Development Philosophy

The AVAVA philosophy is not a new model but rather a set of practical guidelines to coordinate and execute critical elements towards a formal cooperation between communities in need of energy, infrastructure, food production and an inclusive education pipeline. In practice existing strategic and management documents of all spheres of government are used. 

The AVAVA model acknowledges the interconnectedness of the various critical services for community development. The model offers opportunities for coordinated strategies with various service sectors to provide innovative new thinking towards development.

Holistic Development Framework

The proposed integrated planning allows for more comprehensive and dynamic management of the strengths and vulnerabilities of communities and local municipalities. Particular economic areas that are too dependent on one sector of their economy are vulnerable to internal turbulence such as droughts, fire or floods, and external impacts, such as national economic downturns or energy interruptions. This has material impacts, as unforeseen migration of people for a number of reasons. Although dedicated development capital investments could address many challenges, one should be alert that during vulnerable times, long term development capital – in addition to profits, is seeking additional risk-based  sustainable encouragement. This encouragement is built on clear plans, support and long-term vision by creative leadership.

Therefore, within a greater development plan, each community and local municipality should be seen as a unique and sustainable entity based on its competitive advantage.

In each district, there are needs to consolidate existing and emerging regional economic nodes, as they offer the best prospects for generating jobs and stimulating innovation within a local- and regional circular economy. Most development guidelines are only for a 10 - 20-year period. The AVAVA model focus on at least two generations (approximately 50 years) as this develops a sustainable and secure community in contras to the normal 5-year terms and visions of politically elected leaders. In preparing realistic implementation plans, these guidelines force the management structures to observe the benefits of the circular economy with its dynamics in energy, housing and infrastructure as well as education, training and job creation for each developing community.

The AVAVA model is therefore further based on the structure of the approved local and regional priorities, which could include:

• A water secure future

• A connected and circular and focused economy

• Resilient agriculture and/or food availability

• Community wellbeing

• A connected community with transport and rural-urban integration

• Smart city elements with ICT and connectivity

• Energy with Waste to Energy solutions including landfill gas (methane) and solar thermal (for heating), and solar photovoltaic electricity generation

Property development, urbanisation and community wellbeing

Existing household needs and its role in sustainable communities, emphasizes a complete new and holistic thinking on property development. Elements like circular economy, multi-functional communities and integrated safety services within the concept of Smart Cities should form part of the identity of each community, district and related municipalities.

The AVAVA model researched new and practical guidelines to address the slow speed of housing delivery, the undesirable increase in informal housing, and the growing service and housing backlogs in most municipalities. This will be more challenging, given a growing and younger population and the subsequent increase in demand for social facilities and housing - particularly in the larger urban areas. Further to this, there is an undeniable pressure between infrastructure development and environmental asset protection and as such developments have a signification impact on municipal financial sustainability.

The AVAVA model, took note as early as 2014, the World Bank stated that the urbanised global population will double towards 2050. This means in the next 26 years an additional 3.5 billion people will have to be accommodated in cities, communities and housing projects globally. A basic calculation of 4 people per household will thus add an additional 875 million houses that have to be provided in 26 years – about 24,3 million per year, globally. This should not include old and traditional built type of houses but living units that comply with safety, cost restraints, new spectrum internet facilities and high-end two-way electronic communication from various mobile platforms within smart cities. Thus formal housing, peaceful settlements and food security are priority issues in sustainable communities. This is not a global challenge but rather a problem for each local municipality in addressing their portion of the housing need.

Further to this, the expansion of existing agricultural resources should not be a threat but rather an asset to urban and adjacent rural areas that must provide for as a primary right in agricultural zones. In this regard, the new thinking on the integration of farmland, housing models for affluent residents and poor people should be explored and supported in the thinking towards the new community development models. Therefore the AVAVA model includes agri-processing into new multi-functional living spaces.

South Africa is well known for its ‘sleeping cities’ where people go to sleep after traveling long distances to and from work. These sleeping cities are far away from workplaces, travel costs are high and personal leisure time is spent in traffic and not with families. From various evaluations and strategic documents it seems that community leaders wish to turn this around and rather aim towards integrating different social and economic living realities into workable and efficient multi-functional living spaces.

To some extent, in the tourism industry, we are already working with multi-functional spaces . Private holiday resorts with expensive tourist-housing, restricted sport facilities, exclusive restaurants and large living estates are well known in many areas. These resorts and developments should also include housing for staff and management. Most recently, the concept of multi-functional living spaces again became the focus of city planners in designing new towns and smart cities. These community facilities bring together various neighbourhoods within precincts where workplaces, leisure facilities and housing for young people, new families and workers are accommodated in safety. Such multi-functional living spaces creates less traffic and sustain a more desirable community and family life. Towards such objectives the collective development framework should not only include tourism farms but also sustainable farming activities, housing for farmers and farm workers, industrial workers as well as supportive infrastructure – all within the same circular economy. Guidelines to developers should indicate the preferred development areas where all of these facilities could be accommodated in the same close-by geographical area. Both light industrial and agri-processing facilities could form the centre of such multi-functional living spaces.

Towards smart cities and more

The AVAVA model encourage ICT infrastructure investment and public access for the public good. The possibilities of virtual and ICT connection have been made clear during the Covid-19 pandemic. The lack of access to, and inconsistent availability of energy makes it difficult to fully realise the opportunities for connectivity through ICT.

The AVAVA model realises that new developments in the ICT environment are sudden and fast while developments in city- and town planning as well as community housing projects takes place over many years and even decades. This time-related dilemma is emphasised when not only the difference in speed becomes an element but also the methodology of various disciplines that will be involved in designing houses and communities and cities for the Information and knowledge societies in the next century.  The existing focus on Lanseria Smart City, the Durban Aerotropolis and the Port St Johns Coastal City are projects that should include the full meaning of smart cities.

Due to this difference in the approach and management of change it becomes imperative that ICT designers, architects and town planners as well as municipal officials and property developers work closer together to supply housing units that will be fit, relevant and appropriate in the years to come. In future, social networking programs should include individuals, households, interests, hobbies, political preferences, geographic places, types of work, employers, schools and other shared objectives.

These matters are all supported by the AVAVA model’s proposed focus on Human Centric Cities. “Human centric smart cities are cities that practice smart governance, are supported by user needs, for innovation and are ultimately oriented towards the development of wellbeing and the creation of public value. In these human centric smart cities, the use, implementation and development of technology is guided by human needs.” This include the three pillars of smart Cities: (i) Intersectoral collaboration, (ii) Data governance and (iii) Administrative capacity. (McBride, Cingolani, Hammerschmid Human Centric Smart Cities - Redefining the smart city (2022)).



In support of these objectives, the AVAVA model developed guidelines for ICT connectivity to link the concepts of Smart Communities, Smart Houses and Smart Residents to Smart Governance and Smart Industries in a Smart Circular Economy.

Pipelines for Local and Integrated Education

The AVAVA model for community development envisages facilities to educate and train young people within the boundaries and needs of each community. This proposal includes local based post school education and training facilities. The modern educational process in the 21st century requires a new framework of interactions and interdependences within a tight cooperation model formed out of four fundamental elements (universities, industries, companies, government, civil society) presented in the scientific literature as the Quadruple Helix (QH) model. The purpose is to point out the mutual influences between the elements of the QH model. In this context, private sector and universities are considered to be innovative laboratories of ideas endowed with adequate human resources and able to improve the research and development (R & D) activities.

The AVAVA model includes a process and establishment of an Entrepreneurial Community University within a Quadruple Helix (QH) model. Such institution will be able to be less dependent on government funds and will attend to the needs of (i) Private Sector in various industries, (ii) Government on all levels, (iii) a university structure that teaches local-relevant courses and (iv) acknowledge and accommodate the needs of individuals and communities. Toward this, the AVAVA model suggests different levels of school and post school education and training facilities be developed within an integrated smart education system according to the needs of each community.