Abstract
This research explores the resilience theory and the impact of disturbance on the social-ecological
systems and how they can adapt to these changes/disturbances. The research was done in Hatfield Node
and Burnette Street in the City of Tshwane to analyse the relationship between neighborhood diversity
and urban resilience. The objectives are to analyse the socio-spatial changes, concerning neighbourhood
diversity, that have occurred over the long term; the factors that have influenced urban resilience and
to determine the current and future policy interventions that may be developed and implemented to
support neighbourhood diversity and urban resilience in the Hatfield node. In addition, the research
considers the adaptive cycle, resilience drivers, and a policy viewpoint for fostering resilience in the
City of Tshwane (CoT) that is based on the City Resilience Framework.
The primary data collection involved semi-structured interviews with the relevant stakeholders, and
narrative data analysis was adopted to analyse the data collected from the interviews. The findings
indicate that the Hatfield Node has undergone many stages of redevelopment over the last few decades,
with the University of Pretoria being one of the prominent points of attraction to the Hatfield
neighbourhood. During the 1990s, the area experienced economic decline, although some developments
had tried to respond to the urban character by incorporating vertical mixed uses. Newer development
typologies were becoming increasingly mono-functional, introverted, and poorly integrated with the
public realm. Sparts of Burnette Street are deteriorating due to restrictive policies that limit the
conversion of residential houses into commercial activities. The primary goal of the current policy
emphasis is to preserve the residential character of the metropolitan core area. As such, the research
recommends that the City of Tshwane (CoT) expand efforts toward establishing solid citywide
partnerships with key stakeholders to promote collective readiness for urban resilience.
KEYWORDS: Resilient theory, Social-ecological systems, Adaptive cycle, urban resilience,
sustainability, neighborhood diversity, functional response diversity