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The Realistic Sustainable Management of Development Operations in Africa

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 August 2019) | Viewed by 5898

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Industrial Engineering and Business Information Systems (IEBIS), University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, the Netherlands
Interests: sustainable development; renewable energy development projects; sustainable project management; sub-Saharan Africa; rural development; waste management; social entrepreneurship; logistics and supply chain in developing countries; African politics

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Guest Editor
Associate Professor, Department of Industrial Engineering and Business Information Systems (IEBIS), University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, the Netherlands
Interests: supply chain management; reverse logistics; renewable energy; multi-agent systems; warehouse modelling; vehicle routing; packing and covering; dynamic pricing

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainability and sustainable development are notions that are effortlessly attributed to projects being implemented in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Notwithstanding these projects having these characteristics, based on historical data, more development projects are likely to fail than to be successful in developing nations across SSA. Despite (i) so-called sustainable development goals, (ii) outpouring of studies and policies, and (iii) increase in development funding in the region, the dissemination of renewable energy projects remains lacking. Moreover, the agricultural yield is low and water resources are running low. On top of that, migration is on the rise due to reasons, such as poverty and no access to job security. Studies presenting holistic approaches to solving the problems and providing a realistic contribution to the development of the region are rare. This Special Issue will consolidate studies within the following realms of sustainability and sustainable development. Papers will focus on a multitude of topics, including renewable energy, rural development, agricultural improvements and food security, long-term job and prosperity creation, project development and management, etc. Papers accepted in this Special Issue will be subject to a rigorous peer review procedure with the aim of a rapid and wide dissemination of research results, developments and applications taking into account the current state of affairs and local way of life in the region.

Dr. Eugene C.X. Ikejemba
Dr. Peter C. Schuur
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Sustainability
  • Sub-Saharan Africa
  • Renewable Energy
  • Sustainable Food Security
  • Prosperity Creation
  • Sustainable Project Management

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 6929 KiB  
Article
Informal Settlement Upgrading in South Africa: A Preliminary Regenerative Perspective
by Anita Venter, Lochner Marais and Heidi Morgan
Sustainability 2019, 11(9), 2685; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11092685 - 10 May 2019
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 5605
Abstract
Informal settlement upgrading is commonly practised worldwide, but often in technical ways, paying little attention to the physical environment. Regenerative development provides an ecological response and emphasises human development concerns. In this paper, we adopt a social constructivist approach to investigating the meaning [...] Read more.
Informal settlement upgrading is commonly practised worldwide, but often in technical ways, paying little attention to the physical environment. Regenerative development provides an ecological response and emphasises human development concerns. In this paper, we adopt a social constructivist approach to investigating the meaning of construction processes and the value of regenerative development in an informal upgrading process in South Africa. We used data from 18 projects and five in-depth interviews. Our findings show how waste can be used in this process, and that regenerative development delivers houses that are better insulated and avoid some of the risks associated with houses constructed by informal settlers. The value of the project lies in the acceptance of eco-building and the development of an attachment to the physical environment. Regenerative development facilitates self-help, which in turn supports the user value of these houses. We found considerable human development linked to regenerative development. Our findings show that, in addition to providing shelter, regenerative development encourages artistry and imagination, gets members of the community to work together, promotes social empowerment, improves physical and mental health, and fosters enjoyment. Full article
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