Blog 1 - Sowa Town (revised 16/04/2011)
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This airphoto is of Sowa Town in 2005 and from Google Earth - a marvellous tool for planners! The township is like a desert flower in bloom - a few petals out and a few more to come around the point where the modern kgotla with council chambers and Choppers, town park, clinic etc. A plan from 1991 coming true.
There is a good reason for me to start with the Sowa Town project - the town has looked like on the photo above (from Sept 2005) for 10 yrs. It stopped growing!
This is sad and as a planner I feel the need to explain that fact. By reasons completely unnecessary, it became a "camp" - a sleeping place for workers and not a complete town for families and children.
This sad situation can, however, be changed and my presentation now might have some effect. I'm nursing a hope for that and the presentation that you can click on a bit down might be useful for the longevity of Sowa Town and the many millions that it has cost to design and build.
Consequently, I find this a good and relevant start for my blog on planning and I have downloaded a brief history from the planning years and start of another new town in Botswana.There is a good reason for me to start with the Sowa Town project - the town has looked like on the photo above (from Sept 2005) for 10 yrs. It stopped growing!
This is sad and as a planner I feel the need to explain that fact. By reasons completely unnecessary, it became a "camp" - a sleeping place for workers and not a complete town for families and children.
This sad situation can, however, be changed and my presentation now might have some effect. I'm nursing a hope for that and the presentation that you can click on a bit down might be useful for the longevity of Sowa Town and the many millions that it has cost to design and build.
The document you can open is actually in to parts: History and Planning. Some repetitons are there in the Planning chapter and will be edited away by time. For the moment I have no time, hope you understand!
Click HERE to read more about History and Planning of Sowa Town.
-My latest articlels you find some for Boidus Focus, some for Mmegi and some for Inner city News. Have a nice reading and let me hear from you. A few more is coming in and I'm slowly mowing into the basics - that's economy. Basis for all we do, actually. Let's see when my helpful son have time to put it in and I'm asking him to do it according to the dates. Keep well all of you - there are close to 6000 readers now - I'm happy!
Links are on the right!
Links are on the right!
It realy dos look beautiful. Im confident that this town is or used to be a mining town. Any inside on that? And is there any conection on this and the planning design of the town?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIt's coming,Beenstra. Just wait - I'm not so speedy these days. Much to do! At PC in the nigth, only, and fighting with new technology!
ReplyDeleteBut wait!! JW
So, Beenstra, it took some time to create the Sowa Town page but now it is there. Tnx to you I decided to include a Google pic of the salt mine, too. There you see the "problem" with the pink algee in one of the evaporation ponds as well as the distance to the mines from Sowa.
ReplyDeleteHope you like what you see.
All the best/JW
your finger knew it is the right time to publish these beatiful informations. Thank you.
ReplyDeletemau
Sowa and other plans and writings should have been published long ago. Hopefully it's never too late but ongoing jobs takes too much time and, unfortunately, presentations in this blog is (too me) very time consuming.
ReplyDeleteSo 'right time' is purely luck, whatever you mean by that - let me hear!
Keep well Anonymous/JW
My dream destination = Sowa Town.This small town is one of my favourites after Lobatse.I would really love to stay and work there as a town planner.I have only seen it only on the internet and would really love to go there in person.I think its great that Mr Wareus is giving it the necessary exposure by showing the layout plans,maps and the history as to how it has evolved.I hope more is coming,not only for Sowa Town but for Botswana planning in General.So keep up the Good work Mr Wareus!!!
ReplyDeleteSo few resources like this on the net. Come on Mr Wareus, post some more!
ReplyDeleteThat is such good news, my friend! I’m sure the locals in Sowa Town were ecstatic about this. Their town has been through something depressing, and it’s great that you guys did something to bring it back to how it was years ago, only better. I’m sure you and the rest of the town planners did an incredibly amazing job of restoring the place. Kudos!
ReplyDeleteQuennie Dolor