Methodological Challenges of an Online Survey about Water Sensitive Urban Design in an Upmarket South African Residential Estate

With water shortages increasing in South Africa, the Departments of Urban Planning and Psychology at the University of Pretoria collaborated on a project about community perceptions of Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD). A survey was planned in an upmarket South African residential estate that showed potential for various WSUD measures. We initially planned a door-to-door survey of a random sample of property owners using students as fieldworkers. However, the management of the estate would not allow students to do fieldwork inside the estate and instead suggested that we disseminate the survey online. The survey questionnaire was then programmed on Qualtrix and disseminated to residents online via the estate management offices using their database of residents. Our paper discusses challenges and shortcomings of this online approach and makes recommendations for future surveys about community perceptions of WSUD.