Ronnie Donaldson

Global imaging and branding: source market newspaper reporting of the 2010 Fifa World Cup

Hallmark events can act as a means to enhance a destinations image and ideology. In this case study, newspaper articles were analyzed to show the main messages and discourses on how the newspaper media of the countrys main visitor source markets (UK, North America, Germany, and Netherlands) portrayed South Africa during the event. In this context articles are seen as independent or autonomous sources of image agents. The main methods of analysis were content and discourse analyses. These analyses have revealed that the positive and neutral content messages dominate the constructed images/pictures. On average, the most negative core market newspaper reporting originated from the UK and US, although there are major discrepancies in some of the negatively reported themes. The mega-event of 2010 has engendered a new image of South Africa globally but the long-term impact of such events on the image of this destination is doubtful

Alternative Reflections on the Elderly's Sense of Place in a South African Gated Retirement Village

ABSTRACT Moving to a gated retirement village compels the elderly to adjust to a new spatial location and lifestyle with an unfamiliar social environment and psychological conditions. The article focuses on the under-researched topic of a sense of place which active retirees develop in a gated retirement village. A theoretical discussion of the concept ‘sense of place’ is followed by a depiction of the gated lifestyle of the retirees, and how gated retirement villages influence their sense of place. In a survey of a gated retirement village in Cape Town, using qualitative and quantitative analytical methods, high levels of sense of place are found, which assign primary importance to social elements rather than to physical ones, such as walls and gates. We conclude that a multi-layered sense of place of the active retirees focuses on four main areas: belonging, stability, lifestyle and attachment. Mental maps and photographic images acquired through a questionnaire survey among 60 residents in Heritage Manor retirement village were analysed to show how the residents relate certain physical attributes (e.g. walls, security) of their gated village to their lived spaces. The authors contend that retirement villages are an urban reflection of the fragmented, segregated and social condition of South African society.

Built in a Field of Dreams? Spatial Engineering and Political Symbolism of South Africa’s Rapid Rail Link Development, Gautrain

Structural deficiencies in the apartheid city, resulting from segregation and low-density sprawl, created long-distance work travel patterns. It is today widely acknowledged that improved transport and subsequent land use planning play a crucial role in reshaping urban form. Probably the best case study to illustrate this policy in South Africa is the megaengineering project called the Gautrain rapid rail link. It aims to construct a state-of-the-art rapid rail connection between Johannesburg (Africa’s business capital) and Pretoria (the South African capital). The chapter argues that it is necessary to consider the spatial legacy of apartheid and the reorganization of urban spaces in a democratic society when planning for this rapid rail transport corridor. Six problematic issues around the thinking behind the Gautrain and the associated corridor city form are discussed. As, considerations of political symbolism seem to have played a decisive part in.

Using a Combination of Digital Aerial Photography and Satellite Remote Sensing to Assist Contemporary Restructuring in an Urban Area of South Africa

Abstract The transition and restructuring process of urban South Africa are currently in the phase of identifying land development objectives. These objectives aim to integrate previously segregated areas through integrated development plans. This research aims firstly to identify and describe the historical development of the spatial form and structure of the secondary city and capital of the Northern Province, Pietersburg and its dispersed peripheral towns. Supervised classification of SPOT HRV multispectral imagery is used to support the theoretical explanation. Images from an airborne digital Kodak DCS 420 camera are used to provide training sites in the pre‐classification stages, and also provide field data to the process of post‐classification accuracy assessment. Secondly, SPOT HRV imagery is applied to identify the stark contrast in urban development between the city of Pietersburg and its surrounding former homeland towns. Both built and natural environmental aspects are investigated. In conclusion benefits and problems of assessing urban morphology and development in a developing country by means of a combination of satellite imagery and digital aerial photography are discussed.

Knowledge-based service industry in a South African university town: The case of Stellenbosch

Knowledge-based service industries, because they are geographically ‘footloose’, have the potential to contribute to small town and city economies. The university town of Stellenbosch, identified as having a high growth potential, is the location of a growing IT and knowledge-based service sector. Data from questionnaires completed by 104 Stellenbosch companies provided some insight into why they chose this town. Most said that, provided sufficient IT is available, they would be able to function as effectively in another town. This implies that they locate in Stellenbosch as a matter of preference rather than necessity. The paper provides insights into the reasons for the spatial clustering in South African non-metropolitan areas and how companies decide where to locate.

Career paths of geography graduates

Abstract It is common practice for university geography departments to offer specific fields of specialization in the discipline, which inevitably determine their graduates’ employability. What these career paths are in the South African context is unknown, although it is true that our geography graduates are employed in a range of jobs due to the interdisciplinary and dynamic nature of geography. This paper aims to shed light on geography postgraduates’ career paths in South Africa with Stellenbosch University postgraduates as a case study. One hundred alumni who graduated with a postgraduate degree in Geography and Environmental Studies between 1992 and 2012 were traced via social media, peer connections and departmental contacts to investigate where they are based, types of employment, unemployment experiences, sources used to identify vacancies, incomes earned, further qualifications obtained, their opinions on the worth and qualities of geographers and suggestions for making geographers more employable. It was found that despite some graduates experiencing unemployment after graduating, they did eventually manage to position themselves in the marketplace. The respondents occupy diverse jobs with many employed in GIS-related positions. The holistic and diverse views, spatial thinking and general qualities of geographers were identified as important contributors to success in the workplace.

A Decade of Small Town Tourism Research in South Africa

There has been limited focus on small town tourism as a research focus in South Africa until the mid-2000s. However, since then, there has been a major multidisciplinary scholarly interest into this field of tourism and urban studies. Previous literature reviews mostly covered work done by geographers. This chapter reviews the expanded literature grouped into selected overarching themes that include the following: second homes; LED and developmental issues of small town tourism; economic impacts of tourism; nature-based tourism and rural dynamics; and niche tourism.

Some More Branding: ‘Town of the Year’ as Stimulus for Tourism Growth

The theme of branding (as discussed in Chap. 3) is extended in this chapter by reviewing two towns that have won a national competition and hence being branded as a national town of the year. The different processes and strategies initiated by the two winning towns of De Rust and Fouriesburg to take part in the completion are outlined, followed by discussing the perceived impacts of attaining a new brand identity for the towns. The empirical findings also reveal how certain community members have taken initiative in driving the branding strategies. After all, it is the aim of growth elites (power elites who are initiators and drivers of ideas) to make small towns attractive for outside capital (via tourists visiting the towns or buying second home properties or starting a business). The two case studies reveal that by winning the competition, they seemingly succeeded in having momentarily successes in branding their towns.

Cittaslow: Going Nowhere Slowly?

The slow movement with all of its attributing factors has proven to be a significant tool for small town development if the conditions are right. The slow movement and more particularly, the slow city movement is built on various utopian ideologies of which the core is to ensure a sustainable future for all. They aim to achieve this by educating people in small towns on how to be self-sufficient and not needy of outside assistance. This chapter firstly reviews the literature on slow cities, and then describes how the slow movement has been implemented in Sedgefield, a small coastal town located in the Garden Route of the Western Cape Province. The accreditation of Sedgefield made it the slow town headquarters of Africa and potentially therefore serves as a powerful marketing tool. In addition, the new brand also created opportunities for entrepreneurial innovation in order to create LED, poverty reduction programmes and economic welfare. In terms of LED, a good leader is extremely important to the success of small towns and Sedgefield is a case in point where number of dedicated individuals work together to make a success of the movement. A general criticism of slow cities is that it can be seen as exclusionary as it only takes into account the interests of the small group of power elites in small towns. The empirical evidence however leaves us with the question as to whether these aims will remain part of an exclusive club or not?

Rural (Small Town) Tourism-Led Gentrification

South Africa is experiencing an increase in second-home ownership, the gentrification of small towns and their development as tourist destinations. The investigation presented in this chapter, with particular reference to the historic small town of Greyton in Western Cape Province, is one of very few pieces of research into the geographical aspects of these trends. The findings of a survey conducted among urban–rural migrant entrepreneurs are described here with particular reference to the economic reordering of property values, socio-demographic changes, place preference and the economic impact of gentrifiers. It was found that the accumulation of wealth in Greyton is based on an economic triad of gentrification, tourism and retirement. Over the last decade and a half, the tourism and hospitality industries have dramatically impacted on the way the town marries financial and social capital. The lone gentrifier has been replaced by tourism entrepreneur gentrifiers, second-home owners and a younger group settling with families as evidenced by the nature of the financial investment in the town and residents’ engagement in social, economic, developmental, environmental and heritage endeavours.