Planning for a Sustainable Cultural Environment for the Afrikaner People in South Africa

By:

Philip Almendinger (2002:173) in his book “Planning Theory” came to the conclusion that planning has the potential to oppress groups and can be structurally devised to exert control and oppression. It can have four forms namely territorial, procedural, socio-economic and cultural oppression. In South Africa the Afrikaner as a people is subject to most of the above types of pressures although in its first phases. The cultural homogeneity in most places has been altered and in rural areas it is difficult for minority groups to have schools and other services in their mother tongue. Politically the new demarcation of boundaries led to the disappearance of minority municipal councils. On all branches of society the Afrikaners is isolated together with other minority ethnic groups. This paper will show what can be done to allow for cultural improvement districts to be found in cities. These voluntary associations can lead to a “fruit salad” of ethnic groups in cities, living together and each being able to sustain his or her culture. In rural areas the example of Orania, an Afrikaner voluntary settlement is the showcase of what can be done in terms of sustainability as far as rural culture but also rural environment is concerned. This paper will focus on the fact that sustainability is not limited to the environment but is also applicable to cultures. Furthermore it will show ways in which to do this and highlight some of the projects already implemented.

Almendinger, P. 2002 Planning Theory. Palgrave, London.

Stream: Cultural Sustainability

Paper: A paper has not yet been submitted.

I am a tenth generation Afrikaner, born and bread in Bloemfontein, South Africa. I am teaching town planning and architecture at the local university for the last 28 years. I am an architect from background and later moved into town planning. I did a studio masters in Architecture (Urban Design) at Toronto University in Canada in 1978/79 and there made contact with my Dutch roots. I later did research for a PhD on the influence of cultural on public participation at the Technical University of Eindhoven in The Netherlands. Several sabbaticals were spend in either Holland or Flanders. My focus area in the academic world is theory of planning, housing and urban design. The influence of culture on these is my special interest.