment very seriously and the town would have been all the poorer in
character if this was not the case.
Still a company town?
Although Sasol does not own as much property as it used to, it still plays an
important role in the economic well-being of the town of Sasolburg, according to Reatile
Ralepeli, assistant manager for local economic development at Metsimaholo Local
Municipality. Sasol has now established a major research and development centre with the
Vaal University of Technology. And the Chem City industrial development project is
marketed nationally and internationally as part of Sasol’s effort to diversify its
industries from noxious to the incorporation of light industries.
Chem City
will be known officially as a world-class, small-tonnage, eco-chemical park.
Coal mining
in the area is also expected to continue to provide employment for years to come and
rumour has it that the chief executive officer of an ‘ethanol project’, with an
estimated development value of R700-million, approached the municipality in 2006 seeking
available industrial land.
Although the
local municipality of Metsimaholo is officially part of the Free State, the demarcation
has been a contentious issue, specifically with regard to regional development of the Vaal
Triangle.
Leon van
Rensburg, a town planner in private practice in the area, argued that Sasolburg,
Vereeniging and Vanderbijlpark have very strong functional linkages, which are evident in
the shopping patterns of the residents of these towns. Sometimes this is not taken into
consideration in planning exercises, especially because Sasolburg falls within a different
provincial administration.
Need for land
According to municipal town planner Lipalesa Thaanyane, one of the major challenges, from
a town planning point of view, is the availability of land for future development. The
establishment of about 3 500 township erven on the farm Amelia is now underway. Another 2
000 erven will be developed at Mooidraai, close to Zamdela.
Van Rensburg
does not entirely agree with Thaanyane. According to him, the authorities are very
reluctant to approve any sub-divisions or development applications in the existing
Sasolburg townships.
Maybe it is
not so much about the availability of land but more about the absence of an enabling
environment.
Green by design
A first-time visitor to Sasolburg may not only be surprised by the vastness of
the chemical plant and the mining activities in and around the town but also the broad
boulevard-like streets and the lush, green residential areas. Thousands of trees have been
planted in Sasolburg. Kirchhofer’s plans indicated the exact location and type of
tree. Parks were designed as a green system with pedestrian and cycle paths.
Oranje told
of initial concerns, raised by the 1951 Townships Board of the former Orange Free State,
about the park layout.
It argued
that the parks would be a burden on the local authority and possibly become places where
vagrants would converge. More than 50 years later, these fears have been realised. The
municipality is struggling with the upkeep of the parks and, despite being illuminated in
the early 1980s, the parks are now regarded as ‘unsafe’.
However the
trees and open spaces of Sasolburg imbue the town with an ambience not many industrial
towns enjoy.
A further
point of apparent contention is development on the banks of the Vaal River. According to
Van Rensburg, the authorities are very reluctant to allow any development – more so
than they are in other towns like Vanderbijlpark.
The
development of a multi-million-rand golf estate, Heron Banks, on the banks of the Vaal
River has been approved. Among other environmentally-beneficial aspects, it includes the
rehabilitation of four wetlands. Construction is due to begin in 2007.
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ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING AND DESIGN
An activity in the making
Can urban design help transform an ordinary
township street into a vibrant ‘activity street’?
On the
south-western border of Tshwane Olievenhoutbosch Ext 13 lies to the west of the R55 and
has good main access roads. At the beginning of 2006, Minister of Housing Lindiwe Sisulu
launched a R400-million housing project in the Olievenhoutbosch area.
It has also
been in the news for xenophobic clashes over housing and service delivery.
The City of
Tshwane metropolitan municipality has secured extensive infrastructural investment in the
area over the past few years.
The Legong
Street development forms part of the Tsosoloso programme, which is a planning initiative
taking off across Tshwane. Launched in 2006, the programme calls for a new approach to
city building.
Mono-functional
is out and extroverted, multi-purpose structures are in. Spatial integration aims to take
cognisance of existing pedestrian and public transport needs and design is to take place
around these.
The focus of
the programme is on neglected areas that can benefit most from this type of
revitalisation. It is an inter-departmental project within the municipality.
The original idea
When the project was first conceptualised in 2000, Legong Street was identified
as a major entrance route to Olievenhoutbosch and therefore had the potential for future
concentration of formal businesses and informal activities. The original design team also
had the vision of creating an identity for Olievenhoutbosch by developing a focal point
with a unique sense of place, an area that would instill pride and a sense of belonging to
residents.
An activity
street is one where shops and other businesses are situated, attracting people from the
neighbourhood. The erven on both sides of Legong Street are all municipal-owned and have
been reserved for this development.
Two ‘anchors’
The established community center towards the western side of Legong Street and
the existing shopping centre on the eastern side were ideal to serve as two
‘anchors’ for the proposed activity street. Although the two parks in the
vicinity do not form part of the ‘activity street’, they had an impact on the
locality.
Following on
from the first phase of work, 2006 has seen the completion of development along the
northern side of the street together with the creation of a square designed to function
not only as a trading area for informal traders but as a public open space.
Planning and Phase 1
In 2000, architects and urban designers Holm Jordaan and Partners were tasked
with drafting guidelines for the street development.
The
guidelines made provision for the supply of services to erven along both sides of the
street to make it attractive to set up small businesses. The guidelines also made
recommendations for paving, planting of trees and suggested structures.
The first
phase of development in Legong Street took place in the 2003/4 financial year. Although it
was intended to develop both sides of the street, there was only enough funding to
complete the supply of services on both sides – the remainder of work was only
completed on the southern side of the street: paving of the sidewalk, planting of street
trees and demarcation of parking bays, which are parallel to the street, on the paved
area, which is suitable for low volumes of parking, and concrete bollards keep vehicles
off erven.
Phase 2
This second phase of the project included the development of the northern side
of the street and a public square as part of the 2005/6 financial year budget. Before
Phase 2 was launched, a committee was set up for public participation. One of the
committee’s recommendations was the provision of safe and convenient taxi stops along
Legong Street. The design made provision for four stops and shelters, complementary to the
style of the square.
Execution of the
project
The project management and design were done completely in-house by the
Streetscape Management design team.
Transportation
engineer Corli Havenga was appointed in July 2005 to oversee the work.
In the
months that followed, the engineer was consulted on the design. The tender that went out
in December 2005 was for 2 000 m² of concrete brick paving, concrete kerbing, an informal
market area with special features and trading structures, pedestrian lighting and the
planting of trees. A gentle slope from the north to the south, coupled with recreational
facilities in the dip below Legong Street, was a factor in deciding the location of the
market square.
Construction
began in April 2006 by a joint venture between two contractors: Gaobakwe Trading and
Nyakale’s Works. In keeping with the Expanded Public Works Programme, local labour
and labour-intensive methods were used. This project had a Construction Industry
Development Board rating 2 with an original budget of R2,5-million (R1,6-million was
spent). The work was completed on time at the end of June 2006.
Activity in the street
On the day Urban Green File visited, there was a handful of informal traders
dotted along the roadside. Week-ends would probably be busier. An audit of existing
informal traders was done prior to formalising the street design – to ensure that
priority was given to existing traders when provision has been made for them.
Design of the square
The square that formed part of the second phase of the project is situated just
off-centre along the upgraded length of Legong Street, lying to the western side, closer
to the community centre.
Umnama
Street, to the south of Legong Street, forms the southern boundary of the square. It
occupies two erven. The layout of the square shows two rows of trading stalls, which lie
asymmetrically through the centre space.
Preshant
Ramjee, a streetscape design architect with the streetscape management department of the
City of Tshwane, was responsible for the design of the square. He explained to Urban Green
File a multi-functional public space was desired – out in the open. In conjunction
with the local economic development division, it was decided to concentrate all informal
traders in one location to facilitate traders, specifically water supply and refuse
removal.
A
distinctive feature of the square are the two- and three-stepped ‘ziggurats’,
which are truncated, pyramidal structures with each step slightly rotated. Put simply,
these are ‘podium areas’ (according to the plan view). And the community is
using these structures for their intended purpose, having erected a gazebo and regularly
holding meetings there. These seating and podium areas are plastered brick and have been
painted in bold, eye-catching colours by one of the local artists.
The trading
stalls show clever use of gum poles and polycarbonate sheeting. Stalls have been sized to
fit an inexpensive, standard hollow-core door as a counter top. However, the Local
Economic Development Division eventually decided to provide the traders with standard
foldable metal tables which also fit nicely in between the gum poles. Thatching laths of
38 mm diameter have been used to form a slatted roof with transparent, polycarbonate roof
sheeting attached to it as a rain shelter that allows light through.
Trees
Two types of trees have been planted around the sides of the square: Erythrina
lysistimon (‘coral tree’) around the northern and southern edges and Kirkia
acuminata (‘white syringa’) along the western and eastern perimeters. A single,
large tree was planted inside the square – chosen for its ability to provide an
umbrella-like canopy of shade when full-grown – the Sieberiana var. woodii
(‘paper bark’).
As this
project forms part of the Tsosoloso programme, attention was paid to issues such as
multi-functionality and a contextual response to challenges.
Taxi stops
Four taxi stops and shelters were an additional feature of the second phase.
Previously, taxis used to stop at street corners – illegal and unsafe. While this is
still a problem, the situation has improved since convenient stops have been located along
this main street.
The shelters
have the same gum pole construction as the trading stalls in the square, which blends
beautifully, particularly as two of the shelters are just outside the square (on opposite
sides of the road). The extra length of the gum poles above the roof of the shelters was
originally going to be shortened, but the finished effect was eye-catching and the
decision was taken to leave the poles as they were. An interesting challenge was how to
demarcate the taxi stop on a paved parking sidewalk. As Jaksa Barbir, deputy manager of
Streetscape Design, showed Urban Green File, a simple solution of using a double row of
concrete kerbing does the job.
Not in isolation
A positive aspect of the design is that it the selection of the site for the
public square was informed by current pedestrian patterns and specifically Rethabile Park,
a well-established park directly south of the square.
The City of
Tshwane has also developed the nearby Cycad Crescent Park. The community is therefore
served on various levels.
The nearby
housing development in Olievenhoutbosch Extension 36 will also have a significant impact
on the Legong Street development. It will comprise almost 5 500 units, partly for sale,
rental and subsidised. Construction began towards the end of 2006 on this 180 ha
ministerial project, which will accommodate three schools, two clinics, a public open
space, religious facilities and industrial and commercial development: a node that will
definitely interact with the Legong Street activity spine.
The future
A lot of thinking and time has gone into the detail design of Legong Street and
specifically the new public square. But on Urban Green File’s visit to the street one
cannot help to notice that there is not all that much activity in the activity street. It
might be busier over the weekends or during peak hour, but still, the image that most
people have of an activity street is one with lots of pedestrians and many many stalls and
shopping options for consumers.
According to
Ramjee the activity will hopefully be introduced as soon as Tshwane’s Local Economic
Development Department allocated the various stalls to informal traders. Another stumbling
block is definitely the municipal-owned land along Legong Street. Although regarded as a
positive aspect for intervention as one does not have to deal with expropriation and the
like, it becomes a stumbling block if it lies dormant. Council apparently has plans of
selling the land off, but until something happens on these large strips of land along the
street, it is very unlikely that a real activity street is to be established.
-----
ENVIRONMENTAL
PLANNING AND DESIGN
Alternative design
solutions for low-income communities
A caravan park is transformed into a high-density
but high-quality place through innovative design.
Like many
others, the poorer communities in large parts of Port Elizabeth are faced with the
hardships of the less fortunate.
Long hours
of travel to places of work, poor living conditions and enter finances are some of the
challenges they try to overcome on a daily basis. But, for the people of Sakhasonke (Xhosa
for ‘we build together’) Village, life is a lot rosier after the launch of this
novel low-cost housing initiative, which was conceptualized and driven by the GM South
Africa Foundation.
The project
began in 2001 when the foundation purchased the insolvent 4,4 ha Walmer Caravan Park using
bridging finance of R126 000 in order to refine an innovative new low-income housing model
it had piloted in the Missionvale area between 1998 and 2000.
Sakhasonke
Village is located on Victoria Drive in Gqebera (previously known as Walmer Township) near
the CBD of Port Elizabeth.
The Walmer
Housing Development Trust was established in September 2003 to oversee the development of
the village. Lance del Monte of Metroplan Town and Regional Planners, which planned and
designed Missionvale and Sakhasonke on behalf of the GMSA Foundation, was appointed as
project co-ordinator.
Sakhasonke
is a fully government-subsidised housing project developed by the trust in partnership
with other agencies including the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, the Department of
Housing and Local Government, the Urban Services Group and the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan
University.
Community center
The former caravan park’s old ablution block was first used as a site
office and later converted into a community enter with a crèche and pre-school.
Parking
The houses next to the main road leading into the village have parking bays for
residents to park their own cars or those of their visitors.
High
density, shared space and cost-effective services transform a community
By carefully
designing public and private spaces, gardens and structures, a high-density development
can become a high-quality living environment.
The
designers were motivated to demonstrate that densification is a strong instrument for city
reintegration and sustainable human settlements. The idea was to develop a unique housing
model, which would have nationwide replicability.
Public spaces
The houses are accessed by 1,4 m brickpaved pathways, which lead into large
squares of green public spaces (planted with grass and trees), which creates a feeling of
enclosure to the complex. The main road leading into the village also has premixed parking
bays for residents’ and visitor parking.
Street spaces
The average erf size is 72 m² (6 m x 12 m). The houses were generally
constructed 1,5 m to 2 m from the plot front. This allows just enough space for residents
to make an entrance garden.
The houses
are in a duplex or triplex configuration and are spaced around courtyards, which allows
sunlight into the complex and creates pleasant areas for residents to mingle.
Community gardens
The site itself slopes so, instead of extensive earthworks, one corner was
converted into an urban agricultural garden to supply the community with fresh produce.
Ability to extend
houses
The overall design of the units was based on maximising efficiency by finding a
balance between creating the maximum amount of usable space relative to the cost. The
houses have a total floor area of 46 m² and the rest of the erf leaves another 24 m² of
space for future extension.
Density
The key concept of the development is density: people living closer together
reduce the cost of services and the community’s environmental footprint. Full
services are available – each erf has water, sewerage and electricity. Because of the
close proximity of the units to each other, the installation cost of this infrastructure
was far less than that of relatively conventional housing schemes.
The
Sakhasonke project won the South African Housing Foundation’s 2006 award for the top
national project with housing units costing below R80 000. The units, including land,
servicing, construction and legal costs, were delivered for R30 000.
Re-thinking old
paradigms
The design themes of the village focus on density and community. The GMSA
Foundation’s experiences in Missionvale were combined with legislation and the needs
of the Gqebera community to establish this development.
The
Development Facilitation Act refers to ‘compact, integrated and mixed use
developments’ and the Land Use Management Bill calls for ‘densification of
existing residential areas’ to reduce urban sprawl.
The
residents of Sakhasonke fall under the low-income bracket (less than R1 500 per month).
Those who are employed work in other much more affluent communities of Port Elizabeth. As
they don’t have much, the reduction of their travel costs affords them more
disposable income that could be used for maintenance and the payment of municipal
services. The Missionvale project made it clear that low earners must have enough
disposable income to afford to pay for these services. “It would be great to give
everyone houses but the successful integration of social and technical aspects is
paramount,” Del Monte explained.
“The
denser development greatly reduces the cost of services compared to the traditional
‘matchbox house’ layout and therefore allows more people to afford it.”
Community
issues had to be taken into account with the design as close living conditions can
sometimes result in social friction. Great emphasis was therefore placed on the spatial
development and the ‘feel’ of the complex to create a safe and ‘open’
atmosphere. Elevated surveillance from the double-storey buildings creates a safe
atmosphere where people can relax in their own defendable space. The atmosphere was
further enhanced by natural symmetry in the layout of the village as well as the overall
cubic architecture of the buildings.
Density and
community are established design concepts that Del Monte has succeeded in fusing
successfully with the needs of the local population. Khanyiswa Madolwana of No 45 told
Urban Green File her story. Before she moved to Sakhasonke, she lived in Motherwell. She
has been working in Walmer as a domestic worker for 20 years. To be in time for work at
07:30, she would have to leave home at 05:00. She earns R900 a month and spent R315 a
month on transport. “I felt that I was working for transport,” she said. “I
now walk to work.” She leaves for work at 07:00 and gets home by 17:00. “I now
also have extra time and money for my family,” she added. “Life is a little
easier now.”
Detail design
Being an abandoned caravan park, the site contained a rundown and vandalized
building, which was upgraded and incorporated in the design of Sakhasonke. The existing
ablution block was first used as a site office and then later converted into a crèche and
community centre. The 2,1 m-high walls surrounding the site were restored.
The duplex
and triplex configuration has proved to be a highly effective way to save on material and
building costs by allowing units to share communal walls and services.
The cubic
design was easy to build and a little roof over the entrance makes the houses inviting.
Each unit
has two floors of 23 m², and it is plastered and painted on the inside and outside. The
open plan ground floor comprises a kitchen fitted with a sink, a lounge area as well as an
enclosed shower and toilet. Seven 19 mm-thick shutterply boards provide the roofing above
the ground floor and the flooring for the top floor. The dimensions for the units were
determined by the size of the shutterply boards, which are bought commercially so as to
reduce wastage and installation time. The ground floor is connected to the first by means
of a timber staircase situated in the corner opposite the main entrance. The first floor
can be partitioned to provide two sleeping rooms – each with an insulated ceiling and
window.
Much of the
design of the houses was based on the standard sizes of the materials to be used. The
shutterply boards as well as the pitch of the roof are examples of how this saved money
and time. The double-storey and duplex approach also contributed greatly to the overall
cost effectiveness of the development.
The density debate
It is important to remember that Sakhasonke is government’s low-cost
housing development. This means that it was done with the same subsidy of R30 000 per
unit, and with the same restrictions imposed on all other low-cost housing developments
throughout South Africa. To appreciate the significance of the project, the developers
compared it to more traditional development options. The matchbox-type development scheme,
which is still being widely used as the standard by developers, is shown in the table in
order to quantify the differences between these two approaches to density.
Community participation
Most new development projects place strong emphasis on community participation,
skills transfer and job creation. Sakhasonke did not lack these crucial aspects. Local
residents were consulted throughout the process and were intimately involved in the
planning and construction of the development.
The Gqebera
community was notified of the planned development by means of flyers and a series of
general meetings. The concept was carefully explained using models of the planned units
and the overall development. Various aspects associated with the responsibilities of home
owners were discussed with prospective residents.
Following a
positive response to the show house, which was built in 2002, the Urban Services Group and
Metroplan facilitated the selection of beneficiaries for submission to provincial
approval.
Teams of
local labourers were also sent to a municipal skills training centre in Port Elizabeth to
prepare them for the construction of the village. A building manager and quality
controller from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University’s Institute of Building
Research and Support supervised the construction work on site. Building materials were
bought in bulk and stored in the old ablution block for the duration of the construction
period. Each builder was given a ‘clip card’ that specified his allotted
material for the specific job. These cards ensured that each builder kept within the tight
budget and that stock was controlled and wastage was prevented.
Innovative housing
model
Community support programmes and other activities, like the creation of a craft
market and the optimisation of urban vegetable gardens, are well-established to ensure the
sustainability of the project.
According to
Del Monte, many lessons were learned and much experience gained. This will in turn create
other, perhaps better and more efficient, human settlements in future.
-----
WASTE AND POLLUTION MANAGEMENT
Incinerate & recycle
speedy removal of waste
Waste management solutions implemented by the
Kruger National Park can serve an as example for remote or small municipalities.
Waste is a
feature of all habitations and disposing of it poses a problem for all communities.
Although the
Kruger National Park has a largely transient population, with most visitors spending less
than two days in any camp, it has a serious problem with the disposal of waste that is
generated by the residential population (game park personnel) and visitors. The park has a
situation peculiar to game parks as waste does not only pose the threat of environmental
pollution and threaten health, it also poses a danger to wildlife.
Most of the
waste generated by visitors to the park includes food packaging or beverage containers
and, as these items have a large plastics content, waste presents a specific threat to the
wildlife in the park. “Plastic bottles and bags are the equivalent of land mines as
far as wildlife is concerned,” Ben du Plessis, manager: waste and water for the
Kruger National Park, told Urban Green File. “If an animal swallows a plastic bag, it
means certain death,” he said. Plastics and other non-degradable materials can block
watercourses, interfere with water holes and find their way into birds’ nests, among
other places.
Animals can
also be injured by discarded beverage cans and broken glass bottles.
Litter of
any form detracts from the visitors’ experience of the park so regular clean-up
campaigns are conducted to remove litter that accumulates outside the camps. Park
personnel are encouraged to pick up or collect litter either in the camps or out in the
park itself. In spite of public awareness campaigns, litter still collects at view sites
in the park. The nine rest camps, four picnic spots and numerous observation points, and
temporary camps all produce waste. In addition to normal domestic waste, toxic and other
dangerous waste is produced by vehicle workshops, kitchens, building and maintenance
operations, pest control (poisons), water treatment and gardening operations.
New approach
Prior to 1991, waste handling was the responsibility of the conservation
section. In 1991, a decision was made to transfer waste to the technical section.
Waste is
handled within the park as most camp sites are not near legal solid waste and landfill
sites, the cost of transporting waste to these sites would be prohibitive, and there is
the risk of waste spills in the park. Special vehicles would have to be used to ensure
that waste did not escape during transport or the waste would have to be pre-processed.
Traditionally,
waste disposal was done in burning, open pits, according to Du Plessis. “Landfill
sites were never considered an option as the leach produced is 200 times more toxic than
raw sewage.
Groundwater
can become contaminated as open water flows through catchments containing a waste dump.
This is particularly important in the Kruger National Park as most of the camps are
located on river banks and several sites draw drinking water from boreholes while others
draw water directly from the river.”
Certain
animal species have modified their feeding and behaviour patterns in the proximity of
waste sites. Baboons are known scavengers but other animals, such as hyenas, also frequent
dump sites in search of food. Smaller animals can also become permanent residents at
sites.
Dump sites
are also a breeding ground or habitat for many life forms potentially harmful to people,
including bacteria, insects and rodents. Efficient management of landfill sites requires
expensive compacting machines, which are not economical to operate on small sites.
For this
reason, it was decided to burn all waste other than garden waste that could not be
recycled or transported out of the park. Every camp in the park and each picnic site where
waste was produced had a ‘dump-and-burn’ site.
When the
technical division took over, it spent about 18 months establishing a waste management
system. Open dumpand-burn sites were replaced by incinerators and a programme of recycling
was introduced.
Dump-and-burn
sites at the picnic spots were closed down and rehabilitated, and rubbish is now collected
and stored in a caged area. When this store is full, the waste is transported to a waste
centre at the nearest camp. All picnic spots, rangers’ posts, entrance gates and bush
camps are equipped with waste storage cages transported to the nearest waste site once a
week.
Waste
management sites are located at a distance from the residential area of the camp –
out of site of the public and downwind of the camp to ensure that odours and smoke from
the incinerators do not reach visitors.
“Our
aim is to ensure that no solid waste remains in the Kruger National Park,” Du Plessis
pointed out. “Recyclable material is sorted and removed from the park by contractors.
What cannot be recycled is burned in controlled incinerators.”
With the
establishment of a controlled solid waste site at Mkhuhlu, about 45 km away, the park is
considering closing down the incinerators at Skukuza. The impact of storing non-recyclable
waste until a full load is available will have to be considered.
Recycling
posed a problem as most camps are very far from recycling centers and the cost of
transporting recyclable material to established centres is considerable.
Financial
and other support from the recycling industry has made the operation possible.
Wet waste
from kitchens as well as waste separated at the waste centres is collected by a local pig
farmer.
Dry waste is
collected from the camp on a daily basis and transported to the waste site where it is
sorted into various categories. Items that can be recycled are separated into various
storage areas. All waste collected during the day is processed on the same day (when the
site is closed at night, there is no unprocessed waste lying around). Sites are locked and
equipped with electric fences to ensure that no large scavengers enter the site after
hours for the safety of the staff and the scavenging animals. Scavenging birds, which are
a common site on municipal dumps, are noticeably absent from the waste site.
Smokeless incinerating
Incinerators are used to dispose of ordinary (non-toxic) waste that cannot be
recycled: paper products, rags and styrofoam containers, among others. The incinerators
comply with clean air regulations and can reach an internal temperature of 740°C, which
is required to burn plastics completely.
Skukuza
operates eight incinerators while most of the other camps operate only one unit. An
unfortunate problem with incinerators is that they produce gases from the incineration
process, including carbon dioxide and other sometimes toxic and corrosive products from
burning Styrofoam and plastics. In spite of the high temperatures, which are necessary to
ensure complete smokeless combustions, burning plastics and wax coated paper produces
toxins such as hydrogen chloride and aromatic hydrocarbons.
Recycling in
the park focuses on three items: plastics, metal and glass. Recycling of paper products
takes place on a small scale but the volume of clean recyclable paper collected in the
park does not justify the effort in collection and many soiled paper items join others in
the incinerators.
Paper is not
considered a major environmental threat as it is degradable and it is not a threat to
animals although it looks unsightly when strewn around. The recycling operation is heavily
dependent on agreements with the recycling and plastics manufacturing industries.
1. Plastics
Plastics
consist mainly of beverage containers and plastic bags. Beverage containers, mainly PET,
are sorted according to colour. The caps are a different plastic so they are removed
before the bottles are compacted. The colour of bottles is important as beverages come in
transparent, green and brown bottles. Transporting the recovered bottles is a problem as
PET containers have a high volume but low weight. Some 30 000 bottles are required to make
up 1 t of PET. Compaction of the bottles solves the problem as compactors reduce the size
in a ratio of up to 5:1. A ton of plastic then requires 7 m³, making transport on an
ordinary, small truck feasible. A petrol-driven compactor has been donated to the Kruger
National Park by various influential players in the plastics industry. Prior to donation
of the compactor, recycling of PET and other plastic bottles was a problem and most were
burned.
Du Plessis
equated the donation to a ‘gift of gold’. He said the baler would enable the
Kruger National Park to reduce the burning of waste in the park by 70% as no more plastics
will be burned. The donation goes hand-in-hand with training in recycling that will cover
aspects like correct identification, sorting and baling of plastic. “We are now
looking into our options of either transporting the baler to the different camps or moving
the waste to Skukuza,” he said.
Other
plastics recycled consist mainly of high-density polyethylene containers and low-density
polyethylene plastic film and bags, which are also compacted, as well as the caps of the
PET and other bottles, which are made of polypropylene
2. Metal cans
Metal containers, including soft drink and beer cans, as well as food and paint
containers, are collected and removed by agents of Collect-a-Can. This operation is also
subsidised. The number of wellaged cans within the piles at the waste centre bears witness
to the extent of the clean-up operations undertaken in the park.
3. Glass
Glass waste consists mainly of beverage and other bottles, which are sorted
according to colour and removed by Consol at regular intervals. This operation is also
subsidised.
The Kruger
National Park does its own waste sorting and disposal unlike municipalities, for example,
where unsorted waste is dumped at landfills and garbage pickers ordinarily sort out the
recyclables, or by private institutions with a professional waste management team, which
handles sorting and disposal.
Future plans
The Kruger National Park has a solid waste management policy and a vision for
the future.
In order to
minimise the effect of solid waste on the ecosystem, all waste will be removed from the
Kruger National Park if feasible. Solid waste production within the park will be minimised
and the recycling of solid waste – for conservation purposes and as a move to reduce
waste – will be maximised. As waste sites are decommissioned or fall into disuse,
appropriate rehabilitation measures must be taken. The effect of solid waste on the
visitors’ experience will be minimised by the implementation and maintenance of an
efficient waste disposal and collection system at all sites.
Staff
camping temporarily in the veld or using patrol huts, research camps, trails camps or
pickets will have to remove their waste when they leave.
The
efficient management of solid waste will be ensured through active intervention, with full
control over management measures being retained, and will be supported by appropriate
monitoring programmes. Solid waste management will be permanently incorporated into any
planning agenda.
Decisions
will not be based on requirements of individual camps/waste sites in isolation but rather
on all components of the waste source, stream and disposal, within the total geographical
area of the park.
The Kruger
National Park will ensure that roads are free of litter by promoting awareness among
tourists and staff alike, co-ordinating regular clean up patrols and soliciting the
co-operation of all staff to pick up litter wherever they find it.
Lessons for
municipalities
The Kruger National Park waste management system succeeds largely because of
the internal focus on the process and because of support and subsidization from various
recycling and manufacturing industries. Recycling is important in waste management in any
community but, in many cases, the cost of ‘harvesting’ recyclables, particularly
transporting plastics to recycling centres, makes the process unattractive and unfeasible.
The
solutions implemented by the Kruger National Park can serve as an example to remote urban
communities.
-----
PLANNING PERSONALITY
Tasneem
Essop - the ‘bush planner’
The
‘bush planner’
Dealing with the planning of an
environmentally-diverse and developmentally-pressured province, such as the Western Cape,
requires a ‘take-no-prisoners’ attitude.
Tasneem
Essop is a born-and-bred District 6 Capetonian. Today she is a Western Cape government
minister with two portfolios: Environment Affairs and Planning as well as Economic
Development.
At the time
of going to press, the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy (PGDS) was out for
public comment.
This
document is the culmination of an extensive policy formulation process in which the
drafting of a Provincial Spatial Development Framework (PSDF), launched in December 2005,
played a prominent role.
Spatial framework
According to Minister Essop, the fundamental approach taken in formulating the
PSDF was the sustainable ‘triple bottom line’ approach. It was important to
consider how to achieve social justice and economic development while maintaining
environmental integrity. Of importance to the Western Cape SDF document and process was
the adoption of a bio-regional planning approach. “We had to do this as we had to
deal with the unique characteristics of the province as well as the constraints,”
said Minister Essop. The Western Cape has massive biological diversity.
In fact, the
Cape floral kingdom has been declared a World Heritage Site.
On the
constraints side, the Western Cape is water-constrained and energy-insecure.
The
provincial SDF therefore also deals with issues such as renewable energy and water demand
management.
The
provincial SDF had to establish a framework to deal with all of these aspects.
Planning
mechanisms were used to identify where the province is going to encourage development.
Areas were defined as either core, buffer or transitional in order that there could be far
more predictability about where people can develop and what kind of developments are
allowed.
This would
also ensure more predictability in the province’s decision-making.
Linked to
identifying areas for development, the department defined very clear urban edges. In line
with national policy, the department encouraged densification and the better utilisation
of land.
Essop
believes this will improve economic viability and hopefully result in the breakdown of the
inherited ‘apartheid town structure’, which included urban sprawl and other
negative aspects, such as the poor being placed on the peripheries of towns.
Exciting
topics placed on the table during the drafting of the PSDF included the role of
architecture and landscapes, and how, for instance, scenic landscapes need to be protected
and maintained in small towns – included as part of the PSDF.
In terms of
economic development, the department identified, in line with the National Spatial
Development Perspective, areas with high growth potential as well as areas of high human
need potential. This was done for the entire province in order to decide where potential
could be unlocked.
Linked to
that is an integrated law reform process. The department plans to integrate legislation on
planning, the environment and heritage – again informed by the triple bottom line.
The ultimate aim is to cut down on the time it takes to make decisions and duplications in
the system.
The costs of
doing business in the Western Cape will hopefully be cut as well.
Metropolitan areas
The role and importance of metropolitan areas is something that should not be
underestimated in provincial planning. Approximately 70% of the Western Cape population
resides in the Cape Town metropolitan area. Therefore a significant portion of the GDP is
also driven by the metro.
In this
regard, Essop’s department is engaging with the metro to deal with longterm economic
strategy and planning. But, according to Essop, the other exciting conceptualization
receiving much attention is consideration of the metro as part of a functional region. It
cannot be seen in isolation of, for example, the Cape winelands or the West Coast/Saldanha
area. Provincial planning should happen within the context of a functional province.
“We are
already starting to see alignment at a municipal level. That is critical because we can
have planning at a provincial wide level but it is important that the municipalities,
especially those that have the critical pressures, grapple with this and define their
local SDFs,” Essop emphasised.
Trade unionist turned
minister
“I am not a town planner and I am not an engineer! In the olden days, we
used to refer to ‘bush economists’ and ‘bush lawyers’, among others.
So I think I am a ‘bush planner’!” Essop said.
Coming from
a teaching background, Essop was an activist and trade unionist prior to 1994.
In the
Western Cape Legislature of 1994, she was spokesperson for economics and finance. During
the coalition government of the Western Cape, her portfolio was Transport and Public
Works. From 2004, she has been working in her current capacity.
“It has
been a wonderful portfolio because it has been very challenging. My biggest problem at the
beginning and, to a certain extent it still is, is that there is a big polarisation
between developers on the one hand and environmentalists on the other hand. And there
shouldn’t be! We have to understand each other’s point of views.”
Responsible
management of the Cape floral kingdom with its precious fynbos is a provincial priority.
Private sector
From the province’s side, there has been a formalised, institutional
relationship with the private sector, called the Provincial Development Council (PDC).
Government, labour, business and civil society are represented on the council, and all
policy initiatives and programmes go through a PDC process.
But, over
and above the institutionalised forums, public participation processes are run around all
programmes and documents. “I am feeling comfortable enough that the kind of critical
mass required for thinking to happen at private-sector level is beginning to emerge. More
and more businesses are actually understanding that we are going to drive a sustainable
triple bottom line approach to development. Fundamentally, the way they are going to do
business has to fit in with that context. It is in their interests to take the triple
bottom line approach in the work they do,” Minister Essop said. The idea is that the
provincial government will not just follow a ‘big stick’ approach but that
developers and the like will eventually begin grappling with the issue of alternative
models for development that can fit in with provincial guidelines.
Minister
Essop admitted that it is important for her department to provide leadership. “One of
the things that I know business wants is transparency in decision-making, predictability
in decision-making, and cutting down on the time it takes to make decisions. This is what
we are offering through the PSDF and the PGDS. When I make a decision or when my
department makes a decision, test us against the guidelines.”
-----
BATTLE OF THE 'BURBS
Potchefstroom:
Oewersig v Miederpark
A ‘typical’ SA town transforms
The
suburbs of Potchefstroom in the North West Province, just two hours from Johannesburg, are
growing in a style characteristic of modern South African urban settlements.
Potchefstroom
was established in 1837 by a group of Voortrekkers led by Andries Hendrik Potgieter, and
was the first capital of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek.
Two of its
most wellk-nown institutions are both located towards the north of the town – a major
military base, which was used in both world wars and became the headquarters of the former
Western Transvaal division of South Africa's armed forces, and Potchefstroom University
(now part of the North West University), established in 1905 when the Gereformeerde Kerk
transferred its theological seminary from Burgersdorp to Potchefstroom. Another feature in
this area is the Potchefstroom Dam on the Mooi River, where bungalows, camping and
caravanning facilities are provided at the Lakeside Resort.
The town
originally grew along the Mooi River, forming a noticeable north-south axis.
Over time,
wealthier suburbs were established to the north, closer to the dam, educational facilities
and a military base while the suburbs south of the town centre were subject to low- to
middle-income development.
Oewersig
Oewersig was established between the 1950s and late 1960s. The township design
is fairly standard although some erven have an irregular ratio of street frontages to
depth of erven. Heilige Akker and the Dam Area originated in much the same way as
Oewersig, and the three areas are very similar in character, development potential and
community profile.
Miederpark
Miederpark was previously the site of the old Klopperville ‘location’
until its residents were resettled at Itsoseng, Ledig and Ikageng during the early 1960s.
The area was then redeveloped into a standard township layout guided by more modern
planning principles with very little that is innovative or outstanding about the
suburb’s layout.
Land use
Oewersig 6/10
•
Low densities
•
Residential
Oewersig and
its sister suburbs, Heilige Akker and the Dam Area, are situated to the north of the town,
and comprise low-density residential developments only with about 9 units/ha. Bounded on
the west by major arterials, the individual suburbs are isolated and much smaller than
Miederpark. They are therefore less diverse although they are located close to
‘excellent’ schools. To date, limited densification has taken place in the area
by way of subdivisions and Res 2 development.
Although
limited densification is allowed adjacent to the arterials, the land uses are likely to
remain the same over the next five years.
An
interesting mix of architectural languages and interpretations lends diversity to the
suburb of Oewersig.
Miederpark 6/10
•
Some sub-divisions
•
Limited mixed use
Boxed in by
the Potchefstroom town centre to the north and other developed suburbs to the west,
Miederpark is bounded on the east by Mooi River Drive, and on the south by agricultural
holdings and the town’s sewage works.
The
predominant land use is Res 1 with two small neighbourhood centres comprising
unprepossessing shopping centres and service stations.
The area has
a few churches but proximity to schools is limited.
According to
Thinus de Jager of PLANCentre Town Planners, limited densification has taken place to date
by way of subdivisions and Res 2 development, and the density is about 10 units/ha.
A
neighbourhood shopping centre in Miederpark has an industrial quality, and is surrounded
by a large expanse of parking.
Accessibility
Oewersig 6/10
•
Only local traffic
•
Limited access
Oewersig and
Heilige Akker are both bounded by Van der Hoff Street on the west while the Dam Area is
bounded by Tom Street. Each suburb has only two access points to these arterials.
The area in
between Oewersig and the Dam Area is occupied mostly by university facilities while
Heilige Akker, further south, is separated from Oewersig by the university’s sports
grounds. All three are bounded on the east by the Mooi River.
The isolated
nature of the suburbs around the dam, together with a lack of social amenities, means that
the only traffic is created by residents accessing their homes.
Miederpark 7/10
•
Grid pattern
•
Peak hour traffic
The major
access route to Miederpark is via Kerk Street through the town centre, with three
additional access points on the east from Mooi River Drive, and access from Louw Street on
the west. Miederpark forms part of the greater southern suburbs and is laid out on a grid
pattern, which eases access. This, together with additional social amenities, means that
the suburb experiences a heavier internal traffic flow.
Miederpark
is separated from the Mooi River and its adjacent green belt by Mooi River Drive – a
busy arterial.
Development potential
Oewersig 6/10
•
Isolation limits
expansion
•
Some second dwellings
Potchefstroom
is experiencing increased urbanization and pressure for development.
But, at this
stage, this still seems to be on a relatively small scale. In Oewersig, Heilige Akker and
the Dam Area, limited development will be allowed along the arterials only and there is no
potential for expansion due to the isolation of the suburbs.
A
spokesperson for the City Council of Potchefstroom explained that a densification study
was conducted in these areas in 1996 and another was done in 2006. The general feeling is
that residents do not want densification to take place. When people apply for rezoning of
properties in the future, a minimum erf size will be specified.
However
across the river from Oewersig and Heilige Akker, on the Mooi Vallei Landbouhoewes (small
holdings), several high-income residential developments are being planned.
The dam and
its accompanying recreational activities is attractive for development but Oewersig cannot
really accommodate any additional densification.
Miederpark 7/10
•
Government-owned land
•
Town and cluster
housing
In
Miederpark, there are still about 52 open, governmentowned stands that can be developed.
Theunis
Kruger from TG Kruger Estate Agents noted that, in all likelihood, these will be used for
lower- and higher density residential developments (Res 2 and 3) such as townhouses and
clusters, as well as small commercial enterprises like shops and offices.
While
expansion to the south is largely blocked by swamps and sewage works, resulting in lower
land values, there is limited opportunity for development in existing agricultural areas.
In
Miederpark, residential development to date includes applications for second dwellings and
subdivisions.
The future
will most likely include more medium- and high-density residential development
applications.
Environmental quality
Oewersig 9/10
•
Open spaces
•
River amenity
Oewersig,
Heilige Akker and the Dam Area are all located on the banks of the Mooi River with open,
grassy banks and access to the stream within easy walking distance for all residents.
Because the
river is so accessible, it almost appears to be an extension of the individual stands. An
additional feeling of openness is created by this open space being linked to the sports
fields of the university. The impression is that the homes and gardens are well-integrated
with a high-quality urban green belt. And, presumably because of their proximity to this
natural water source, trees are well-established and gardens are lushly vegetated, making
the suburb deeply shaded and tranquil. The Oewersig properties open onto the Mooi River,
making it an integral part of the suburb.
Miederpark 6/10
•
Parks under-developed
•
Impact of arterials
Miederpark
is also located near the Mooi River but it is separated from the stream and its adjacent
green belt by Mooi River Drive, which is a busy arterial. The river therefore does not
form an integral part of the suburb and is seldom used although it does afford a view of
green space for some homes.
Isolated
parks within the suburb are under-developed as public green spaces and stand as islands in
the neighbourhood. No expansion for new open spaces is possible as the area is well
established and the potential for usable, attractive green spaces is more likely to happen
through the upgrading of the existing parks.
Removed from
the river, Miederpark appears to be a suburb exposed to the fairly harsh climatic
conditions of the North West.
The
area’s churches and houses generally have large, well-kept, sunny gardens and
indigenous grasses grow freely on the many untended open stands.
A feeling of
openness is created by the bird sanctuary on the southern side of Miederpark, as well as
open erven and the swamps.
Community and sense of
place
Oewersig 8/10
•
Middle to high income
•
Sense of openness
According to
De Jager, Oewersig, Heilige Akker and the Dam Area are home to a community of white- and
blue collar workers, with a middle to higher level of income. Because of their proximity
to the university, and the established nature of the suburb, residents are often
university personnel or retired people. Land values average about R1,2-million, depending
on the property.
The houses
in Oewersig, Heilige Akker and the Dam Area generally have three to four bedrooms with two
bathrooms and one or two garages. The buildings are single-and double-storey dwellings,
and about 40% are architecturally designed. This interesting mix of architectural
languages and interpretations lends diversity to the area.
The town
planning design is fairly standard yet the limited size of the suburbs (about 100 erven)
and the abundance of open space give the area a unique and homely feeling.
Fewer
boundary walls have been built and the houses acknowledge the street. This helps to
maintain the sense of openness and gives the area a feeling of having grown organically
over time.
Properties
in the Dam Area are sought-after due to the tranquil atmosphere and their proximity to the
university and schools.
Miederpark
•
Young families
•
Affordability a
driving factor
Closer to
the town center and the industrial area of Potchefstroom, Miederpark is a younger
development and is generally more suitable for young families because of the more
reasonable property prices. The community also comprises a mixture of white and
blue-collar workers but at a more middle-income level.
Property
values average at approximately R700 000 to R800 000.
Miederpark’s
houses are generally more modern in style. The buildings are single-storey and tend
towards a more ‘spec house’-type architecture with fewer unique characteristics.
The houses
respond more obviously to the grid pattern of the street blocks with clearly demarcated
boundaries.
The
unremarkable housing types, resulting from a need for security and affordability, tend to
make the area less distinguishable from other South African towns and suburbs.
The
character of the homes is therefore expressed more on an individual level through the
choice of colour and layout of gardens. Although there is a greater diversity of building
typologies than in Oewersig, the isolated shopping centres and service stations, together
with the large, featureless parks, tend to break up the residential fabric.
Miederpark is a typical North West province suburb with open, sunny gardens.
Conclusion
Oewersig: 35/50
Miederpark: 31/50
It appears
as if the communities of both suburbs have been determined by the individual historical
development of each, together with their location in relation to natural and man-made
resources.
And both of
these factors have had a direct impact on the land values.
As a
‘typical’ South African town with a valuable political, social and cultural
history, Potchefstroom faces many of the issues that confront urban settlements around the
country. It will be interesting to see just how sensitively the densification of existing
suburbs and the establishment and development of new suburbs is handled, and what the
effect will be on the way of life of people living in the town.
-----
INSPIRATION
Private intervention for public good
Material
from excavations at Melrose Arch in Johannesburg is being used to revamp the nearby James
and Ethel Gray Park.
Melrose Arch
has contributed R5-million towards the upgrading of the James and Ethel Gray Park in
northern Johannesburg, and Johannesburg City Parks has approved the proposal that will
transform the park into a meaningful public recreation area.
In February
2006, Melrose Arch management was approached by representatives of the Birdhaven
Ratepayers Association requesting a donation towards the largely-underutilised park.
Melrose Arch Development company director Nicholas Stopforth told Urban Green File that an
integral part of the philosophy of a successful high-density, mixed use development would
be convenient access to a ‘green lung’. For Melrose Arch, this is the James and
Ethel Gray Park, which is a component of that peripheral open space system.
At the moment
The park does not offer comprehensive recreation amenities and is steeply
sloped in many areas, limiting its use for recreation purposes. Site maintenance mainly
involves mowing the expansive 36 ha of grass.
From a
security perspective, access through the park is not controlled and the park is partially
fenced with different types of fencing. Criminal activity has also labeled it an unsafe
environment’.
The
Sandspruit running through the park has been canalised within an unsightly, and
potentially dangerous, concrete and brick channel, which has in turn suffered severe
erosion and degradation. The natural flow of water is also limited so it has degraded and
silted to a large extent.
Proposed improvements
The primary tree structure will be left undisturbed. Interventions will be
mainly along the open grassed areas and the stream, altering unpleasantly steep slopes to
increase useable recreation spaces, improving the ecological functioning of the park,
increasing bio-diversity, reducing the amount of maintenance the park requires, and
improving safety and surveillance.
Danie Rebel
of Uys and White Landscape Architects, appointed by Melrose Arch for this project,
explains that the new landscape will be a fusion of manicured grass areas, natural
vegetation and ‘endemic’ habitat.
“Usability
of the park will be increased by creating a number of terraces or platforms,” Rebel
explained. “The existing landscape will be re-moulded through a landfill exercise
over a period of a few months – Melrose Arch will provide organic and sub-base
material from its basement excavation to create the terraces, which will be grassed in a
manicured fashion to allow for multifunctional play areas.”
For walkers,
the embankments between the platforms will be a maximum slope of 1:3 and will be covered
with native grass and tree species to reintroduce the highveld eco-system.
The
re-grassing of the platforms will consist of instant ‘kweek’ sods and a
temporary manual irrigation system while the embankments will be hydro- seeded with an
appropriate seed mixture.
While a few
scattered trees will be affected during the upgrade process, they will be replaced with at
least three times the amount of indigenous species, according to Rebel. Topsoil will also
be stripped and stockpiled, and replaced over the landfill at the end of the operation.
Several other amenities have been proposed for the first phase, including fencing, park
furniture, walkways and ablution facilities.
The second
phase will create the improved water habitat and attenuation, and the third will provide
open space commercial activities essential for the long-term sustainability and vision of
the park.
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INSULT
Park as dumping site
Development
pressure in the Sandton area is beginning to take its toll as building rubble is being
dumped in a park.
Elsewhere in
Johannesburg, dumping of building material is also happening but not in a co-ordinated
manner.
The southern
portion of the George Lea Park, located at the corner of Sandton Drive and William Nicol
Drive, has been used for this purpose.
There is
provision for a number of activities on the rest of the park, including the Sandton Sports
Club, a garden refuse dump site and a seemingly under-utilised children’s play area.
Many people
have long campaigned for multi-purpose use of our parks. Rightly so but, if the various
activities are not properly managed and clearly demarcated, this could be an open
invitation for people to use parks at their own convenience with little regard for the
broader community.
Although the
dumping of the rubble is not extensive at the moment, intervention is required before we
lose the precious green spaces of Johannesburg.
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TREE OF THE ISSUE
Celtis
sinensis
An urban tree
The
Celtis sinensis grows successfully in the urban Western Cape, according to David Curran of
the City of Cape Town.
The City of
Cape Town’s Parks Department has, for a number of years, used Celtis sinensis in its
landscaping, especially within the CBD.
The
indigenous Celtis Africana (‘white stinkwood’ or ‘camdeboo’) was
planted in the past but without much success. It does not enjoy the sometimes hostile
climatic conditions characteristic of the peninsula.
Celtis
sinensis, however, has flourished and some good specimens can be found at the top end of
St Georges Mall in the centre of Cape Town, along parts of Main Road in Sea Point and most
other parts of the city.
The
difference between Celtis Africana and Celtis sinensis can be, to the untrained eye,
almost difficult to distinguish and many people still believe that this is the indigenous
variety.
Celtis
sinensis forms a good, rounded crown and reaches a height of between 8 m and 15 m. It
offers soft filtered shade and is ideal in pedestrian malls, along sidewalks as a
‘street tree’ and in community parks. It is, like other Celtis species,
deciduous and therefore allows sunlight through in winter.
The flowers
are inconspicuous but small fruit is produced in fairly large quantities, turning from
green through yellow to black as it ripens. It is easy to cultivate from seed.
The root
system is not aggressive but, like all trees, the roots can, over time, become
problematic, especially when planted around paving or along sidewalks and it is suggested
that, prior to planting, a protective root barrier is incorporated to prevent damage.
Large
specimen trees have also been successfully transplanted within the city.
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