Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment (ETDs)

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    “Artful Sustainability” Inquiry into Urban Waste and Public Space Practices: a Case Study of Riverside View Mega City, Johannesburg
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Mantshoane, Trevor; Charlton, Sarah
    The UN-Habitat (2021a, p. 29) has been spearheading efforts at ensuring that “placemaking institutionalizes the role of art and culture to achieve a lasting sense of place for [communities]” as per the SDG 11 agenda. Place-making foregrounds the central role of communities in ensuring quality and liveable public spaces often through arts-led interventions. To date, little research exists on how this global place-making agenda is faring at the neighbourhood level. Even less studied are the arts and cultural (ecosystem) services of public space and the impact of waste on people’s ability to benefit from these services. Against the global place-making agenda, this research artistically interrogates the eco-cultural dimensions of sustainability issues of waste and public spaces. It does this through a case study of Riverside View Mega City, Johannesburg (South Africa) This qualitative research study uses a case study strategy and draws on a range of practices broadly associated with the arts-based and practice- based methods. The study utilises a set of methodological tools like drawings, written and photo diaries to gain a window into the resident participants’ embodied experiences of waste and public space. In all, the research finds that waste malpractices have a disruptive impact on the residents’ ability to benefit from the eco-cultural services of public spaces in Riverside View Mega City. Consequently, public spaces are generally perceived and experienced negatively, although this is not uniform across all sections of the settlement. Moreover, efforts at institutionalising the arts and culture through place-making interventions remain ambiguous with little apparent relevance to the everyday sustainability issue of waste and public spaces.
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    Shopping Centres in South Africa: Urbanism Gets the Cold Shoulder. The reimagining of introverted shopping centres into responsive urban environments through design: the case of Menlyn Park Shopping Centre
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024-02) Mentz, Reuben Frederick; Goncalves`, Kevin
    Shopping malls have nestled themselves into the urban fabric of cities, more specifically the suburban fabric, creating large non-interactive, introverted artifacts geared towards consumption and the maximisation of profits. These artifacts act as exclusive clubs where the membership requirements are money and a private vehicle. Menlyn Park Shopping Centre, a regional shopping mall neatly placed between three major regional roads and a national highway in the east of Pretoria, is no different. The mall, or rather the artifact, violates all principles of Responsive Environments and transforming the citizens of the city into customers. The purpose of this research is to explore ways to transform the introverted Menlyn Park Shopping Centre into a more responsive urban environment, an environment that does not turn its back on citizens, but rather welcomes interaction and variety. This overall objective is achieved by creating a research framework in order to create understanding of the nature of shopping malls in general, how they came to be, their functioning and the different types we encounter. An expert in the field of shopping mall design was also consulted, in order to provide some perspective on the future of malls and element to consider. This is followed by an analysis of the Menlyn Park Shopping Centre itself, unpacking the different elements and how they relate to principles of responsive urban environments. A conclusion is reached through an urban design framework, which proposes an alternative design for the shopping mall satisfying the principles of responsive environments.
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    Pedestrian in King: To what extent is the City of Windhoek's Vision 2032 to pedestrianise part of Independence Avenue successfully bringing value to the street?
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-11) Muzwembiri, Brain Mapato; Goncalves`, Kevin
    A street, which the researcher regards as a public space, should offer the pedestrian an environment that is safe to walk, comfortable, and encourages social interaction. Global North and Global South cities have prioritised cars in the street. The conflict between cars and pedestrians has resulted in less pedestrian infrastructure, minimal pedestrian activities, and the pedestrians needing to be more prioritised. Theories and concepts such as livable streets, shared streets, or fully pedestrian-only streets have attempted to regain the street from cars and prioritize the pedestrian. In Namibia, the City of Windhoek has proposed pedestrianizing Independence Avenue in the city’s downtown area. From a scholar’s perspective, the present research investigates the potential sociocultural, transport, economic, environmental (built and climatic) successes and pitfalls of pedestrianizing Independence Avenue.