Managing sustainable development in the city of Tshwane

Abstract

Since the first Conference on sustainable development in 1972, the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm Conference), and the introduction of the World Conservation Strategy in 1980, which was the first attempt to reconcile ecological and economic concerns and approaches, and other conferences and commissions such as the World Commission on Environment and Development (Brundtland Report: 1987), which issued a strong statement that environment and development are inseparable and recommended that sustainability should become the key concept in development; the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (the Rio Earth Summit ; 1992) which produced Agenda 21; and the World Summit on Sustainable Development: 2002, [Rio + 10]), not a single country or city has ever claimed to have attained sustainable development. Is sustainable development a myth or reality? The relationship between economic development and environmental degradation was first placed on the international agenda in 1972, at the United Nations Conference on Human Environment. The World Commission on Environment and Development, established in 1983 by the General Assembly, brought about a new understanding and a sense of urgency regarding the need for a new kind of development, one that would ensure economic well-being for present and future generations while protecting the environmental resources on which all developments would depend. The World Commission on Environment and Development defined sustainable development as development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs. This definition has also been embraced by the South African White Paper on Environmental Management for South Africa (1998), and other legislation and policies on sustainable development and environmental issues. Since the definition was presented in 1987, numerous other definitions were formulated, with the result that to date there is no commonly accepted definition of sustainable development. South Africa, as a member of the international community, also facing environmental resources degradation, has developed legislation and a host of policies as interventions to ensure sustainable development in the country. Municipalities in particular, have been entrusted with the responsibility by specific legislation, policies and programmes to manage sustainable development in their areas of jurisdiction. Despite numerous such interventions, cities in South Africa have remained spatially distorted; fragmented; inefficient; and incoherent. This may confirm the notion that sustainable development in South African cities is a myth more than a reality. Copyright 2004, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. Please cite as follows: Bogopa, KSS 2004, Managing sustainable development in the city of Tshwane, PhD thesis, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-08192008-091132 / > /ag