Post-industrial urban quarries as places of recreation and the new wilderness – a South African perspective

Abstract

The objective of this article is threefold: To re-evaluate the concept of wilderness as a place to be experienced by human beings as part of their outdoor recreational needs; to investigate if reclaimed post-industrial urban quarries can fulfil these needs, and to investigate the legislative frameworks in South Africa within which such reclamation and re-use can be undertaken. The objective is not to present detailed case studies of post-industrial urban quarries that have been rehabilitated or redeveloped for a different land use, but rather to demonstrate the potential of such quarries. The majority of South Africa’s population is urbanised and has hardly any prospect, due to various constraints, of ever visiting natural or even ‘man-made wilderness’ areas for recreational purposes. The currently held concept of wilderness is critically evaluated and the need to change our perception of wilderness is discussed. The biophysical and socio-economic nature, as well as the legal framework, within which the redevelopment potential of our ubiquitous post-industrial urban quarries must be viewed, are examined to determine whether they can be reclaimed as outdoor recreation places and a new ‘urban wilderness’. It is shown, through a literature review and examining five case studies, that reclaimed quarries can satisfy urban dwellers’ innate need for outdoor recreational spaces and natural or wilderness areas, albeit man-made and despite the procedural challenges posed by the requirements of the South African regulatory urban spatial planning frameworks and Acts.

Die doel van hierdie artikel is drieledig: Om die konsep van wildernis as ’n plek wat mense kan ervaar as deel van hul buitelug-ontspanningsbehoeftes te herevalueer; om te bepaal of herwinde postindustriële stedelike steengroewe aan hierdie behoeftes kan voldoen, en om die wetlike raamwerke waarbinne sodanige herwinning en hergebruik kan plaasvind te ondersoek. Die doel is nie om detailleerde gevallestudies van sodanige steengroewe aan te bied nie maar eerder om die potensiaal daarvan aan te toon. Die meerderheid van die Suid-Afrikaanse bevolking is verstedelik en het min vooruitsigte, weens verskeie beperkings, om ooit natuurlike of selfs ‘mensgemaakte’ wildernisgebiede vir ontspanning te besoek. Die huidig-aanvaarde konsep van wildernis word krities geëvalueer en die noodsaaklikheid om ons persepsie van wildernis te verander word bespreek. Die biofisiese en sosio-ekonomiese aard van ons alomteenwoordige postindustriële stedelike steengroewe word ondersoek om te bepaal of hulle herwin kan word as plekke van buitelugontspanning en ’n nuwe ‘stedelike wildernis’. Daar word aangetoon, deur middel van ’n literatuuroorsig en vyf gevallestudies, dat herwinde postindustriële stedelike steengroewe wel stedelinge se ingebore behoefte vir buitelug-ontspanningsplekke en natuurlike of wildernisgebiede, alhoewel mensgemaak, kan bevredig ten spyte van die prosedurele uitdagings wat deur die vereistes van die Suid-Afrikaanse regulatoriese stedelike beplanningsraamwerke en wette gestel word.

Sepheo sa atikele ena se na le dikarolo tse tharo: Ho hlahloba botjha kgopolo ya nahathote/lefella jwaloka sebaka seo batho ba ka se bonang e le karolo ya ditlhoko tsa bona tsa boithabiso. Ho fuputsa hore na dibaka tse bileng teng ka mora diindasteri di tla kgona ho phethahatsa ditlhoko tsena le ho fuputsa meralo ya molao Afrika Borwa, eo ho yona ho tsosolosa le tshebediso botjha di ka etswang. Sepheo hase ho hlahisa dithuto tsa mehlala (case study) tse nang le dintlha ka dibaka tse bileng teng ka mora diindasteri, tse lokisitsweng kapa tse ntlafaditsweng bakeng sa tshebediso e fapaneng le ya lefatshe, empa e le ho bontsha bokgoni ba dibaka tse kang tseo. Boholo ba baahi ba Afrika Borwa ba phela setoropo, mme ba na le toro/tjhebelopele e nnyane ka lebaka la ditshitiso tse itseng ya ho etela dibaka tsa tlhaho kapa nahathote/lefella le entsweng ke batho bakeng sa mabaka a fapaneng a boithabiso. Kgopolo e teng hajwale ka nahathote/lefella e hlahlojwa ka botebo le tlhoko ya ho fetola kgopolo ya rona ka nahathote/lefella di a sekasekwa. Saense ya tshebediso ya melao ya tlhaho (biophysical) le tsa setjhaba le moruo (socio-economic nature), hammoho le moralo o molaong moo teng kgonahalo ya ntlafatso ya dibaka tsa rona tse bileng teng ka mora diindasteri lefatsheng ka bophara di tlamehile ho bonwa. Di hlahlojwe bakeng sa ho bona hore na di ka kgona ho tsoswa jwaloka dibaka tsa kantle tsa boithabiso le nahathote/ lefella la motsetoropo. Ho bontshwa hore, ka tekodisiso ya dingolwa le ho hlahloba dithuto tse hlano tsa mehlala; tse hlalositseng hore dibaka tsena di kgona ho kgotsofatsa ditlhoko tsa tlhaho tsa baahi ba toropong, tsa dibaka tsa boithabiso tse kantle le dibaka kapa nahathote/lefella la tlhaho; le hoja di entswe ke batho, hape ntle le diphepetso tsa tsamaiso tse tlisitsweng ke dipehelo tsa tsamaiso ya meralo ya tshebetso ya sepakapaka toropong le melao ya Afrika Borwa.