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Elsieskraal: River restoration as urban catalyst
Water is one of the main issues of the 21st century. Climate change and biodiversity loss, driven by human development, underscore the need to restore a harmonious relationship with the planet. The current global action plan to achieve this is the United Nations' 2030 Agenda, which outlines specific...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | Eng |
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School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics
2024
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| _version_ | 1867613180567486464 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Moss, Dennis |
| author2 | Ewing, Kathryn |
| author_browse | Ewing, Kathryn Moss, Dennis |
| author_facet | Ewing, Kathryn Moss, Dennis |
| author_sort | Moss, Dennis |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Water is one of the main issues of the 21st century. Climate change and biodiversity loss, driven by human development, underscore the need to restore a harmonious relationship with the planet. The current global action plan to achieve this is the United Nations' 2030 Agenda, which outlines specific goals (SDGs) to promote sustainable development. Sustainable development cannot be achieved without “significantly transforming the way we build and manage our urban spaces” (United Nations, 2015). As urban practitioners, we have a large role to play in SDG 11, with its mission to “make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable” (United Nations, 2015). This requires a comprehensive understanding of the human- and natural capital available to us, and the ways in which these resources can be employed at different scales and varying contexts. With half of the world's population now living in cities, it is in the urban environment where intervention is most crucial. Africa, in particular, is set to undergo rapid urbanisation, with estimates that its population of 1.1 billion will double by 2050 (WWF, 2020, p. 4). This will require strategic planning. Rather than contributing to the problem, resilient cities can be “the source of solutions” (UN General Assembly, 2016, p. iv). How we manage water will be key to this success. This research project will explore the effects that river restoration can have on urban transformation. The focus will be the Elsieskraal River, which flows from the Tygerberg Hills to the Black River, through “the most diverse and densely populated range of suburbs” in Cape Town (Brown, 2009, p. 135). A series of design interventions, guided by a multi-disciplinary, systems-based approach, and informed by theory, best practice and policy, will test the potential catalytic impact of river restoration in an urban setting. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/40373 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | Eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:32:00.945Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| publishDateRange | 2024 |
| publishDateSort | 2024 |
| publisher | School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics |
| publisherStr | School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/40373 Elsieskraal: River restoration as urban catalyst Moss, Dennis Ewing, Kathryn Architecture, Planning and Geomatics Water is one of the main issues of the 21st century. Climate change and biodiversity loss, driven by human development, underscore the need to restore a harmonious relationship with the planet. The current global action plan to achieve this is the United Nations' 2030 Agenda, which outlines specific goals (SDGs) to promote sustainable development. Sustainable development cannot be achieved without “significantly transforming the way we build and manage our urban spaces” (United Nations, 2015). As urban practitioners, we have a large role to play in SDG 11, with its mission to “make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable” (United Nations, 2015). This requires a comprehensive understanding of the human- and natural capital available to us, and the ways in which these resources can be employed at different scales and varying contexts. With half of the world's population now living in cities, it is in the urban environment where intervention is most crucial. Africa, in particular, is set to undergo rapid urbanisation, with estimates that its population of 1.1 billion will double by 2050 (WWF, 2020, p. 4). This will require strategic planning. Rather than contributing to the problem, resilient cities can be “the source of solutions” (UN General Assembly, 2016, p. iv). How we manage water will be key to this success. This research project will explore the effects that river restoration can have on urban transformation. The focus will be the Elsieskraal River, which flows from the Tygerberg Hills to the Black River, through “the most diverse and densely populated range of suburbs” in Cape Town (Brown, 2009, p. 135). A series of design interventions, guided by a multi-disciplinary, systems-based approach, and informed by theory, best practice and policy, will test the potential catalytic impact of river restoration in an urban setting. 2024-07-05T12:57:37Z 2024-07-05T12:57:37Z 2024 2024-07-05T11:05:20Z Thesis / Dissertation Masters http://hdl.handle.net/11427/40373 Eng application/pdf School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment |
| spellingShingle | Architecture, Planning and Geomatics Moss, Dennis Elsieskraal: River restoration as urban catalyst |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | Elsieskraal: River restoration as urban catalyst |
| title_full | Elsieskraal: River restoration as urban catalyst |
| title_fullStr | Elsieskraal: River restoration as urban catalyst |
| title_full_unstemmed | Elsieskraal: River restoration as urban catalyst |
| title_short | Elsieskraal: River restoration as urban catalyst |
| title_sort | elsieskraal river restoration as urban catalyst |
| topic | Architecture, Planning and Geomatics |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/40373 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mossdennis elsieskraalriverrestorationasurbancatalyst |