Post-1994 South African university infrastructure: a critical study of the framework and spatial principles to guide future developments
Date
2024
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Abstract
Due to the lack of institutional guidelines for the development and expansion of universities in South Africa a need exists to study and understand the key challenges facing its 26 universities. This doctoral research evolved from the researcher’s urban design and architectural work in practice which, over the past fifteen years, has included urban design for a number of university campuses and their spatial development frameworks. Through this practice-based work it became clear that no institutional guidelines for the development and expansion of universities in South Africa exist. A need was therefore identified for the study of existing campus master plan documents and international campus planning literature to pinpoint the elements, principles, configurations and methodologies in order to guide universities in producing integrated spatial design and development frameworks for their campuses. Apart from a lack of guidance from national government, the increasing pressure on the national fiscus to provide funding for the expanding needs of universities is forcing institutions to re-consider methodologies towards expanding, improving and implementing their infrastructures, buildings and spaces. These alternative planning methods also imply broader partnerships to ensure long-term sustainability and relevance within the South African context. The role of collaboration with the host city or community is becoming increasingly relevant and the development of ‘place-based universities’ must be seen as critical in order to ensure long term sustainability. Recent international research demonstrates that universities are valuable stakeholders within their broader context, making them instruments of regeneration in engaging future developmental necessities. In light of the above, the research objectives are in principle three-fold. Firstly, to establish what spatial principles guide well-functioning university campuses; secondly, which methodologies are used to achieve this; thirdly, to research approaches towards achieving improved integration and collaboration of university campuses with their host cities, communities and stakeholders. The research methodology in this study focuses on the literature review dealing with the historical development of universities and the analysis of their spatial forms, as well as in-depth reviews of 25 contemporary university campus masterplans from across the world, in order to establish normative spatial design guidelines. These findings are then used to analyse the 26 South African universities with their 92 sub-campuses in order to offer improved insights into their challenges and characteristics. The same principles are also used to assess and reflect on the researcher’s
practice-based work, with a specific focus through in-depth case studies of the University of the Witwatersrand, the University of Johannesburg (especially the Rand Afrikaans University campus) and the recently established Sol Plaatje University. This thesis is organized in three parts, featuring eight chapters. The first part outlines the research problem, including the review of relevant literature and adopted methods of inquiry. The second part covers the analytical study, including case study descriptions, categorisations and performance analyses. Finally, the third part summarises and discusses the results of this research project and makes an institutional recommendation on how these can continue to be taken forward in both practice and research
Description
A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the degree Doctor of Philosophy to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, School of Architecture and Planning, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023
Keywords
Universities infrastracture, South African universities