Department of Urban and Regional Planning

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Browsing Department of Urban and Regional Planning by Author "Moffat, Frank"

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    Exploring town-gown developmental paradigms : A case of University of Venda's 'Univen Town concept'
    (2017-05-18) Moffat, Frank; Anyumba, G.; Ingwani, E.; Gondo, T.
    University towns or town gown relationships are increasingly becoming an accepted developmental narrative between institutions of higher learning and their host communities. The University of Venda was mandated by the Honourable Minister of Higher Education and Training Dr. Blade Nzimande, in October 2014, to devise a university town strategy aimed at developing Thohoyandou and its rural environs to become a university town. The University of Venda in its approach towards the development of a university town has adopted the new governance approach of formulating innovative collaborative partnerships with its surrounding stakeholders that include Limpopo Premier’s Office, Vhembe District Municipality, Thulamela Local Municipality, VBS Mutual Bank, Madzivhandila Agricultural College and Traditional leaders. The study approach adopted quantitative research method. Its centre piece was the Optimal College Town Assessment (OCTA) a quantitative tool which was utilized to gather data from the representatives of the university and Thohoyandou town stakeholders. To test the town and gown developmental paradigm, this study explored student housing development possibilities as a manifestation of university-community partnerships. The study findings highlight that existing town-gown relationships between the University of Venda and its stakeholders are categorized as traditional relationship type which is characterized by low effort and higher comfort level. Institutional context roles that the University of Venda should play in the successful development of town-gown partnerships were also established. The study identified the factors essential for the development of viable and functional innovative collaborative university-stakeholder’s partnerships for the University of Venda and the town of Thohoyandou and its stakeholders. The study findings also show that there is potential for student housing development when there are positive town-gown relationships. This is in line with the calls from South Africa’s Ministry of Higher Education and Training expectations to resolve student housing backlogs facing public universities. This study recommends the improvement of town-gown relationships and it provides a conceptual model indicating the building blocks that the university should adopt to develop successful, innovative, viable and functional town-gown partnerships.
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    Spatial transformation in the City of Polokwane, South Africa (1996-2016)
    (2021-06-23) Moffat, Frank; Chakwizira, J.; Ingwani, E.; Bikam, P.
    The World urban population is increasing rapidly, in a context in which small, intermediate towns and cities have been found to be inadequately prepared to manage such pressures. One area in which cities have been underperforming is tracking spatial transformation. This study explores spatial transformation in the City of Polokwane from 1996 to 2016. The problem in the study area is that City of Polokwane lacks an integrated framework for tracking spatial transformation. The objectives of the study were to, (i) analyse the legislative and policy framework directions for spatial transformation in the City of Polokwane (ii) map spatial transformation in Polokwane City using spatial indicators, (iii) analyse the drivers of spatial transformation in the City of Polokwane (iii) establish the implications of spatial transformation in the City of Polokwane and (iv) develop an integrated framework for tracking spatial transformation in small and intermediate cities in South Africa. A pragmatic paradigm philosophical approach underpins the study, supplemented by mixed methods research approach and case study strategy. The sample size for the study comprised of 588 households, it was calculated using the Raosoft online sample size calculator. The sampling procedures adopted in this study include purposive sampling, snow ball sampling and stratified random sampling method, resulting in the proportional distribution of the sample in the following nodal areas; Polokwane (327), Seshego (184) and Mankweng (77). The primary data sources for this study included; household spatial transformation questionnaire survey, key expert interviews, observations, and mapping. Secondary data sources included institutional documents and records, key spatial transformation textbooks, geospatial data sets, internet and library datasets where the researcher accessed relevant information on spatial transformation in the City of Polokwane. Data analysis on the 116 mesozones polygons that are linked to the GIS databases containing 1996, 2001, 2011, 2016 census data was guided by the dimensions of spatial transformation mapping triad linked to relevant spatial indicators. The spatial indicators employed agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis, to generate choropleth thematic maps using ArcGIS depicting empirical spatial transformation in the City of Polokwane from 1996 to 2016. Quantitative data analysis was aided with Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) for descriptive statistics and exploratory factor analysis (EFA), to determine the drivers and implication of spatial transformation in the City of Polokwane. Qualitative data analysis in this study employed content analysis to gain an in depth understanding of spatial transformation and guide development of an integrated framework for tracking spatial transformation in small and intermediate cities. This was augmented with the use of Atlas.ti, for generating word cloud guided by deductive reasoning approach, and research questions from the study within the purview of critical discourse theoretical framework. The findings for the study provide the following contributions to knowledge on spatial transformation; (i) legislative and policy directions on spatial transformation in the City of Polokwane (ii) maps showing empirical evidence on spatial transformations in the City of Polokwane (1996-2016) (iii) drivers of spatial transformation in the City of Polokwane (iv) social, environmental, economic, government/policy and spatial planning implications of spatial transformation in the City of Polokwane (v) an integrated framework for tracking spatial transformation in small and intermediate cities in South Africa.
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    Urban decay and regeneration strategies in small towns : a case study of Thohoyandou , South Africa
    (2024-09-06) Magubane, Philani Brandon; Ingwani, Emaculate; Moffat, Frank; Nyamwanza, Shylet
    Evidence of urban decay in small South African towns has been increasingly discernible over the years. Undoubtedly, other small rural towns face a myriad of challenges attributable to historic apartheid planning. They are distressed and underperforming despite having urban regeneration strategies in place. Small towns are faced with high poverty, unemployment, and a lack of economic vitality and diversification, creating a high degree of stagnation and urban decay. This complexity has been exacerbated by the vulnerability to Covid-19 pandemic stress, adding new challenges affecting their liveability and vitality. This resulted in renewed interest in small towns’ regeneration by the South African government to foster the developmental role of small towns. This dissertation contributes to the debate on how to improve current regeneration strategies in small towns focusing on Thohoyandou Town Central Business District (CBD). This study's objectives were threefold: firstly, to characterise urban decay through mapping, secondly, to investigate the causes and thirdly, to recommend a framework for sustainable small town urban regeneration. This study adopted a case study research design, augmented by the mixed method research approach. The SW Maps mobile application was used to gather geospatial data on urban decay in Thohoyandou Town CBD. This was complemented by questionnaire data collected from 202 participants and 3 key informants’ interviews. The spatial data were analysed through ArcMap geospatial analysis tools to produce maps reflecting the spatial extent and intensity of urban decay in Thohoyandou Town CBD. The data attained from study participants were analysed through ATLAS. ti, Microsoft Excel, and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) using thematic analysis and descriptive statistics. The study findings are that empirically Thohoyandou Town CBD is grappling with urban decay. This is caused by several key blockages, including poor urban management and planning, poor service delivery, the Covid-19 pandemic, implementation challenges caused by political interference, lack of monitoring and evaluation system, lack of policy alignment, and poor governance and inadequate institutional capacity linked to staff shortages with appropriate expertise. The implications of these findings are that current strategies are limited and outdated. The current urban regeneration strategy needs to be revised to enhance policy alignment, considering other funding modalities and establishment of special public entities to implement the strategies. More importantly, successful regeneration of small towns requires resources, patience, and commitment. Therefore, a stronger political will, effective governance, public-private cooperation, and institutional capacity are required to enable small rural towns to remain viable and transform into viable, vibrant and liveable cities.