Browsing by Author "Lawhon, Mary."

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Application of the concept of the sustainable city in low-income housing areas : a case study of Ambleton housing area, Msunduzi Municipality.
(2006) Alokwu, Cyprian Obiora.; Fincham, Robert John.; Lawhon, Mary.
The growing urban population in South Africa has challenged the government's ability to provide adequate housing for the urban poor. In order to respond to the challenges, the government embarked on the initiative of providing Low - Income Housing (L1H). There is, however, a growing concern that these L1H developments may not be sustainable due to a number of reasons, including issues relating to land use and sub- standard construction of houses. There is need to make these L1H areas more sustainable. This can be done by employing the concept of the sustainable city. The concept in recent times has been considered by many people as an ideal to which cities should aspire. The main thrust of this study is to evaluate the concept of the sustainable city in the context of L1H in Ambleton, a settlement constructed by the government to relocate people from illegal, informal settlements within the inner city especially those found adjacent to the industrial areas. The study focuses on the issues of land use in L1H. This focus on land use is underpinned by the fundamental views that land use contributes to urban sustainability. As a result, it is necessary to examine ways in which land is being used in L1H areas and see if the current land use in Ambleton contributes to sustainability. The study shows that some people are satisfied with the amount of open spaces around their houses. Many others, however, are not satisfied because they considered open spaces in .their yard inadequate. Furthermore, public open spaces are not properly managed because there are no services to manage it. In the same vein, people have to travel long distances to get to their places of work and town for economic and leisure activities. Similarly, the provision of waste services and medical services in the study area is grossly inadequate. The study argues on that basis that the above scenario is not in accordance with the concept of sustainable city and can not therefore contribute to, the sustainability of the area of study.
Environmental issues in the South African media : a case study of the Natal Witness.
(2004) Lawhon, Mary.; Fincham, Robert John.
The media has had a significant impact on spreading environmental awareness internationally. The issues covered in the media can be seen as both representative of and an influence upon the heterogeneous public. This paper describes the environmental reporting in the South African provincial newspaper, the Natal Witness, and considers the results to both represent and influence South African environmental ideology. Environmental reporting in South Africa has been criticised for its focus on 'green' environmental issues. This criticism is rooted in the traditionally elite nature of both the media and environmentalists. However, both the media and environmentalists have been noted to be undergoing transformation. This research tests the veracity of assertions that environmental reporting is elitist, and has found that the assertions accurately describe reporting in the Witness. 'Green' themes are most commonly found, and sources and actors tend to be white and men. However, a broad range of discourses were noted, showing that the paper gives voice to a range of ideologies. These results hopefully will make a positive contribution to the environmental field by initiating debate, further studies, and reflection on the part of environmentalists, journalists, and academics on the relationship between the media and the South African environment.
Factors that influence environmental teaching : a case study of Ngqeleni District, Eastern Cape.
(2005) Gxaba, Nobuntu Judith.; Fincham, Robert John.; Lawhon, Mary.
This study investigates factors that influence environmental teaching in rural schools in the Ngqeleni District, Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Focusgroup interviews at selected schools for Grade 4 to 6 teachers were held between 7th and 22nd November 2005. The study shows that the environmental curriculum, teacher qualifications and training, resources, attitudes of teachers and learners, governance and the context, influence the implementation of environmental teaching. The study reflects that teacher qualifications and training are the most limiting factors and need to be addressed immediately because environmental curriculum is not effectively delivered. Recommendations provided entail that teachers need to be included during the curriculum planning process together with curriculum experts from the Department of Education. The Department of Education also needs to effectively plan teacher training and extend the training period for teachers. Intersectoral collaboration within government in terms of how teachers are trained might also be helpful for better environmental teaching. A buddy system in which schools form environmental support groups might be helpful to keep on building local experience and capacity at the local level. Teachers are supposed to be part of the pUblishing process of resource materials to ensure relevance of resource materials to their contexts. A traveling resource centre with DVD's, for example, for shOWing different contexts beyond local level might also be helpful. Further training of teaching staff and the use of study trips for the best classes of pupils might also motivate learners and teachers.
Implementing environmental policy requirements in low-cost housing in South Africa : a case study of Msunduzi Municipality.
(2007) Karemera, Pascal.; Fincham, Robert John.; Lawhon, Mary.
In 1994, the South African government set in place an ambitious plan to reduce the housing backlog and eradicate slums by 2012. The delivery of housing is subject to the South African National Environmental Management Act of 1998 that seeks to ensure sustainable resources use towards sustainable development of all activities. However, the question is whether or not reality matches the policy’s vision. One concern which arises is that the high demand for housing and the speed with which delivery of low-cost housing is occurring may compromise the environment. This study examines the challenges of implementing environmental policy requirements in low-cost-housing, using the case study of Ambleton in the Msunduzi Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. In attempting to assess the challenges of implementing environmental management policy requirements of the housing policy of 1994 and NEMA of 1998, four key challenges were identified: understanding environmental policy requirements, institutionalising capacity and cooperation, resolving conflict of values among stakeholders, and recognising budget constraints. The key participants in the study were officials from the provincial departments of Housing and the Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs, Msunduzi Municipal officials who implement the policy, including the Ward Councillor of Ambleton and the Service Provider. The methodology used to gather data was observation, in-depth interviews, and document review. It was revealed in the study that the understanding of policy requirements amongst key stakeholders is limited and that the institutional capacity is limited in terms of skills, coordination, and physical capacity. Different priorities of stakeholders play a major role in budget and priority setting by government, which affect the implementation of environmental policy requirements. It was pointed out by municipal staff that there is a shortage of funds for meeting all environmental policy requirements. Also explored were possibilities for improving environmental policy implementation. These include making environmental policy requirements in housing and NEMA more explicit to enhance stakeholders’ understanding, and enforcing compliance by environmental monitoring and audits. There is also a need for increased capacity building as well as improving coordination for better implementation of environmental policy requirements in low-cost housing.