Basic HTML Version
628
UCT RESEARCH REPORT 2012
School of Architecture,
Planning & Geomatics
(Including the African Centre for Cities)
DIRECTOR: ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR ALTA STEENKAMP
School Profile
Within the School of Architecture, Planning and
Geomatics, research work includes conventional
research and applied research as well as creative work.
This takes place within the actively teaching divisions
within the School, as well as within dedicated research
units. In the Architecture and Planning programmes
these research endeavours include areas of enquiry
such as urban design, architectural design, architectural
education, digital technology, contemporary
architectural theory and practice, planning theory,
urban conservation, urban transport policy and urban
informality.
The ethos of this School is also strongly influenced by our
context: the physical context, the city, and the broader
social/cultural/economic context of the region and the
country. We are committed to engage with these contexts
in both a meaningful and critical way, not as abstract sites
for investigation but rather as peopled places to which we
can respond.
The Geomatics Division within the School undertakes
research in a variety of areas. These include
documentation, modelling and visualization of African
heritage sites, close-range photogrammetry, laser
scanning of architectural structures and remote sensing
of the environment; issues relating to land surveying,
ownership, registration and tenure; modeling of the
shape of the Earth (geoid) using gravity and satellite
data, applications of GPS and modeling of datum
transformations in Africa; applications of remote
sensing and geographic information systems (GIS)
to urban, agricultural and environmental monitoring.
Spatial data infrastructure (SDI) development for
integrated development planning (IDP) in sub-Saharan
African cities.
African Centre for Cities
Known colloquially by the acronym ‘ACC’, the Centre
has established an impressive international profile and
reputation as a dynamic home for analysis of urban
problems and policies. Its interdisciplinary brand gives the
ACC huge potential to facilitate urban conversations and
inquiry throughout UCT.
‘CityLabs’, a new model of engaged and applied research,
were created to address pressing concerns in Cape Town,
including flooding, urban health, densification, ecology,
and climate change. New Labs on violence, culture and
human settlements have been launched. The ACC partners
with international research units studying food security, and
women’s informal employment. Honours for ACC include
its (renewed) status as a UCT ‘Signature Theme’ and a
Rockefeller Innovation Award.
School Statistics
Permanent and Long-term Contract Staff
Professors
5
Associate Professors
4
Senior Lecturers
8
Lecturers
8
Technical Support Staff
9
Administrative Staff
8
Total
42
Students
Doctoral
17
Master’s
118
Honours
44
Undergraduates
347
Total
526
Research Fields and Staff
DR MAHMOUD ABDEL-GELIL
Senior Lecturer: Geomatics. Gravity data analysis, GPS,
Geodesy and geophysics.
Francis Carter
Senior Lecturer: Architecture. Curriculum theory in relation
to undergraduate built environment design programmes;
theories of making, with reference to contemporary South
African architecture; programming for new knowledge
space.
Associate Professor Nicholas Coetzer
Architecture. Architectural design; contemporary
architectural history and theory; digital technology.
Albertrum Crowder
Lecturer: Architecture. Specializes in the area of cultural
heritage conservation. His research focuses on the inherent
values that people associate with their environment and
the possibility for this to help promote sustainable cultural
heritage conservation and development.