Botswana Journal of Technology

Urbanisation, infrastructure provision and household livelihood improvements in Tlokweng, Botswana

2014-02-25T16:37:30+00:00

The objective of this paper is to establish the impacts of access to infrastructure on improvement of household welfare using the peri-urban settlement of Tlokweng as the case study. The paper is based on a study that administered a semi-structured questionnaire to a sample of 105 randomly selected households, 48 from the unplanned and 57 from the planned parts of Tlokweng. The study found that, even though there are still some problems of access to the provided infrastructure, those households that had access realised some improvements in their livelihood. In particular, households reported that having access to electricity and waterborne sewerage enabled them to charge higher prices for houses they rent out, hence increasing their earnings. The paper concludes that if barriers to infrastructure access could be adequately addressed, provision of improved infrastructure in urbanising settlements could lead to enhanced household welfare.

Key words: Urbanization; infrastructure; Tlokweng; livelihoods; peri-urban

Peri-urbanisation and the evolution of land rights in Greater Gaborone: the case of Tlokweng

2014-02-25T16:37:31+00:00

This paper attempts to account for Tlokweng’s resilience against informal land transactions prevalent on city fringes in many developing countries. It notes that, despite being one of the first Botswana villages to urbanise, Tlokweng, unlike most peri-urban settlements around Gaborone, has (until the late 1990s) been able to strictly observe customary land- tenure practices. In addition, and contrary to evolutionary theory of land rights predictions, customary land-tenure practices have neither become unstable nor led to mismanagement of land resources in the village. The village has been devoid of the illegal and chaotic land transactions and developments that have characterised other peri-urban villages. This paper highlights the various strategies adopted by Tlokweng communities to resist informal land transactions as well as the factors that encourage quasi-legal land transfers. It ends with some recommendations on the way forward.

Key words: Tlokweng; urbanisation; customary land rights

Persistence of urban-rural linkages among men and women in Botswana: the case of low income residents in Gaborone

2014-02-25T16:37:31+00:00

This paper examines the nature of the linkages that men and women residing in low-income residential areas in Gaborone maintain with families in their home villages. It is based on quantitative data taken from a study undertaken a few years ago. The data reveals that both men and women maintain linkages with their rural kin through practices such as participation in social andeconomic activities, ownership of property, and exchange of money and goods as well as visits. The majority of the people interviewed felt that urban residence had strengthened social ties with their rural-based family members. Most viewed Gaborone as a place to work in and their village as their real home. There were no significant gender differences in the linkages.

Keywords: Migration; urban-rural Linkages; gender

Social impacts of rural-urban transformation

2014-02-25T16:37:32+00:00

The crux of this paper is on sociological aspects of the transition of people from rural to urban living environment. It is strongly acknowledged that the traditional rural settlements of indigenous African communities have fallen victims of historical underdevelopment, hence the need for accelerated development of their living environment. This paper argues that physical migration of people to urban areas has not yielded appropriate answers to the cultural needs of individuals and communities. The result of such urban settlements as those attempted in South Africa’s Apartheid concept of Black townships, hostels and the recent Reconstruction and Development Programme has compromised the sociological integrity of the people. Ignoring cultural values of spatial use has tended to force social and cultural reorientation into their new living environment. However, this paperdoes not attempt to explore or provide planning solutions, as those have to be specific to particular geographical and cultural communities.

Keywords:Rural-Urban Transformation, Cultural principles, Social behaviour, Emotional connection

Managing urbanising rural settlements in Botswana: A case study of Kanye

2014-02-25T16:37:34+00:00

Urbanising rural settlements form a significant proportion of urban settlements in Botswana. About 59 percent of Botswana’s urban population is accounted for by this emerging genre of settlements. State policies and strategies aimed at the management of these settlements are contained in various planning documents aimed at different spatial levels. This paper looks at how the different plans contribute to the management of the urbanising settlements. Through an empirical investigation of Kanye, the paper argues that the majority of the plans play a marginal role in the growth and expansion of urbanising rural settlements. This is attributed to a complex interplay of both structural and operational challenges that range from problematic alignment of the plans, inadequate definition of responsibilities over plan implementation and management and absence of budget commitment for most of the planning documents. The apparent challenges cast doubt on the justification for the continued preparation of the plans in their current form.

Key words: Urbanising rural settlements; Kanye

Long-term histories of land use and rapid urbaniSation of rural areas: A case study of Gaborone and its hinterland

2014-02-25T16:37:35+00:00

This article examines the inter-linkages between sustainable planning and current procedures of archaeological impact assessment (AIA) in the context of urban expansion in Botswana. The case of Gaborone is used to demonstrate how land allocation for urban development operates in a legislative vacuum with regard to the safeguarding of archaeological sites in their landscape context. This is problematic not only because it endangers the preservation of the cultural heritage of the country but also because it drastically alters a natural and cultural landscape. The authors reflect on how consideration of the long-term history of a landscape can and should contribute to urban planning strategies that, through the incorporation of concepts such as historical urban landscapes and sustainable social and economic development, could lead to a more equitable management of land and socio-economic resources in areas of rapid urbanisation.

Keywords: Urbanisation; Gaborone; sustainable management; urban planning; archaeological landscape

Towards a framework for the densification of urbanising areas in Botswana: the case study of Palapye

2014-02-25T16:37:36+00:00

Current urban development in Botswana tends to be in a low-density outward-growth manner on the fringes of urbanising areas. Such growth constitutes sprawl and is visible in most urbanising areas of Botswana. The main assertion of this paper is that inadequate planning intervention and lack of coordination among those involved in land-use policy plays a major role in causing low-density outward growth. A case-study method is employed together with analysis of both primary and secondary data sources to highlight the extent of sprawl in these urbanising areas. It is argued that densification will help in achieving sustainable development by increasing gross residential densities and focusing development around built-up areas and transit routes, while discouraging further outward growth. The paper proposes smart growth strategies to encourage the densification of urbanising areas. Smart growth strategies produce a supporting framework for focusing growth to inner areas, thus making growth transit-accessible. It promotes higher density and more compact development with integrated land use.

Keywords: Densification; Sprawl; Smart Growth