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The role of professionals in partnership-based urban upgrading interventions

In South Africa, current urban planning models and traditional state-led urban interventions seem to have noticeably failed to sustainably address the integrated problems that are evident in informal settlements throughout the country. In the case of many current urban interventions, professionals g...

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Main Author: Malan, Johanna
Other Authors: Van Ryneveld, Mark
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Department of Civil Engineering 2019
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access_status_str Open Access
author Malan, Johanna
author2 Van Ryneveld, Mark
author_browse Malan, Johanna
Van Ryneveld, Mark
author_facet Van Ryneveld, Mark
Malan, Johanna
author_sort Malan, Johanna
collection Thesis
description In South Africa, current urban planning models and traditional state-led urban interventions seem to have noticeably failed to sustainably address the integrated problems that are evident in informal settlements throughout the country. In the case of many current urban interventions, professionals give technocratic solutions to problems in informal communities with little to no consultation or engagement with the affected community. The result is often that community's needs are not sufficiently met and the community is not capacitated to take full ownership of the solution. More often than not the intervention (technocratic solution) becomes mismanaged, underutilised and inevitably the solution is proven to be unsustainable. This phenomenon has highlighted the need for a new approach to addressing the needs of informal settlement dwellers. In recognition of the need for a new approach, this case study of a partnership-based urban upgrading intervention is conducted in order to make realistic recommendations regarding the value of professionals in partnership-based urban upgrading interventions as opposed to top-down interventions. The primary research question of this case study is thus: what lessons can be learnt about the role of the professional in partnership-based urban upgrading interventions by gaining insight on a successful partnership-based intervention? The Genius of SPACE (GOS) partnership, based in the informal settlement of Langrug in the Stellenbosch Municipality is used as the topic of the case study to answer the research question. The GOS partnership was initially formed to address greywater management and stormwater drainage challenges in the settlement. A capability analysis approach is utilised as a theoretical tool to investigate all of the different assets which might be available to the professional to contribute to addressing the social as well as the technical challenges that the GOS partnership aims to address. This tool ultimately contributes to the development of clear guiding principles for technical professionals working in urban upgrading partnerships. Some key guidelines for technical professionals in partnerships emerge from the case study and clearly show that a developmentally aligned partnership should ultimately be able to utilise not only technical abilities and skills but also social expertise to facilitate community mobilisation strategies that allow for highly responsive upgrading processes to ensure long-lasting structural as well as social change.
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language eng
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license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2019
publishDateRange 2019
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spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/29385 The role of professionals in partnership-based urban upgrading interventions Malan, Johanna Van Ryneveld, Mark Brown-Luthango, Mercy Urban Infrastructure, Design and Management In South Africa, current urban planning models and traditional state-led urban interventions seem to have noticeably failed to sustainably address the integrated problems that are evident in informal settlements throughout the country. In the case of many current urban interventions, professionals give technocratic solutions to problems in informal communities with little to no consultation or engagement with the affected community. The result is often that community's needs are not sufficiently met and the community is not capacitated to take full ownership of the solution. More often than not the intervention (technocratic solution) becomes mismanaged, underutilised and inevitably the solution is proven to be unsustainable. This phenomenon has highlighted the need for a new approach to addressing the needs of informal settlement dwellers. In recognition of the need for a new approach, this case study of a partnership-based urban upgrading intervention is conducted in order to make realistic recommendations regarding the value of professionals in partnership-based urban upgrading interventions as opposed to top-down interventions. The primary research question of this case study is thus: what lessons can be learnt about the role of the professional in partnership-based urban upgrading interventions by gaining insight on a successful partnership-based intervention? The Genius of SPACE (GOS) partnership, based in the informal settlement of Langrug in the Stellenbosch Municipality is used as the topic of the case study to answer the research question. The GOS partnership was initially formed to address greywater management and stormwater drainage challenges in the settlement. A capability analysis approach is utilised as a theoretical tool to investigate all of the different assets which might be available to the professional to contribute to addressing the social as well as the technical challenges that the GOS partnership aims to address. This tool ultimately contributes to the development of clear guiding principles for technical professionals working in urban upgrading partnerships. Some key guidelines for technical professionals in partnerships emerge from the case study and clearly show that a developmentally aligned partnership should ultimately be able to utilise not only technical abilities and skills but also social expertise to facilitate community mobilisation strategies that allow for highly responsive upgrading processes to ensure long-lasting structural as well as social change. 2019-02-06T13:08:01Z 2019-02-06T13:08:01Z 2018 2019-02-06T07:45:20Z Master Thesis Masters MPhil http://hdl.handle.net/11427/29385 eng application/pdf Department of Civil Engineering Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment University of Cape Town
spellingShingle Urban Infrastructure, Design and Management
Malan, Johanna
The role of professionals in partnership-based urban upgrading interventions
thesis_degree_str Master's
title The role of professionals in partnership-based urban upgrading interventions
title_full The role of professionals in partnership-based urban upgrading interventions
title_fullStr The role of professionals in partnership-based urban upgrading interventions
title_full_unstemmed The role of professionals in partnership-based urban upgrading interventions
title_short The role of professionals in partnership-based urban upgrading interventions
title_sort role of professionals in partnership based urban upgrading interventions
topic Urban Infrastructure, Design and Management
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/29385
work_keys_str_mv AT malanjohanna theroleofprofessionalsinpartnershipbasedurbanupgradinginterventions
AT malanjohanna roleofprofessionalsinpartnershipbasedurbanupgradinginterventions