Humby, Tracy-LynnSnyman, Louis Gerhardus2020-09-152020-09-152019Snyman, Louis Gerhardus (2019) Environmental spatial planning:achieving sustainable development in sensitive areas, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, <http://hdl.handle.net/10539/29663>https://hdl.handle.net/10539/29663Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in the School of Law at the University of the Witwatersrand, February 2019South Africa is at a crossroads. Near stagnant economic growth and rising levels of poverty are at the top of the political agenda. In response, the state has adopted a rapid developmental growth strategy in an attempt to build an efficient economy that makes inroads into reversing a legacy of social and economic marginalisation. In a rural context, this includes supporting large industrial developments which include extractives-related activities that exploit precious natural resources. The status quo has positioned many state-sanctioned development plans on a collision course with the sustainable utilisation of sensitive natural landscapes. It is thus vital to investigate how planners and decision-makers appropriately reconcile the seemingly conflicting environmental, social and economic considerations that constitute ‘sustainable development’. This fine balancing exercise requires tough compromises to create harmony between imperatives deeply embedded in the language of rights. The two intersectional areas of law at the centre of this debate are environmental management and spatial planning; each of which prescribe numerous tools that attempt to operationalise the balancing of the often conflicting imperatives within ecologically and culturally sensitive areas. The difficulty in managing development in sensitive areas is the application of interconnecting, yet often conflicting, legislative and governance systems. Therefore, the key research questions are: How are spatial planning and environmental management paradigms being applied in sensitive areas in South Africa? Moreover, what are the chief factors inhibiting or promoting the effective use of spatial planning and environmental management to achieve a reconciliation between development and conservation in sensitive areas? Lastly, what are the legal dimensions of these questions, if any? The purpose of this study is thus to suggest ways in which spatial planning and environmental management can be better integrated to achieve the desired outcome of sustainable development in sensitive areas. Although this is a pressing issue, little empirical research has been conducted in this specific area and previous work has failed to address the specific legal, institutional and operational obstacles that exist in creating a cohesive and inclusive system.Online resource (287 leaves)enUCTDEnvironmental managementSpatial planningLawSensitive areasSustainable developmentLandscape approachEnvironmental spatial planningCity planning--South AfricaEnvironmental management--South AfricaThesis