The Civil Engineering Contractor October 2018 | Page 29

to live, work, and play.” Du Plessis
explains that sustainability is about
more than the environment: “For me,
it’s about economic opportunities
— because without that, users can’t
afford services.”
According to South African Cities
Network (SACN) programme
manager, Geoffrey Bickford, an
engineered space is designed for
people. It informs the behaviour of
people and therefore a considered
and cohesive approach to safety
is imperative. “South Africa is
particularly challenged with violent
crime. We do need to know how
crime is distributed in cities because
these are spaces that are areas of
investment. Investors need to be
comfortable to come in,” adds SACN
researcher Siphelele Ngobese.
SACN is a learning network made
up of eight major cities in the country.
It releases a variety of reports that
detail how cities are performing. The
reports come with recommendations
and possible approaches to a range of
circumstances, informed by shared
learning and exchange among the
member cities, Ngobese explains. “At
SACN, we also emphasise not just
prioritising investment as the core
function of a city space. Investment/
productivity is critical, but a city
must also be conducive to realising
social and spatial justice. It is equally
important that cities drive inclusion,”
she says.
Ngobese believes that crime,
violence, and the enforcement of
safety is not the sole responsibility
of police officers. “There needs to be
an integrated approach to it. There’s
a role for a planner, an engineer,
social development practitioners,
economic development practitioners,
and others,” she says.
“Something as simple as a tap
placement in an informal settlement
has real implications. It can lead to
a celebrated area which provides a
safe environment for women and
children, or it can be placed in
the worst possible space — out of
TECHNOLOGY
Deon du Plessis, SMEC function
manager: urban development, says
the true causes and not the symptoms
need to be addressed.
sight, lending itself to all sorts of
unsafe practices. Engineering designs
have spatial implications; after all,
crimes are committed in a space,”
explains Bickford. What SACN
has found is that safety aspects are
looked at too late into a project,
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