Wetenskaplike artikels• Research articles An exploration of social systems as informative for urban regeneration in Potchefstroom Central Business District Karen Puren & Gert Meiring 1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND Peer reviewed and revised It appears that urban growth is one of the most compelling challenges Abstract for cities in the future. The United The future of cities undoubtedly spells change on many levels due to urban growth. Nations (UN) (2014) projected that by One of the mechanisms used in cities to cope with change is urban regeneration. Urban 2050, 66% of the world’s population regeneration has mainly been addressed through economic and planning policies geared towards physical renewal, with hardly any understanding or acknowledgment will be residing in urban areas. of the social dynamics underlying the physical process. Social dynamics are important Rapid urbanisation is even more to consider in urban regeneration, as they form the underlying driving forces of cities. prevalent in developing countries However, little is known about these underlying forces. The aim of this research is to (Yaakup, Zalina & Sulaiman, explore the role of social systems in the Central Business District of Potchefstroom. An 2004: 2). South Africa, for example, ethnographical approach is used to guide the methodology, while qualitative methods has one of the highest urbanisation (observations and interviews) are used to capture data about the social systems that rates in the world (Yari, 2011: 6). are present in the study area, how these social systems interact with one another, and how they can be included in urban regeneration initiatives. The findings suggest It is projected to have an urban the existence of three interactive social systems that reflect pro-social behaviour population percentage of 77% by and cultural relativism which, in turn, create vitality in the study area. Social systems 2050 (UN, 2014). Rapid urbanisation play a multi-levelled role in the study area. Their role can possibly inform urban creates numerous challenges that regeneration by being proactive in terms of attracting new and maintaining existing seem to revolve around a few main social relationships; being creative in terms of adapting and changing the physical interrelated issues such as spatial environment to address needs, and being supportive in order to unlock internal challenges due to development resources such as local knowledge, creativity, commitment, energy and ownership. pressure to provide housing and Keywords: complexity, Potchefstroom Central Business District, social systems, infrastructure (Beall & Fox, 2009; urban planning, urban regeneration, qualitative research Cohen, 2001); environmental challenges such as a decrease in ‘n VERKENNING VAN SOSIALE SISTEME AS INSIGGEWEND VIR urban green space as a result of STEDELIKE VERNUWING IN POTCHEFSTROOM SE SENTRALE SAKEKERN urban sprawl and urban densification Die toekoms van stede voorspel ongetwyfeld veranderings op vele vlakke as gevolg (Nyambod, 2010); economic van verwagte stedelike groei. Een van die meganismes wat aangewend word in stede challenges such as creating ten einde veranderings te kan hanteer, is stedelike regenerasie. Stedelike regenerasie employment opportunities (Grant, is in die verlede hoofsaaklik aangespreek deur ekonomiese en beplanningsbeleide wat 2012: 4), and social challenges due gerig was op fisiese hernuwing, met min begrip of inagneming van die sosiale dinamiek wat die proses onderlê. Sosiale dinamika is belangrik om te oorweeg in stedelike to an increasing agglomeration of regenerasie omrede dit die onderliggende dryfkrag van stede is. Min kennis is egter people, which brings various cultures beskikbaar aangaande hierdie onderliggende kragte. Die doel van hierdie navorsing into closer contact as they share the is om ondersoek in te stel na die rol van sosiale sisteme in die Sentrale Sakekern van same spatial environment (Hendrix, Potchefstroom. ‘n Etnografiese benadering is gebruik om die metodiek te rig, terwyl 2009: 4; Couch & Dennemann, kwalitatiewe metodes (waarnemings en onderhoude) gebruik is om data te versamel 2000: ; Rosado, 1994: 2). Viewed as aangaande die sosiale sisteme wat teenwoordig is in die studiegebied, die aard van die cultural “melting pots” (Carnevale, interaksie tussen hierdie sosiale sisteme en hoe die sisteme in stedelike regenerasie ingesluit kan word. Die bevindinge dui op die teenwoordigheid van drie interafhanklike Cohn, Kent, Maki, Malsawma, sosiale sisteme wat pro-sosiale gedrag en kulturele relativisme reflekteer wat vitaliteit Skolnik & Yin, 2007: 3), cities are in die stedelike ruimte meebring. Sosiale sisteme speel ‘n veelvlakkige rol in die becoming progressively complex studiegebied. Dit kan stedelike regenerasie moontlik rig in terme van die pro-aktiewe rol social phenomena to study. The in die lok van nuwe sosiale interaksie en die behoud van bestaande sosiale interaksie, future of cities undoubtedly spells die kreatiewe rol in die aanpassing en verandering van die fisiese omgewing ten einde change on many levels, leaving behoeftes aan te spreek en ‘n ondersteunende rol ten einde hulpbronne soos plaaslike cities with little option but to adapt kennis, kreatiwiteit, verbondenheid, energie en eienaarskap te ontsluit. and adjust to accommodate these Sleutelwoorde: komplesiteit, Potchefstroom Sentrale Sakekern, sosiale sisteme, challenges. stadsbeplanning, stedelike vernuwing, kwalitatiewe navorsing Miss Karen Puren, Senior Lecturer, Urban and Regional Planning, School for Geo and Spatial Sciences, North-West University, Private bag X6001, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa. Phone: (018) 299 2545/084 612 6001, email: <[email protected]> Mr. Gert (GH) Meiring, Town Planner, Calgro M3 Holdings, PO Box 3374, Randburg, 2124, South Africa. Phone: (011) 300 7589/072 286 0838, email: <[email protected]> 27 SSB/TRP/MDM 2015 (67) One of the strategies used in these underlying forces in the The value of urban social systems cities to cope with change is urban environment, and the role of does not reside in the components of urban regeneration (Chan & Lee, social systems in terms of urban the system, but rather in the dynamic 2008: 243).1 Robert & Sykes regeneration seems to be unclear interaction that results from the (2005: 17) define urban regeneration in urban planning research. The interplay of the components (Cilliers, as: “A comprehensive and integrated primary aim of the study is to explore 2010: 57). It is from this interplay of vision and action which leads to social systems in a specific context interaction that meanings arise and the resolution of urban problems (Potchefstroom Central Business richness of the system is created. and which seeks to bring about a District), in order to illustrate how Meanings are, in this instance, not lasting improvement in the economic, social systems can inform urban merely a result of characteristics physical, social and environmental regeneration initiatives. While of the system, but rather emerge condition of an area that has been the findings are not necessarily from the characteristics of the subject to change.” In the past, representative of other Central relationships formed within and urban regeneration was mainly Business Districts, the study indicates by a particular complex system. addressed through economic the importance and complexity of Therefore, the elements or and planning policies geared social dynamics in the urban context. constituents of a complex system towards physical renewal, with little Based on the aforementioned, the have no representational meaning understanding or acknowledgement main research question that guided by themselves, but only in terms of of the social dynamics underlying this study is: What is the role of patterns of relationships with other the physical process (Pulselli, social systems with regard to urban elements/constituents. Instead of Ratti & Tiezzi, 2006: 132; Stouten, regeneration? Secondary questions aiming to determine or describe 2005: 4; Tsenkova, 2002: 11). It include: What urban social systems the components/constituents of a is important to consider social are present in a specific research system, a general understanding dynamics in urban regeneration, context? How do these social of such a system is rather gained as they form the underlying driving systems interact with one other? How by understanding the nature of the forces of cities (Lee & Chan, can urban social systems be included relationships that are formed (which 2010: 9; Comunian, 2010: 426). within urban regeneration? form the focus of this article). Social dynamics manifest through people’s interaction and behaviour, Urban social systems form a complex 2. CITIES AS COMPLEX which can either be supportive (e.g., intricate network that drives the social voluntary cleaning and/or protecting SOCIAL SYSTEMS dynamics in a city (Cheng, Masser & areas from crime) (Nel-lo, 2010), or A system is a set of interacting Ottens, 2008: 14). However, people negative and disruptive (e.g., crime and interdependent parts and/ and space cannot be separated and vandalism) (Randolph, 2008). or processes that share mutual when social interaction is considered, This is probably why authors such characteristics in terms of its because space is regarded as as Stouten (2005: 7) and Lee & structure, parts and/or behaviour to more than a neutral backdrop Chan (2010: 252) emphasise that form an integrated whole (Mitchell in which human activities unfold understanding and incorporating &