IN-PERSON Barcelona. Section A

Abstract

South African cities of the pre-1994 apartheid era predominantly consisted of a central business district (CBD), while surrounding suburbs were divided according to economic means – but unlike other world cities where “down-town” and suburbs close to the centre were usually where less economically able people lived, South African white people (those with economic means) lived close to the CBD and poorer people of colour were forced to live far outside the city. From the mid-1900s Sunnyside was an area where immigrants (albeit white) settled. After the end of Apartheid and the first democratic elections of 1994, segregated areas also changed. Today, the same multicultural buzz can be felt on the streets. Small eateries abound, produce shops sell foreign ingredients such as plantain and cassava to a predominantly black clientele of immigrants from other countries in Africa such as Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal, Ethiopia and many more. These new inhabitants have little alternative than to utilise the inherited urban environment to the best of their ability to cater for their food needs. This research therefore puts the Eco back into the Socio Ecological Framework, investigating the food environment struggles that current immigrants experience as a consequence of living in a leftover environment created under a previous dispensation. Observational and historical account methodology is used to investigate aspects such as food availability, accessibility, affordability and desirability for current occupants of Sunnyside. The Socio Ecological Framework (SEF) (also referred to as the socio-ecological model (SEM)) is used to facilitate an understanding of how context influences human food behaviour. This presentation contributes to research into the application of the SEF for social upliftment. The research can be used to address availability, accessibility, affordability and desirability issues that the new residents of Sunnyside may experience to access food.