School of Architecture and Planning (ETDs)
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Item Investigating aspects of rapid urbanisation and densification in Sub-Saharan Africa and the effect on the physical morphology of selected suburbs in Johannesburg(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Dörmann, Kirsten; Jenkins, PaulThis study examines the transformation of the South African version of the bungalow from a free-standing house into a courtyard form of building – seen as a bungalow ‘compound’– due to the significant change in occupancy. It focuses on two lower-income inner-city neighbourhoods of Johannesburg, Yeoville and Rosettenville. Both were created at the beginning of the 20th century, on either side of the city’s mining belt. After the political changes in 1990, these neighbourhoods have been almost completely re-populated with immense socio- cultural changes – and intensely densified. This radical change has, however, been kept hidden behind the boundary walls of the private properties. There has been little attention and very limited evidence concerning the alterations to the properties despite them being widespread. The research brings a new understanding of the ‘transformed house on the plot’ and its life forms as part of wider city-making processes. Although based on a typological approach to reading the change of the domestic spaces over time, this is analysed in-depth vis-à-vis social, economic, juridical, and political entanglements and highlights the need for transdisciplinary knowledge transfers. The study examines the bungalow compounds through innovative design research, applied via a Case Study approach, to a particularly complex category of ‘as built’ documentation. It investigates the outcome as a form of re-description of a part of the transforming African city – rather than the standard sterile service instrument of spatial administration. In this context, the pattern book and the notion of type are revisited to develop an alternate catalogue of properties based on more than thirty detailed case studies. Methodologically, the research considers the bungalow compound as an epistemic object that can manifest as a problem space across multiple themes, scales, and contexts. In doing so, the study addresses the misconception of architecture as a finished product and appropriates essential incompleteness as a device to locate relevant knowledge(s). It considers the inevitable lack of complete evidence as an opportunity to understand the documentation of these emerging dynamic ‘house worlds’ as readings of what is and what could be.Item Investigating Community Involvement and Public Interests in the Alexandra Renewal Programme (ARP) Implementation and Management(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Koenaite, Mokgaetsi; Malaza, NqobileThe promise of revitalisation and restoration of rural and urban areas came with the advent of democracy in most South African cities in the 1990s. This was accomplished through the implementation of urban renewal programmes that prioritised housing-a critical issue in the country. The Alexandra Renewal Programme (ARP) is used as a case study in the paper. The topic is about investigating a public involvement process, assessing public participation as a governance tool, and analyzing housing delivery decision-making procedures. The purpose to discover more information and find new ways in which we can enhance public engagement in urban renewal programmes to establish sustainable humane settlements. The fundamental concern in the report is that there appears to be a disconnect between how policies, rules, and regulations are developed at the national level and how they are formed at the local level- which is the sphere that interacts with the people. The following methodological approaches are used in the report: structured interviews, participant observation, archival materials, and desktop research. The research concludes that decision making in Alexandra must be intimately tied to spatial dynamics in terms of housing location, density, and material used, and that participatory governance must be practiced to ensure that citizens have a say in decisions that affect them.Item Revival Through Empo[women]t: Designing Safer Public Spaces in Post-Apartheid Communities that Promote Community Cohesion(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Kanjee, Sanam D.This study investigates how architecture can transform and renew existing public realms in Downshops, Laudium. The space contains strong patriarchal culture, along with poor maintenance, dilapitated infrastructure, dark thresholds and polluted spaces. These factors have made the space very unwelcoming, uncomfortable and unsafe for women. Despite this, it contains multi-layered complexities of Post-Apartheid narratives regarding socio-economic status, religion, culture, race, gender, and languages that de昀椀ne the space. This study aims to revive underutilized infrastructure and increase female participation through environments that facilitate skills, knowledge, and economic opportunities for women. Architectural theories and themes guide the study by challenging conventional design norms, through inclusive design, safety methods, and materiality seen through the lens of women, that enhance women’s spatial experiences. Proposed design interventions celebrate women’s role in public spheres by including clean facilities, spaces of activity, a tea garden, daycare facilities, learning rooms, skills and craft markets, and a women’s market. A drop-o昀昀/pick-up zone and waiting area for taxis is also proposed. By re-imagining Downshops through a gender-sensitive approach, the study envisions clean, safe and welcoming environments that encourage women to be active participants in public spaces to promote empowerment and cohesive community living.Item Bridging the gap: public space as an anchor for social-infrastructure and community integration in Braamfontein(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Kistan, Nicole; Bahmann, DirkBridging the Gap is about creating a new shared space within Braamfontein, that seeks to provide a space that alleviates the interpreted apprehension felt towards shared spaces in the city. This tension that stems from the inaccessibility of space, infrastructure and amenities are due to the exclusionary nature of socio-economic hierarchies. The approach redefines the perceptions and physical role public space holds by investigating its history. Shared space, which is becoming increasingly scarce, is placed as a new gateway to the city to create a new and improved way of life. The design intervention combines architectural, urban, and social concerns by reinterpreting shared spaces as a social platform, which introduces a pedestrian street on ground level on which the architecture manifests as a flexible modular typology. The proposal aims to create an integrated and sustainable future in Braamfontein by engaging users, space and the city to create an urban fabricItem Project Reality - Imagining the symbiotic relationship between virtual reality and the human narrative(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Peneda, MichaelWith virtual reality technology being ever more integrated in our daily lives, through the accessibility to technology such as smartphones, personal computers, the internet, and social media. The potential possibilities for exploration, education, historical preservation, spatial exploration and how we define reality are endless. With the Newtown precinct having historical, educational, and recreational facilities within the heart of Johannesburg yet not functioning as a true representation of a cultural precinct. It provides the perfect catalyst for a virtual reality centre that enables the public to access this technology and explore its vast potential whilst reviving and transforming Newtown into a functional cultural precinct. Whilst being supported by the surrounding public infrastructure as well as creating a new pillar to support the precinct. This virtual reality centre provides the ability for users to explore both the virtual realm and the physical, while being able to easily transition from one to the other. With new ways of engaging with spatial exploration, immersive education, and new representations of historical narratives. With the building functioning as an amalgamation of new representations of classical typologies such as museums, exhibition spaces, galleries, research development and education facilities. By housing the functionalities of these typologies within the centre yet representing them in new ways with unique ways of engaging with them.Item Looking through the activation lens :Exploring urban renewal in Lenasia through an activism centre(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Bawa, Mariam; Francis, LialeSouth Africa’s history of trauma has created traumatic spaces. As we search for a post-apartheid identity, South Africa finds itself in a healing place. This research project looks at addressing traumas of the past while understanding the healing of the present. Lenasia has undergone traumas of segregation and forced removals of diasporic groups. What is trauma? How does it affect people and places? Life comes with a lot of challenges, some greater than others. Exposure to events beyond our everyday human experience can create trauma within us. It is beyond human experience to have one’s home bulldozed and torn down by an oppressive government. Being segregated is not an ordinary human experience. Being dislocated from a community, jobs, and so much more are all traits that cause trauma. All of these factors have deeply affected communities in South Africa, especially those that are marginalised. Poverty, inequality, healthcare, unemployment, racism, and childcare create layers of extraordinary experiences resulting in trauma. The increase in unemployment and decay of government-provided amenities continue to affect us today. My thesis addresses these traumas through understanding the history of Lenasia and activism around the apartheid system. It also addresses urban decay using urban theory, phenomenology, placemaking, identity, and activism theories of change. The research will lead to an architectural intervention that addresses trauma and provides a platform for people to voice their stories. The intervention will take the form of a Youth Activist Centre that enriches the community by mobilising youth to participate in the community while allowing for a space of leisureItem [T]read Between the Lines Unraveling and Upskilling Hidden Communities in Orange Grove and Norwood(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Moshe, Khumo; Francis, LialeThis research explores the historical tension and socio-economic differences between Orange Grove and Norwood, which are neighbouring suburbs characterized by a diverse culture and a mixed-income profile. These tensions lie between and along major arterial nodes Louis Botha Avenue and Grant Avenue, which serve communities. Louis Botha Avenue is a transit route and Grant Avenue, is a local retail high street. The study investigates the potential of Patterson Park, located between Louis Botha and Grant Avenue, as a mediating space for these neighbourhoods. The park offers the opportunity for connection between these neighbourhoods through urban principles that create safe and comfortable public connections. The proposed intervention neighbours Paterson Park and is driven by the imitiate human interactions. It aims to establish a maker’s guild and trade training centre, providing opportunities and possibilities for marginalized individuals, local entrepreneurs, businesses, and the community. The facility will impart essential urban principles for successful neighbourhoods and emphasize the significance of public art, craft in construction, along with facilitating better contractor-client relationships.Item Fuelling change: Harnessing water hyacinth for Bio-Fuel, a catalyst for changein Hartbeespoort(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Shippon, Angelique; Goncalves, KevinThe Hartbeespoort community has long grappled with the invasive water hyacinth, a menace causing ecological and economic harm to the man-made Hartbeespoort Dam since the 1970s. After research and interviews, it’s clear that trapped pollution is the core issue, rendering conventional control methods insufficient. In response, this architectural thesis presents Fuelling Change, an innovative solution merging agro-industry, natural water purification, and tourism through 5 sub-programs. The primary objective is to transform the water hyacinth challenge into a self- sustaining ecosystem that both generates income for management and enhances water quality. This involves a digester plant to control hyacinth growth through utilization, collaborating with local farmers to establish a closed-loop nutrient cycle, and rejuvenating the social fabric with a promising Waterfront initiative. Employing an Emancipatory research approach empowers the community, while integrating critical regionalism and biophilic design ensures authenticity and alignment with the area’s identity. The proposed design converts an ecological crisis into a catalyst for positive change, fostering socio-economic regeneration in Hartbeespoort. Agro-industry: industry connected with agriculture. Emancipatory research: define & add to list [ ii ] ABSTRACTItem An evaluation of city improvement districts in promoting positive social- spatial structures and management processes: a case study of Hillbrow Ekhaya Improvement District, Johannesburg(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Tepkeny, Gloria; Klug, NeilThis study aims to assess the effectiveness of City Improvement Districts (CIDs) in fostering positive social-spatial structures and management processes within urban areas. Specifically, the study focuses on the Hillbrow eKhaya Improvement District in Johannesburg, South Africa, as a case study. The research utilizes a qualitative research design method approach, combining semi-structured questionnaires, in-depth interviews, observation, photography, reconnaissance visits, and qualitative data analysis assessments and transcriptions to provide a comprehensive understanding of the impact of city improvement districts on the local community and urban management. By analysing the Hillbrow eKhaya Improvement District’s initiatives, successes, challenges, and stakeholders' perceptions, the study seeks to contribute valuable insights into the role of city improvement districts in enhancing urban living conditions and social cohesion. Understanding the intricate relationship between physical urban spaces and social interactions is crucial for urban planners, policymakers, and researchers seeking to create vibrant, inclusive, and liveable cities. By evaluating the Hillbrow eKhaya Improvement District, this study intends to provide insights into the potential of improvement districts to promote positive social- spatial structures and effective management processes in urban areas. The findings of this research could inform urban planners, policymakers, and local communities about the benefits and challenges associated with improvement districts, contributing to more sustainable and liveable cities.Item Investigating Ways in Which the Profile and Identity of Women Affects their Capacity to Work Effectively in the Urban Management Field(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Mazamane, Zintathu Sigcine