Assessment of public participation process in the comprehensive integrated transport planning process of the City of Johannesburg : 2003-2013

Date
2019-12
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH SUMMARY : Since the dawn of the democratically elected government in 1994, the South African Government has put public participation at the centre of all the processes involved in government programmes. Sections 152 (1) (a) and (e) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (Act No. 108 of 1996), obliges municipalities to consult, involve and engage their communities in the decision-making process on matters that affect them directly, such as transport planning. As a result, there is a need to develop transport planning systems that are in line with the principles of sustainable planning, which, among others, means collaborative planning and stakeholder involvement. Taking this into consideration, the planning process, particularly for the development of the Comprehensive Integrated Transport Plans, should place public participation at the centre of the decision-making process. This research assessed the process of public participation which was adopted by the City of Johannesburg during the development and review of its Comprehensive Integrated Transport Plans between 2003 and 2013. The main focus of the study was to identify the strategies which were used, for example, to inform the stakeholders about the process of the public participation, how the strategies were implemented and to assess the methods used to capture and address the views of the stakeholders. Though there are no comprehensive guidelines for conducting public participation, particularly for Comprehensive Integrated Transport Planning, provisions for public participation made in different pieces of South African legislation were used as reference points to provide a general framework. In order to complete the study, the researcher adopted a qualitative approach. The study area was the City of Johannesburg and the population sample was selected from the transport stakeholders who were drawn from the registers of the public participation sessions which were held during the establishment and review of the 2013 Comprehensive Integrated Transport Planning in the City of Johannesburg. The researcher targeted the participants who were available and willing to participate in the study. The sampling procedure was accidental. Review of records and interviews were the two methods which were used for data collection. Interviews were conducted with officials from the City of Johannesburg, the public sector and private sector stakeholders. The study revealed that the City of Johannesburg conducted public participation during the development and review of the Comprehensive Integrated Transport Planning. Main findings indicated that the City of Johannesburg engaged the communities through meetings as the only strategy implemented for the public participation process. The study recommends alternative strategies and approaches to the City of Johannesburg for the improvement of future implementation of the public participation process. These include the use of information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure, social media platforms, the development of a citizen “report card” to capture responses and to provide feedback to stakeholders after the participation process is concluded.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : Sedert die aanbreek van die demokraties verkose regering in 1994 het die Suid-Afrikaanse regering openbare deelname sentraal geplaas in alle prosesse wat by regeringsprogramme betrokke is. Artikels 152 (1) (a) en (e) van die Grondwet van die Republiek van Suid-Afrika, 1996 (Wet No. 108 van 1996), verplig munisipaliteite om hul gemeenskappe te raadpleeg, te betrek en betrokke te maak by die besluitnemingsproses oor sake wat hulle direk beïnvloed, soos vervoerbeplanning. Hierdie lei tot 'n behoefte aan die ontwikkeling van vervoerbeplanningstelsels wat ooreenstem met die beginsels van volhoubare beplanning, wat onder andere samewerkende beplanning en betrokkenheid van belanghebbende insluit. Dit beteken dat die beplanningsproses openbare deelname sentraal binne die besluitnemingsproses moet plaas, veral in die ontwikkeling van Omvattende Geïntegreerde Vervoerplanne. Hierdie navorsing het die proses van openbare deelname wat deur die Stad Johannesburg tydens die ontwikkeling en hersiening van sy Omvattende Geïntegreerde Vervoerplanne tussen 2003 en 2013 toegepas is, beoordeel. Die fokus van die studie was om die strategieë te identifiseer wat gebruik is om die belanghebbendes oor die proses van openbare deelname in te lig, hoe die strategieë geïmplementeer is, en die metodes wat gebruik is om die belanghebbendes se sienings te bekom en aan te spreek. Alhoewel daar geen omvattende riglyne vir die uitvoering van openbare deelname bestaan nie, veral nie vir omvattende geïntegreerde vervoerbeplanning nie, is bepalings vir openbare deelname in verskillende stukke Suid-Afrikaanse wetgewing as verwysingspunte gebruik, om 'n algemene raamwerk te verskaf. Die navorser gebruik 'n kwalitatiewe benadering ten einde die studie te voltooi. Die studiegebied was die Stad Johannesburg en die steekproef is gekies uit die vervoerbelanghebbendes wat uit die registers van die openbare deelname-sessies wat tydens die stigting en hersiening van die Uitgebreide Geïntegreerde Vervoerbeplanning van 2013 in die Stad Johannesburg gehou is. Die navorser het deelnemers geteiken wat beskikbaar en bereid was om aan die studie deel te neem. Die steekproef prosedure was per toeval. Twee metodes, naamlik 'n oorsig van rekords en onderhoude word vir data-insameling gebruik . Onderhoude is gevoer met amptenare uit die Stad Johannesburg, die openbare sektor en die belanghebbendes in die privaatsektor. Die studie vind dat die Stad Johannesburg openbare deelname gedurende die ontwikkeling en hersiening van die Omvattende Geïntegreerde Vervoerbeplanning onderneem het. Die belangrikste bevindingis dat die Stad Johannesburg gemeenskappe deur middel van vergaderings betrek het as die enigste strategie vir die openbare deelnameproses. Die studie beveel alternatiewe strategieë en benaderings vir die Stad Johannesburg aan ten einde die toekomstige implementering van die openbare deelnameproses te verbeter. Dit sluit in die gebruik van inligting- en kommunikasietegnologie-infrastruktuur (IKT), sosiale media platforms. die ontwikkeling van 'n burgerlike “verslagkaart” om insette te vervat en terugvoering aan belanghebbendes na afloop van die deelnameproses.
Description
Thesis (MPA)--Stellenbosch University, 2019.
Keywords
Integrated transport planning, Transportation -- Planning -- Johannesburg (South Africa), Transportation -- Planning -- Citizen participation -- Johannesburg (South Africa), UCTD
Citation