Advanced Spatial Analysis and Modelling Platforms in Support of Integrated Planning and the Sustainable Development of South Africa’s Cities and Regions
Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) Seminar Series, 04 July 2011
Maria Coetzee and Dr. Louis Waldeck
“Redressing spatial development distortions and the fragmentation of human settlements lies at the heart of many of South Africa’s major development challenges. A rigorous and shared understanding of spatial development patterns and trends and the driving forces that shape them are crucial for planners and decision-makers to make robust and sustainable plans and to better inform investment decisions. As part of its drive to support South Arica’s developmental state, in which spheres and sectors cooperate and coordinate to realise its development path, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) has identified the need for rigorous spatial and temporal evidence to promote a shared understanding of past, current and possible future development patterns and trends. The DST commissioned the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) to develop an integrated information and modelling platform to support integrated planning, development and service delivery for South Africa. This seminar will focus on introducing two of the geo-spatial modelling and analysis platforms developed for the purpose of the project namely: The Regional Spatial Profiler
Contribution of key economic sectors as percentages to total Gross Value Add (GVA): Agriculture and Forestry (SIC1) – percentage GVA
“The purpose of the Regional Spatial Profiler is to enhance the spatial evidence used in regional planning processes, by making available comparable spatially disaggregated sets of regional scale spatial information on current and past trends in the form of thematic maps with a national coverage through a web-based portal, customised to address the requirements of integrated and spatial planning officials at district/regional and provincial planning offices. End-users from four case study areas namely the Amathole District Municipality, the Cape Winelands District Municipality, the Mangaung Local Municipality and the Ugu District Municipality were involved in a collaborative living laboratory process to collaborate on the development of the platform.
“Urban Simulation
“The focus of this project component is to develop and implement an open source urban simulation platform for the modelling of a series of possible spatial urban growth patterns over a 30-year period in the context of a range of economic, demographic and spatial planning policy scenarios. The implications of these will be assessed for long-term planning, policy-making and infrastructure investment decisions in the major metropolitan regions of South Africa namely; the Gauteng Global City Region, the Thekwini Metropolitan Municipality, the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality and the City of Joburg.
“The evidence generated by these platforms is distributed via the Spatial Temporal Evidence for Planning SA (www.stepSA.org) web portal to ensure that users can easily find and download relevant information to better inform their planning processes.”
