TECHNOLOGY
leaving practitioners to react to safety concerns instead of planning for safety from the outset. As part of its learning interventions, SACN runs the Urban Safety Reference Group, which brings together professionals from different disciplines to share experiences and to produce research that shapes better policy and implementation across government. In November, the Reference Group is launching its 2018 State of Urban Safety Report.
Although engineering firms are looking at what an‘ African city’ looks like, Bickford shares that South Africa has a problem of dual cities. For instance, Sandton versus Alexandra, or Johannesburg’ s central business district( CBD). Residents of areas like Sandton question how tech savvy the city can be,“ while at the other end of the spectrum, you can’ t.‘ Smart’ does not always mean tech— it’ s more about thinking innovatively in dealing with basic issues. How do you deal with the social inequality and special economic inequality we see?” he asks.
Judging from the differences found from country to country, continent to continent, and region to region, it is clear that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to urban development.“ The aim is to allow controlled densification in such a manner that it is more cost effective to service developments in the long term. The other goal is to provide attractive, liveable spaces.
While many countries have built tall buildings to house people, if this is not linked to access to public spaces for recreation and socialising, the environment becomes sterile and unattractive to live in. Building thousands of tall glass boxes is not the answer, even though us engineers love the challenges that come with these buildings. We need to build dense suburbs with fiveto six-storey buildings surrounded with a hierarchy of access roads and walkways to make transport efficient and safe,” advises Du Plessis.
Complexities of urban development
With any project, there will always be challenges. The one major challenge that professionals frequently experience, is to become involved only after the project has commenced. Kyra Rautenbach, environmentally sustainable design( ESD) consultant at Aurecon, says,“ Our impact is limited when we’ re not included in the development early. We want to drive thinking and set a standard of sustainability into all of the designs; then it becomes easier to achieve the end goal.”
“ We can offer advice and our own best-practice ideas, but it is up to the client whether or not to implement suggestions and / or
recommendations,” Rutherford says.
Du Plessis laments that housing cannot be built at the current rate of urbanisation.“ We cannot deliver quick enough. There is so much pressure and it is unlikely that we will get ahead of it. What we could do is to provide serviced land where people have the land with reserves for transport and services, and people can thereafter build their own houses. Then areas will have a framework for connecting a hierarchy of roads and service. We have to think of innovative ways to relieve the pressure,” he shares.
Ngobese outlines disparities that the SACN has found in governance.“ To what extent do we respond to the needs of the people? Systems are challenged by listening in, giving people what they want and what they say they need.” She mentions the bicycle lanes seen in parts of Johannesburg that have now doubled as parking for cars. It raises questions on whether the communities were consulted prior to implementation.“ It’ s counter-intuitive to put lanes where people do not pass or never use. This leads to wasteful and fruitless expenditure,” she adds.
According to Ngobese, it is important for engineers to be empathetic— because the user is a person. Engineering designs need to work around the people it is meant to service. Bickford agrees, saying
Aurecon
Kyra Rautenbach, environmentally sustainable design( ESD) consultant at Aurecon.
Aurecon
Abbas Jamie, director for innovation and transformation at Aurecon.
Aurecon
Martin Smith, Aurecon technical director: buildings, Gauteng.
28- CEC October 2018