ETD Collection

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://wiredspace.wits.ac.za/handle/10539/104


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    How genealogy reveals the changing relationship between people and their use of recreational public space
    (2011-04-18) Mdzeke, Nandipha
    The public space is and has been an integral part of communities for centuries. It serves as a convenient setting for a broad variety of leisure and recreational activities, as well as enhancing the image and perceived value of a community. Recreational public spaces provide a location for people to meet, relax, and exchange ideas. They can serve the needs and interests of all kinds of people, young and old irrespective of their cultural backgrounds. This report seeks to trace the genealogy of people and their use of recreational public space. Thus it uncovers the history of how space is perceived, interpreted and understood by people who live in Yeoville. It focuses on the understanding of space as an agglomeration of people, objects and events.The report also seeks to conceptualize people’s perception on the use of recreational public space and explore the changing relationship between people and their use of space in Yeoville. Through the process of perception we create a sense of place, i.e. a relationship within a specific context. If a place is memorable, it is because it carries perceptual attributes such as clarity, differentiation, uniqueness, structure and form. Planning practice seems to overlook the importance of incorporating genealogy into planning for diversified cultural communities. The use of narratives or storytelling can have a great significance for planners when planning for these communities. Identifying the core components of a Good City Form and the production of space, the paper goes on to connect these elements based Lynch’s theory of ‘Good City Form’ which was propounded in 1981 and also Lebfebvre’s theory on ‘The Production of Space’ (1991), translated from La production de l’espace(1974). Lynch’s Good City Form (1981) form the theoretical base for this report as his five performance dimensions are used to measure whether Yeoville does meet the criteria.
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    The role of civil society in promoting greater social justice for forced migrants living in the inner city of Johannesburg
    (2008-04-03T12:12:17Z) Mbombo, Dieudonne Bikoko
    ABSTRACT This paper analyses what has arguably become a salient feature of a ‘just city’ and social development on an international level, namely social justice. Specifically, it focuses on the role of the Johannesburg’s civil society organisations in promoting greater social justice for forced migrants (refugees and asylum seekers) living in the downtown Johannesburg. For this purpose, a case study was carried out, particularly with Africa’s forced migrants living in the inner city of Johannesburg (in Hillbrow and Yeoville). The research makes use of in-depth interview and participant observation methods to uncover the perspectives of a group of refugees and asylum seekers and members of seven civil society organisations, working with forced migrants in Johannesburg. The main research question that the study addresses is: What role can civil society organisations play in facilitating greater social justice for Africa’s asylum seekers and refugees living in the inner city of Johannesburg? I have concluded that Johannesburg’s civil society organisations have the potential, which may allow them to bring social transformation and create a just city by promoting a greater social justice for forced migrants living in the inner city. To achieve this goal, they should play a reformative and transformative role in the inner city, by challenging government exclusionary policies and decisions relating to the forced migrants; and, at the same time, they should mediate between the government and forced migrants at the local and national levels. To conclude this report, I recommended civil society organisations to develop strong collaboration with the city’s planners for a better improvement of the quality of life of forced migrants in the inner city. I also recommend the national government to decentralise its decision-making power on international migration issues by conferring to the provinces and local governments certain power which can allow them to develop internal structures (taking into account the context of each province), which can allow them to protect the basic rights of refugees and asylum seekers, such as the rights to work, to study, and to access free health care.