This study focuses on regional economic development in South
Africa, across provincial political ... more This study focuses on regional economic development in South Africa, across provincial political jurisdictions. The article argues that remote hinterlands can be more usefully understood as forming an integrated whole, rather than functioning as the poor rural cousins of their provincial metropoles. This article considers three propositions: that key transport projects (such as airports) may unlock regional development; that this may stimulate regional spatial integration; and that this may spur the South African government to address its weak regional planning system. All three propositions are speculative, drawn from the international literature, but they contribute to an argument for greater spatial coherence in South African planning in rural regions. The argument is illustrated with reference to the Karoo region of South Africa, and the potential of a new airport to impact on regional economic dynamics. Furthermore, the article argues that such impacts will require new regional planning systems, which are currently absent from the South African political system.
AfrikaBurn is a South African version of the Burning Man festival, held annually at Black Rock, N... more AfrikaBurn is a South African version of the Burning Man festival, held annually at Black Rock, Nevada, USA. AfrikaBurn is a participatory explosion of creativity, art, and innovation, which arises for a week on a remote desert floor in the Tankwa Karoo. The central focus is a set of wooden sculptures, which are burnt in a celebration of destruction and rebirth. This paper provides the findings of an on-site survey of 188 participants, in terms of the demographic characteristics, as well as their views about the AfrikaBurn festival. The interviewees were predominantly middle-class professionals, white people, and involved in a variety of creative careers. There was a strong international contingent from Europe and the USA. The survey also explored their ideological and normative views, and compared them to the official AfrikaBurn values. The study found that most participants were committed to values such as creativity, generosity, community, communal effort, and self-reliance. These post-modern values are also strongly felt at Burning Man in the USA, suggesting that the urban middle class in South Africa may share a great deal of values and priorities with urban middle class people in the United States.
Successful development of cuisine as a niche tourism product has been portrayed in various countr... more Successful development of cuisine as a niche tourism product has been portrayed in various countries in the world. The paper argues that the Karoo provides evidence of a substantial culinary resource base and an established local food identity. This, in turn, can be promoted as a tourism destination by means of culinary mapping. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools are used, supported by a culinary database with information compiled from various sources in literature, the internet, lifestyle magazines, recipe books, census data and tourism structures. A proposed culinary route/itinerary synthesizes the data, identifying authentic food experiences as a niche tourism product, based on a regional cuisine.
Profound transformations in communal land tenure systems are taking place in parts of southern Af... more Profound transformations in communal land tenure systems are taking place in parts of southern Africa that have resulted from decades of interventions, particularly the shrinking of the commonage through capture of extensive tracts of lands by private interests. Some policies have been into place that envisage improved management of common rangeland resources through privatisation. However, empirical evidence is lacking as to what extent these may have been successful. Traditional management systems in communal areas have been broken down to the extent that many of them are now more characteristic of open access systems. An alternative to meeting the challenge of managing resources in common rangelands is to develop community-based rangeland resource management systems that build on the strengths of traditional management approaches. Therefore a call is made on the use of indigenous knowledge systems and empowering communities to manage their rangeland resources, in order to prevent...
This article seeks to situate the experience of demographic and economic change in South African ... more This article seeks to situate the experience of demographic and economic change in South African small towns within a broader context. Drawing on international literature detailing demographic, economic and racial changes within small towns, the paper relates these trends to the Karoo region in South Africa. The research findings reveal that small towns in the Karoo are experiencing selective demographic and economic growth, which particularly favours the larger small towns. There is clear racial differentiation in the growth which is taking place and, contrary to predictions made in the 1970s, small towns in South Africa are not all experiencing absolute decline.
This study focuses on regional economic development in South
Africa, across provincial political ... more This study focuses on regional economic development in South Africa, across provincial political jurisdictions. The article argues that remote hinterlands can be more usefully understood as forming an integrated whole, rather than functioning as the poor rural cousins of their provincial metropoles. This article considers three propositions: that key transport projects (such as airports) may unlock regional development; that this may stimulate regional spatial integration; and that this may spur the South African government to address its weak regional planning system. All three propositions are speculative, drawn from the international literature, but they contribute to an argument for greater spatial coherence in South African planning in rural regions. The argument is illustrated with reference to the Karoo region of South Africa, and the potential of a new airport to impact on regional economic dynamics. Furthermore, the article argues that such impacts will require new regional planning systems, which are currently absent from the South African political system.
AfrikaBurn is a South African version of the Burning Man festival, held annually at Black Rock, N... more AfrikaBurn is a South African version of the Burning Man festival, held annually at Black Rock, Nevada, USA. AfrikaBurn is a participatory explosion of creativity, art, and innovation, which arises for a week on a remote desert floor in the Tankwa Karoo. The central focus is a set of wooden sculptures, which are burnt in a celebration of destruction and rebirth. This paper provides the findings of an on-site survey of 188 participants, in terms of the demographic characteristics, as well as their views about the AfrikaBurn festival. The interviewees were predominantly middle-class professionals, white people, and involved in a variety of creative careers. There was a strong international contingent from Europe and the USA. The survey also explored their ideological and normative views, and compared them to the official AfrikaBurn values. The study found that most participants were committed to values such as creativity, generosity, community, communal effort, and self-reliance. These post-modern values are also strongly felt at Burning Man in the USA, suggesting that the urban middle class in South Africa may share a great deal of values and priorities with urban middle class people in the United States.
Successful development of cuisine as a niche tourism product has been portrayed in various countr... more Successful development of cuisine as a niche tourism product has been portrayed in various countries in the world. The paper argues that the Karoo provides evidence of a substantial culinary resource base and an established local food identity. This, in turn, can be promoted as a tourism destination by means of culinary mapping. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools are used, supported by a culinary database with information compiled from various sources in literature, the internet, lifestyle magazines, recipe books, census data and tourism structures. A proposed culinary route/itinerary synthesizes the data, identifying authentic food experiences as a niche tourism product, based on a regional cuisine.
Profound transformations in communal land tenure systems are taking place in parts of southern Af... more Profound transformations in communal land tenure systems are taking place in parts of southern Africa that have resulted from decades of interventions, particularly the shrinking of the commonage through capture of extensive tracts of lands by private interests. Some policies have been into place that envisage improved management of common rangeland resources through privatisation. However, empirical evidence is lacking as to what extent these may have been successful. Traditional management systems in communal areas have been broken down to the extent that many of them are now more characteristic of open access systems. An alternative to meeting the challenge of managing resources in common rangelands is to develop community-based rangeland resource management systems that build on the strengths of traditional management approaches. Therefore a call is made on the use of indigenous knowledge systems and empowering communities to manage their rangeland resources, in order to prevent...
This article seeks to situate the experience of demographic and economic change in South African ... more This article seeks to situate the experience of demographic and economic change in South African small towns within a broader context. Drawing on international literature detailing demographic, economic and racial changes within small towns, the paper relates these trends to the Karoo region in South Africa. The research findings reveal that small towns in the Karoo are experiencing selective demographic and economic growth, which particularly favours the larger small towns. There is clear racial differentiation in the growth which is taking place and, contrary to predictions made in the 1970s, small towns in South Africa are not all experiencing absolute decline.
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Papers by Doreen Atkinson
Africa, across provincial political jurisdictions. The article argues
that remote hinterlands can be more usefully understood as
forming an integrated whole, rather than functioning as the poor
rural cousins of their provincial metropoles. This article considers
three propositions: that key transport projects (such as airports)
may unlock regional development; that this may stimulate regional
spatial integration; and that this may spur the South African
government to address its weak regional planning system. All three
propositions are speculative, drawn from the international
literature, but they contribute to an argument for greater spatial
coherence in South African planning in rural regions. The argument
is illustrated with reference to the Karoo region of South Africa, and
the potential of a new airport to impact on regional economic
dynamics. Furthermore, the article argues that such impacts will
require new regional planning systems, which are currently absent
from the South African political system.
Africa, across provincial political jurisdictions. The article argues
that remote hinterlands can be more usefully understood as
forming an integrated whole, rather than functioning as the poor
rural cousins of their provincial metropoles. This article considers
three propositions: that key transport projects (such as airports)
may unlock regional development; that this may stimulate regional
spatial integration; and that this may spur the South African
government to address its weak regional planning system. All three
propositions are speculative, drawn from the international
literature, but they contribute to an argument for greater spatial
coherence in South African planning in rural regions. The argument
is illustrated with reference to the Karoo region of South Africa, and
the potential of a new airport to impact on regional economic
dynamics. Furthermore, the article argues that such impacts will
require new regional planning systems, which are currently absent
from the South African political system.