3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://wiredspace.wits.ac.za/handle/10539/45
Browse
4 results
Search Results
Item A critical analysis of how Independent Power Producers (IPP’s) can help to secure a sustainable future for post-mining towns in South Africa through new models of architectural practices, to promote the renewal of architecture as a means of creating new realities and being drivers of sustainable change(2018) Harrison, Peter CarletonThis thesis aims to understand the role that Independent Power Producers (IPP’s) can play in the renewal of architectural firms in creating new realities and how these firms can once again become drivers of social change. Kathu (Northern Cape), a steel mining town, is facing the reality that it will have to survive without a mining house and the community funding that results from its operations soon. There are three IPP’s within a 50km radius of Kathu. Under the current funding structure all 3 IPP’s have to contribute to socio-economic development (SED) and enterprise development (ED) within Kathu. According to the Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme (IPPP’s), IPP’s are required to provide 1% of gross turnover to community funds for SED and ED development programmes. Where this funding differs from funding obtained from mining houses is that renewable energy is effectively limitless. Despite IPP’s having a projected lifespan of 20 years they will continue to be redeveloped and upgraded. These upgrades will allow for longevity of revenue, which in turn allows for sustained support for the communities surrounding them. Funding structures that are being used to disseminate mining house funds to the communities are suffering from governance issues. This means that the communities do not receive the most effective or necessary forms of development. Through a new typology of architectural practice, the way these funds are managed and utilised can create better environments for those communities. This new typology of architectural firm must move away from the corporate and profit driven nature of modern architectural firms and more towards a ‘Rural Studio’ model. This is where the primary focus is on the community and how to best serve the needs of the people. In doing so SED projects would be more effective in bringing about social change, creating new realities for communities and drivers of sustainability in post-mining towns in South Africa.Item Success factors for urban brownfield redevelopments in South Africa(2017) Goosen, Johan JacobusThis research sought to identify the key success factors associated with industrial brownfields site redevelopment projects in urban areas of South Africa. Nine such success factors were identified from international and local literature. Through documentary research, three brownfield case studies in Johannesburg were investigated. These included the Newtown Cultural Precinct, the Egoli Gas site and the AECI Modderfontein site. Commonalities includes location within the urban edge, original industrial land use, and the redevelopment intent of the landowners. Aspects differing among the sites include distance from the inner city, size, the certainty of contamination and redevelopment success. Based on the findings of the three case studies, the nine success factors were refined. The factors are no or low contamination, brownfields policy maturity, certainty regarding liability for remediation, risk-based land use options, favourable market conditions, quick funding access with rapid statutory approvals, readily available municipal services and transport infrastructure, and strong political and community support. The case study findings provide indications towards generalisation for success factors that may apply to future brownfields projects. Further research required includes a larger database of brownfields redevelopment case studies to be developed for South African, in order to further test associated success factors.Item (Re)mining wastelands: a landscape approach to unlocking the latent potential of Johannesburg’s brownfield sites(2017) Wilken, CharldonThe modern day cultural landscape of man is no longer shaped by mere geology – but by the forces of culture, economics, social activity, politics and technology (Silva, 2012). Still, there are cases where geographical scars divide the cityscape, leaving voids in infrastructure and islands of open space within a thriving metropolis around these vacant patches of land. These vacant patches of land are often termed brownfield sites – once productive infrastructural components actively contributing to the formation of cities and industry. The mining belt of Johannesburg and some of its surrounds (particularly the area around the Heidelberg interchange and Faraday taxi rank) is a classic example where open patches of land exist, surrounded by a concrete jungle which is Johannesburg – “a world class African city” (joburg. org). According to Steyn (2007) the rate of urbanisation in Africa far exceeds that of the western world, which means that un-programmed, unprotected open land becomes soft targets for those prospecting ‘statistics’ flocking to the city – lured by the illusion of opportunity. Centrally located open land therefore becomes an extremely valuable commodity – a commodity that may aid in dealing with the rapid urbanisation issues that 21st century cities face. Not only are urbanities of the 21st century confronted by issues of rapid urbanisation and urban sprawl, but these urbanities need to combat issues in three omnipresent spheres – environmental, social and economic. It is within urban planning that these spheres have their closest overlap (Un-Habitat, 2009) and it is within this overlap that the concepts of resilience and sustainability can be best explored. As a result of their primary use, these fragmented wastelands are not well-suited for living, but do sometimes become the dwelling places of people willing to live in sub-standard living conditions. The mining belt of Johannesburg and its immediate surrounds is littered with brownfield sites - sites that share the characteristics of polluted, underutilised, fragmented, large stretches of vacant land, and are lacking in programme and urban form. This dissertation aims to pioneer a type of urban design uniquely developed for urban void landscapes – leftover sites otherwiseknown as brownfields – whilst addressing greater issues of sustainability and resilience. The study strives to understand how a landscape approach to urban design can be applied to revive and reclaim the drosscapes of Johannesburg. By reviewing a body of literature surrounding the theme of sustainable urbanism and investigating theories such as landscape urbanism, ecological urbanism, and compact cities, combined with understanding the life cycles of brownfield sites and how these sites can be revived to aid in solving issues faced by the 21st century city, the designer hopes to distill a set of urban design principles that can be applied over a variety of scales and integrated with other disciplines to revive brownfield sites and transform them into productive urban landscapes. Additionally, the designer endeavors to express the value of centrally located land; bridge the divide created by post-industrial landscapes; understand brownfield remediation processes and time-lines; integrate urban programmes and systems and link to and expand existing urban networks, based on the assumption that the drosscapes of Johannesburg possess the latent potential to positively add new dimensions to the current urban conditionItem Landscapes in transition: a holistic approach to re-mediating social, economic and environmental ecologies disfigured by mining(2017) Liechti, Matthew HansThe memories associated with mining are vastly contrasting; ranging from nostalgic recollections of the fortune on which Johannesburg was built to the torturous conditions the miners had to endure both above and below the surface. The essay by the author entitled “Memory retention and cessation in the historical and present context of South Africa and abroad” aims to engage with critically, and explore, the field of memory in relation to mining and broader issues. It is of great importance when establishing a heritage project that the people who engage with it must be able to do so without causing distress or emotional anguish. Can a contextually relevant space be created for the housing and display of such memories? This research report views remediation through a holistic lens that is an approach to the project in its entirety. Remediation is viewed as an approach to solving the fractured nature of Benoni, separated by mining and Apartheid planning, creating ‘buffer zones’ between previously racially orientated areas. The site is a previous ‘buffer zone’ and has not changed its function since it was constructed in 1888. The toxic, disused land offers an opportunity to reclaim what industry has taken away from ‘nature’. Can this ‘buffer zone’ be activated to connect the segregated suburbs of Benoni further? Remediation will also be used as a vehicle for the regeneration of the site, with the aim to return it to a similar ecological state as it was before the mining industry began to alter it. The site has been scarred by the mining industry for over 128 years, polluting both the surface and the sub-surface environment. Can the effects of the temporary environmental degradation be neutralised? The reprocessing of the mine dump has initiated the remediation process, removing around 40 million tonnes of waste (“Transvaal Has Largest Dam In the World” 1950, Vol 56, No. 15 731) from the site, re-mining it, and sending the waste to selected dump sites across the Rand. The Remediation of Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) will reduce the associated noxious effects on the local biosphere, induce a ripple effect further downstream the Blekboskpruit and further on towards the Vaal Dam, where we obtain our drinking water. This example of passive AMD remediation aims to stand as a watershed project that may be adopted and adapted at other sites with similar needs. Is the use of a low-tech, passive wetland system appropriate for AMD remediation and the site? This project aims to be a cultural precinct to objectively display the history of mining in Johannesburg. It does so while being a functioning centre for AMD remediation, in pursuit of solutions for the damage that our mining legacy has had on the landscape and the environment. The Urban Mining facility seeks to create a flagship electronic waste (e-waste) recycling centre that will not only have a positive impact on the local environment but reduce the amount of e-waste being transported illegally to developing countries around the world. Keywords: Acid Mine Drainage, Urban Mining, Remediation, Mining Museum, Benoni