Mark Oranje | University of Pretoria (original) (raw)

Papers by Mark Oranje

Nearly a decade after the University of Pretoria instituted a course in Town and Regional Plannin... more Nearly a decade after the University of Pretoria instituted a course in Town and Regional Planning in 1959, a study commissioned by the Human Sciences Research Council into ‘the Demand for and Supply of Town and Regional Planners’, found amongst other things the status of the ?edgling profession to be low, and its numbers small (180 in the country, versus approximately 9 500 Engineers, 1 000 Architects and 450 Land Surveyors)1. Today, ?fty-one years later, the situation is very different: ‘Planning’ and ‘Planners’ are crucial contributors to the national pursuit of a better life for all through (1) empowering people, (2) enabling places, (3) facilitating rapid, sustainable, shared, inclusive and equitable economic growth and (4) building robust, responsive and resilient institutions for service delivery and transformation, both in and outside the State. And, equally exciting, with humanity on the verge of its biggest transition in terms of place of settlement, social organisati...

Urban development control in South Africa has of late come under attack from a number of sources.... more Urban development control in South Africa has of late come under attack from a number of sources. This has led to a lively debate on the future of urban development control as such. In this article the need for a system of urban development control for South Africa is argued with the emphasis on the appropriateness of such a system. Six arguments in support of this view are presented. This is followed by a discussion of some of the characteristics of what is deemed to be an appropriate system, or should otherwise form the basis of such a system

Coal and Energy in South Africa

This chapter discusses two problems within Emalahleni: the poor communication between the municip... more This chapter discusses two problems within Emalahleni: the poor communication between the municipality, the community, and the mines; and strategic planning without critical information. It emphasises the problems experienced in long-range planning when the large mining houses are unable or unwilling to share the plans with the municipality regarding the extension or closure of coal mines in the area. Despite the growing calls for the elimination of coal for power generation as part of the international climate change agreements, with the concomitant implications for the coal-dependent economy of Emalahleni, the municipality and community, and some mines assume that coal will fuel the economy in the near future.

Mining and Community in the South African Platinum Belt: A Decade after Marikana, Jun 1, 2021

Enabling equitable social service delivery and promoting sustainable rural development remain key... more Enabling equitable social service delivery and promoting sustainable rural development remain key challenges within South African rural areas. Fiscal constraints, the high cost of social service provision and growing rural settlements increasingly require social investment and associated enabling infrastructure to deliver services to rural residents and improve their well-being. The need and value of developing consolidated rural service towns that are well provided with social services, to act as anchors and focus for rural and regional development, is one of the key levers proposed to support spatial transformation in the Draft National Spatial Development Framework (NSDF 2019). To successfully implement such a regional development approach in a low economic growth context, however, requires that the rural-regional development approach is underpinned by a targeted network of social service nodes together with the necessary enabling infrastructure. Successful implementation will re...

The 21 st century calls for new approaches to urban planning theory and practice, in the context ... more The 21 st century calls for new approaches to urban planning theory and practice, in the context of failed but unchanging approaches to planning (UN-Habitat, 2009). What is increasingly clear is that there is an urgent need for the "worlding" of planning epistemology, theory and practice to emerge from within a context, a place that considers the real, the practical, the basic and the strategic essentials beyond the generalisations of theory and practice that emerge from elsewhere (Roy, 2009; Parnell, 2016). This research draws from practice within the global south, from an important and ordinary city, Durban, South Africa. It delves into the everydayness of planning practice-it explores and uncovers the importance of land use planning knowledge as a point of focus, confrontation and an opportunity to (re)think practice. The research identifies planning knowledges as a deliberate "space" and a future research agenda to theorise from and for planning practice. A multi-conceptual framework was used in this research, in a practical and advocacy manner to guide and make sense of the empirical findings. In particular, communicative planning theory, institutionalism, the culturisation of planning, power and rationality, and phronesis proved to be useful and relevant. The research uncovers the narrow and "expert" defined approach to constructing land use planning knowledges, professionally and institutionally. It reveals the many roles of such knowledge, in particular the spatial development framework, lower levels of spatial plans and town planning schemes. The research also uncovers the philosophy, ideology, interests, agendas, relationships, power, conflicts and compromises embedded in the (re)development of land use planning knowledge for practice. It both confirms and "maps" the social relations involved in the (re)development of planning knowledges for practice, including the making of national and local government planning legislation. Multiple qualitative research methods were used in this research, including institutional ethnography, focus groups, and the review of key documentation and interviews with a multiplicity of stakeholders. Beyond understanding the contemporary dynamics of land use planning knowledge in practice, the research explored what a multiplicity of stakeholder knowledges could mean for planning. What emerged are two very separate planning ideologies. The first is steeped in

Town and Regional Planning, May 1, 2012

This article discusses the way in which the Department of Town and Regional Planning at the Unive... more This article discusses the way in which the Department of Town and Regional Planning at the University of Pretoria is using three sets of projects in which it has participated over the past twelve years in revising its planning curricula. These three projects, namely improving intergovernmental development planning; enhancing community-based planning, and presenting and participating in capacity-building and certificated short courses, are discussed, in conjunction with what faculty experienced and observed, and what lessons were learnt with regard to the Department's planning curricula. This is followed by a discussion of the implications of the experiences and lessons learnt in the three projects for planning education on a more generic level. HEROORWEGING VAN BEPLANNINGSOPLEIDING AAN DIE UNIVERSITEIT VAN PRETORIA Hierdie artikel bespreek die wyse waarop die Stads-en Streekbeplanningsdepartement aan die Universiteit van Pretoria drie stelle projekte waarin die Departement gedurende die laaste twaalf jare betrokke was, gebruik om sy beplanningskurrikulums te hersien. Die drie projekte, naamlik die verbetering van interregeringsontwikkelingsbeplanning; die versterking van gemeenskapsgebaseerde beplanning, en die aanbied en deelname in kapasiteitsbou en gesertifiseerde kortkursusse, word bespreek tesame met dit wat die lede van die Departement ervaar en gemerk het, en die lesse wat geleer is ten opsigte van die Departement se beplanningskurrikulums. Dit word gevolg deur 'n bespreking van die implikasies van die ervarings en die lesse geleer in die drie projekte vir beplanningsopleiding op 'n meer generiese vlak. HO TADIMA HAPE MORALO WA THUTO MANE YUNIVESITHING YA PRETORIA Ho ya kamoo Lefapha la Moralo wa Toropo le Lebatowa le sebedisang dikarolo tse tharo tsa tshebetso (diprojeke) le bileng la kena kateng ditabeng tsena dilemong tse mashome a mabedi tse fetileng, ho tadimeng hape moralo wa dikharikhulamo oo ho buisanweng ka wona. Ditshebetso tse tharo, e leng ho ntlafatsa moralo wa ntshetsopele o kopanetsweng le mmuso; ho matlafatsa moralo o theilweng hodima baahi; le ho fana le ho kenela ho bopeng bokgoni le dithuto tse kgutshwanyane tse fanang ka lengolo la dithuto ho buisanwa ka tsona, ha mmoho le ho re ke lefapha lefe le fetileng moo esitana le ho bona le hore ke dithuto dife tse ithutilweng malebana le moralo wa dikharikhulamo wa Lefapha. Taba ena e hlahlangwa ke mathata a tseo ho thulanweng le tsona le dithuto tseo di ithutilweng ditshebetsong tsena tse tharo tsa moralo wa thuto boemong ba kakaretso bo nammeng.

Town and Regional Planning, 2008

This article discusses the City Improvement District as a recent phenomenon in urban South Africa... more This article discusses the City Improvement District as a recent phenomenon in urban South Africa. The reason for doing so stems from a lack of basic information on the concept in the local literature. The findings, based on a study conducted in the second half of 2004 and including all the Improvement Districts in operation in the country at that time, are presented in three key areas of the concept – land use profiles, financial aspects and services rendered. This is done within the context of the international situation with regards to the concept, and compared with an international study conducted in 2003, as basis.

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In this article the argument is made that the once visionary profession of planning lost its focu... more In this article the argument is made that the once visionary profession of planning lost its focus on the future. This is done through an analysis of the nature of planning, its identity and the place of utopia in its make-up, and the deployment of the metaphors of 'loss' and 'need'. In accordance with this reading it is argued that it is imperative for planning to restore this relationship, not just for its own soul and sanity, but especially so for those who benefit from its endeavours. Following on from this, a set of suggestions is made as to how this can be achieved, both in the theoretical approach to planning and in actual practice. The article is concluded with a cautionary note on the potentially inappropriate application of these future-seeking and shaping ideas. Beplanning en[/in] die toekoms : die plek vir utopiese denke en utopiese denke oor plek In hierdie artikel word geargumenteer dat die eens visionere professie van beplanning sy fokus op die toekoms verloor het. Dit word gedoen deur 'n ontleding van die aard en identiteit van beplanning en die plek van utopiese denke in beplanning, asook 'n ondersoek na wat 'verloor is' en waaraan daar tans behoefte is. Na aanleiding van die ontleding word daar verder geargumenteer dat beplanning se verhouding met die toekoms weer herstel moet word, nie net ten einde sy siel en 'rede vir bestaan' te vind nie, maar veral ter wille van diegene wat baat by beplanningsintervensies. Teoretiese en praktiese voorstelle word gemaak oor hoe 'die toekoms' weer 'n belangrike rol kan speel in beplanning. Die artikel word afgesluit met 'n waarskuwing teen die onvanpaste toepassing van hierdie toekoms-soekende en toekoms-vormende idees.

Town and Regional Planning, 2012

Town and Regional Planning, 2011

In this article, it is argued that South Africa's post-1994 dream is marked by a tension betw... more In this article, it is argued that South Africa's post-1994 dream is marked by a tension between servicing and transformation – mutually supporting, but potentially also divergent set of intentions, processes and outcomes. Towards the end of 2006 the national Presidency in South Africa embarked on an ambitious project of using the spatial logic and principles of the National Spatial Development Perspective (NSDP) to structure a process of high-level intergovernmental and civil society dialogue, strategising, plan-preparation, resourceallocation and implementation in all District Municipalities in the country over a three-year period. This project, in which both authors were intensively involved, is used to illustrate this tension and need for convergence and balance between servicing and transformation. The project context and key planning and governance challenges are described, the project outcomes highlighted, possible explanations for the findings probed, and the lessons lea...

Abstract: Since coming to power in 1994 successive ANC-governments have engaged in a series of at... more Abstract: Since coming to power in 1994 successive ANC-governments have engaged in a series of attempts at national spatial development planning in South Africa. These engagements have received scant treatment in the planning literature. In this paper a broad overview of these initiatives is provided, with an emphasis on the different instruments; the context in which they were developed; the institutions that were proposed and/or created in support of the instruments; and the extent to which the instruments were implemented and what their levels of success were. The paper concludes with a call for comparative research, including South Africa, in this arena.

Town and Regional Planning, 2014

Despite rapid advances and sizeable middle-class formation in many African countries, development... more Despite rapid advances and sizeable middle-class formation in many African countries, development planning is still frustrated by the absence of reliable, relevant and up-to-date data. Even though South Africa is in a more fortunate position with regard to the availability of such data, it also has data gaps, notably with regard to informal economic activities in the rural areas of the country. This exploratory article engages the use of proxy indicators to provide cues as to the state of a local economy. The article explores the relationship between a number of potential proxy indicators and the national economy in order to identify those proxy indicators that mirror the national economy. An interview approach was used to test the identified indicators in three small towns in order to establish whether the nationally determined proxies reflect economic trends in practice. The six proxy indicators that closely mirrored the local economies of the three sampled towns represent a modes...

For many young planners, the noble intentions with going to planning school seem starkly out of p... more For many young planners, the noble intentions with going to planning school seem starkly out of place in the neoliberal worlds they have come to inhabit. For some, the huge gap between the power they thought they would have and what they actually do is not only worrying, but also deeply discouraging. But for some others, practice means finding practical and creative solutions to overcome challenges and complexities. How do young planners in different settings respond to seemingly similar situations like these? What do they do – give up, adjust, or fight back? What role did their planning education play, and could it have helped in preparing and assisting them to respond to the world they are encountering? In this edited volume, stories of young planners from sixteen countries that engage these questions are presented. The sixteen cases range from settings with older, established planning systems (e.g., USA, the Netherlands, and the UK) to settings where the system is less set (e.g.,...

An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Association of African Planning Schools Con... more An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Association of African Planning Schools Conference on Planning Curricula, 5-8 October 2010, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

The article provides an overview of the transformation of the planning function of the City of Ts... more The article provides an overview of the transformation of the planning function of the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (CTMM) read against the study by Flyvbjerg (1998) of the Aalborg Project. It focuses specifically on the human experience of the transformation process and the influence that power relations had on the outcome thereof. The study is historically situated within the broader context of the restructuring of local government in South Africa following the advent of a democratic dispensation in 1994. Theoretically it is dealt with both from the perspective of organisational theory and that of contemporary planning theory. The analysis shows that the CTMM is still a strongly managerialist environment where power is vested in the organisational hierarchy. It furthermore shows that democratic ideals are yet to precipitate in the day-to-day operational activities of the municipality. The lack of regard for people is highlighted as a serious flaw in the transformation...

Stads- en Streeksbeplanning, 2010

This article reviews the various attempts at national spatial development planning that have been... more This article reviews the various attempts at national spatial development planning that have been introduced in South Africa over the past eighty years. It demonstrates that, despite the ostensible support for national planning during this period, such plans and proposals rarely had a direct impact on the conduct of government business. Using both the authors’ personal experiences with the most recent such ‘plan’ – the National Spatial Development Perspective – they seek to explain why such planning initiatives are so difficult to introduce and implement. Key in this regard, they argue, is that while most national planning initiatives are formulated in a control paradigm common to more local planning contexts, the plans have to function within a complex and tightly interwoven national, provincial and local system that is essentially incompatible with such a paradigm. The historical overview, they argue, suggests that such a national spatial planning intervention would require a far ...

The quest for sustainable human settlement is not new. For over a century a central tenet of mode... more The quest for sustainable human settlement is not new. For over a century a central tenet of modern town/spatial/development planning1, alongside the tenets of equity and efficiency in resource allocation and utilisation, has been exactly that (Howard, 1970; Hall, 1996; Oranje, 1998; Taylor, 1998; Pinson, 2004). What is, however, new is the growing focus, along with those of advocacy and persuasion, on the use of science and technology, to ensure more sustainable development. Dubbed ‘sustainability science’, this novel perspective, has not yet been demarcated and defined as an autonomous field or discipline, or a unique field/area of study, but rather as a “...vibrant arena that is bringing together scholarship and practice, global and local perspectives from north and south, and disciplines from across the natural and social sciences, engineering, and medicine” (Clark and Dickson, 2003: 8060).