Suchergebnisse

Environmental management necessitates a holistic view of the environment and how we, as human beings, impact on that environment. To apply environmental management, any one of a number of tools may be employed. Environmental impact assessment (EIA), as one of these tools, refers to the assessment of the likely environmental impacts arising from a major project or any other actions that will significantly affect the natural or man-made environment. The ultimate objective of an EIA is to provide decision-makers with an indication of the likely consequences of a proposed project. The South African EIA was developed in such a way as to be applicable tolarge-scale as well as smaller projects. This article focuses on environmental impact assessment (EIA), the legislation governing it, and applying the process to a small case study, while examining the various stages of an EIA and briefly touching on public participation. The main findings are that an EIA can be applied quite successfully to smaller projects and that an effective public participation process will help consultants and developers to identify key issues and alternatives.

In recent years, the study of urban infrastructure has become central to examining African cities. This paper is a contribution to this scholarship. Of particular interest is the interface between telecommunications and urban water and electricity utility systems. I examine the degree to which ICT deployments for urban water and electricity supply shape and are shaped by the urban context of Nairobi, Kenya. I show how in recognition of the city's splintering and fragmentation, service providers have employed spatial targeting, strategically deploying 'pro-poor' services. I argue that while framed along narratives of spatial justice, 'pro-poor' deployments demonstrate market-led priorities for utility providers in their desire to maximise returns on investment, expand centralised networks, increase market share, and counter competition from private and heterogeneous providers. I also show that these deployments have had to contend with micro-political dynamics and implications. Ultimately, the objective for this paper is to offer an empirical perspective on the efficacy of the urban nexus and the contested nature of the politics and spatialities of smart or ICT-led urbanism especially in the context of an African city.