Design for the Future: Educational Institutions in the Gulf

Despite a distinguished heritage of learning in the Middle East, the expansion of provision for higher education is currently at an unprecedented scale. The Gulf States, in particular, are seeking to keep up with accelerated population growth and a demographic ‘youth bulge’. Guest-Editor Kevin Mitchell describes the architectural approaches employed in the design of institutions in the region from the first universities in Saudi Arabia to Foster + Partners's ground-breaking sustainable design for the Masdar Institute in Abu Dhabi and future projects.     

Measuring the severity of transboundary freshwater conflict: structural vs. behavioural indices in Africa

In the global crisis over access to clean, adequate freshwater, Africa is a special case. Not only are many African states under severe water stress, but the continent is one of the most hydrologically interconnected regions on the planet. With 113 rivers, lakes and aquifers that cross an international border, over 60% of Africa’s territory falls into a transboundary watershed. Africa’s hydrology is interdependent, and mass poverty and political volatility heighten the risk of conflict over freshwater resources. This paper compares two approaches to understanding the severity of transboundary freshwater conflict; one based in behavior and the other based on structural factors unique to each water resource and its users. The goal is to identify Africa’s water hot spots, or those areas where violence over water resources is most likely. The broader aim is to better understand how the way we measure severity affects our understanding of freshwater conflict, and how policy-makers might best approach water politics in Africa.     

Perceptions of HIV/AIDS policies and treatment programmes by Western Cape construction firms

The HIV/AIDS pandemic poses a substantial long‐term threat to economic development in South Africa. A questionnaire survey explored the perceptions of a sample of construction firms in the Western Cape regarding HIV/AIDS policy and treatment programmes. The findings show that there is no universal view about the long‐term threat of HIV/AIDS. Most organizations have awareness policies in place but prevention and treatment policies are less common. Treatment programmes are the least implemented of all intervention services due to insufficient resource capacity, the potential stigmatization of infected persons, and low take‐up rates. Despite an acknowledgement of the benefits flowing from mounting treatment programmes, doubt exists as to their financial viability.     

Editing the African city: reading colonial planning in Africa from a comparative perspective

In order to understand the complexity of the colonial city in Africa, this article suggests a comparative study on two levels, corresponding with two important phenomena in the planning process of African cities. The first level can be described as the diffusion of planning models to the colonies, and the second as the actual implementation of these planning models on the colonial terrain. Each level requires different scales of research and frames of analysis. They are particularly valuable when examined together.     

The history of urban growth management in South Africa: tracking the origin and current status of urban edge policies in three metropolitan municipalities

ABSTRACT

For many cities in the Global South, colonialism played a dominant role in shaping their urban form. The historical objective of planning in colonial mother-cities was dealing with poor health and living conditions, therefore a planning approach similar to that followed in post-war Britain would appear beneficial in post-colonial cities, characterized by environmental and physical infrastructure unable to cope with massive population growth. Urban growth management is a discourse born in an attempt to control the growing industrial city in the early twentieth century, and in recent years applied through instruments such as urban edges or growth boundaries to limit urban sprawl and encourage higher density urban development. In South Africa, the principles of compaction and urban growth management formed part of the post-apartheid planning agenda towards transforming the inefficient and fragmented landscape inherited from separate spatial development. Consequently, urban edges and urban growth boundaries formed key components of municipal spatial planning frameworks since the early 2000s. The purpose of this paper is to explore the origin and status of urban edges in three metropolitan municipalities in South Africa to aid in understanding of these spatial instruments in the south.     

城市湖泊型湿地公园景观营建研究——以东湖国家湿地公园为例

该文以武汉市东湖国家湿地公园为研究对象,通过对东湖国家湿地公园的现状调查,结合湿地公园景观营建相关资料,分析了东湖国家湿地公园与武汉市及东湖风景区的关系,阐述了东湖国家湿地公园中景观构成要素的营建方式。在此基础上,归纳了城市湖泊型湿地公园的特性,并分别从植被、湖岸带、水环境及人工设施等方面分析探讨城市湖泊型湿地公园景观营建方法。通过对东湖国家湿地公园的景观营建分析及城市湖泊型湿地公园景观营建方法的探索,为完善东湖湿地公园建设及城市湖泊型湿地公园景观营建提供指导策略及参考。     

“中国建筑研究室”初创及研究成果探究

本文以"中国建筑研究室"从1953年4月正式成立到1964年研究室被迫撤销,隶属关系数度变更的历史始末为线索,结合档案文献与人物访谈,特别记述了"中国建筑研究室"初创时期的历史史实。及在刘敦桢的领导下"中国建筑研究室"的调研发现和重要学术研究成果。真实再现了"中国建筑研究室"的历史,阐释其对中国建筑历史理论研究的影响和贡献。     

Multi-level integrated planning and greening of public infrastructure in South Africa

The South African government has named the transition towards a greener economy one of its priorities. Meanwhile it has developed a new multilevel integrated planning process, and announced a massive public infrastructure investment plan. The converging point of these three dynamics should be the integration of green infrastructure principles into the different plans as the foundation of the green transition. This paper uses a policy integration analytical framework to assess whether this convergence is in fact taking shape. It analyses the level of integration of green infrastructure principles into the different plans and suggests options to move the green infrastructure agenda forward.     

Framing a new discourse on petromodernity: the global petroleumscape and petroleum modernism*

The concept of the Global Petroleumspace is an analytical tool which engages the roles which different oil actors play in the development of new urban ideas and built forms. Coined by Hein, this concept contributes to enriching our understanding of globalization, modernity, and architectural history and their impacts on space through time. Petroleum is modern industry’s fuel par excellence. For much of the world, it is the arrival of petroleum on the local scene that introduces modernity with its attendant spaces, forms, materials, and discourses. To frame this new discourse on urban development and petromodernity, three events were organized: ‘Petroleumscape Roundtable’ held as part of the 17th IPHS Conference at TU Delft, ‘Petroleum Modernism Symposium’, organized at the Illinois Institute of Technology, and ‘The Global Petroleumscape Conference’ held at the Faculty of Architecture at TU Delft. This article briefly recounts and reflects upon the scholarly discussions which took place at these events, in order to outline an emergent discourse on petroleum’s imbrication in architecture and planning.     

区域空间规划生态分级保护研究 ——以华蓥山东麓为例

生态分级保护是空间规划中重要支 撑性内容,是全面协调生态保护与开发利用 关系,实现各类空间差异化管控,促进区域 可持续发展的重要途径。本文以华蓥山东麓 为例,通过生态功能重要性和生态敏感性评 价,同时结合景观生态安全格局进行分析, 构建生态保护分级指数模型,按保护程度由 高至低将研究区划分为Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅲ、Ⅳ级。其 中,I级保护区为基本生态控制区,实行严格 的生态保护制度;II级保护区为生态缓冲区, 实行生态修复与城乡建设、产业发展负面清 单管理制度;III级保护区为农业生态区,加 强农业生态环境保护,建立健全绿色生态农 业导向机制;IV级保护区主要为城镇村庄生 态区,加强城乡居民点环境保护,推进人居 环境建设。研究结果可为华蓥山东麓生态修 复保护总体规划提供借鉴,对华蓥山自然保 护区与城镇建设区之间生态过渡地带的精细 化、精准化、差别化管理具有重要意义。