School of Architecture and Planning (ETDs)

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    Wasteland/ WetlandRewilding Water Systems in the Post- Mining Landscape in the Nigel Region
    (2024) Moll, Georgia Stephanie
    The Witwatersrand region, renowned for its historical mining activities, grapples with environmental degradation, particularly in its water systems. Mining operations have left a legacy of pollution through practices such as the disposal of mine waste in tailings located on or nearby rivers and wetlands, driven by convenience and insufficient regulation1 . This creates significant threats to the natural ecology and biodiversity of the region, such as acid mine drainage, which continues to impact water quality and ecosystem health long after mining activities have ceased, leading to the destruction of aquatic ecosystems, habitats, and breeding zones. Despite these challenges, research suggests that wetlands hold the key to addressing these challenges. Wetlands can be used to naturally filter wastewater, which can contain sediments and pollutants, improving water quality. They are also crucial in nutrient cycling, processing elements like nitrogen and phosphorus which are commonly found in mine runoff2 . The potential for wetlands to act as natural decontaminators highlights their importance in ecological repair and water security for the region. In areas where natural wetlands have been significantly damaged, constructed wetlands present a viable solution. These engineered systems can be strategically placed within damaged waterscapes to treat contaminated water through natural filtration. My thesis proposes an expansion of constructed wetlands into a multifunctional building typology designed to filter water as it flows through the structure. By incorporating various filtration processes and different types of constructed wetlands within the building, this concept aims to provide a pilot design that can be scaled and adapted for implementation in other contaminated sites throughout the region. The proposed building will serve multiple roles in filtration, showcasing a scalable solution for water decontamination and ecological restoration. By establishing this model, the project seeks to improve water security, restore ecological balance, and provide a blueprint for similar initiatives in other regions affected by mining- related environmental degradation. Through this research, I will research the potential for wetlands—both natural and constructed—to serve as a foundation of environmental remediation and sustainability in the Witwatersrand region
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    Emblems of Sociality_Transversal social spaces in re-imagining the identity of a modern African city: The case of central Addis Ababa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Berhe, Delina
    IIIIII Abstract The current African city exists through the lens of global building culture. Addis Ababa, going through immense transformation seems to have taken its architectural inspirations from foreign world-class cities in hopes of reaching global heights. This research explores alternative possibilities to achieve that goal while considering the existing socio-cultural identity of the city. African cities should take their place in the network of globalised cities, however, a sense of representation should be considered to enrich their potential. The transformation of cities through embracing their local ways of life and historical traditions should be prioritized. The work investigates modern city planning in the context of Addis Ababa as its aspirational condition. The overarching theme explores the relationship between the current city planning conditions and their understanding of social space and identity in an Ethiopian context. Specifically, the research is centred in representing identity of social cohesion and its interpretation through architecture and spatial elements. It aims to investigate urban social traditions that have and are being pushed aside within the process of creating a ‘global worthy Addis Ababa’. The study site is central Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which serves as both the city’s point of origin and locus of ongoing transformations. The work proposes the creation of a Food media library prioritizing indoor and outdoor social spaces, with the goal of fostering a meaningful presence within the evolving cityscape. The research methodology involves analysing historical documents, photo series, mapping and observation of the neighbourhoods and the characters within them. The research aims to create a design in which an overlapping space of critique, knowledge exchange, activity, sense of identity and belongingness can be experienced and transferred. It explores the relationship between diverse societies to create a common space that will be able represent them and create a hub for positive and meaningful interactions. It aims to create a space of contemplation into one’s respected society through nurturing the social dynamics in terms of architectural spaces and interactions.
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    Innovate Youth: A dynamic youth hub and learning centre
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Rubin, Daron Yoni
    This project aims to establish a comprehensive educational and vocational training facility in Johannesburg, South Africa, addressing the high levels of unemployment and the need for skill enhancement among the youth. By converting a vacant site in the Rosebank area into a dynamic learning and working environment, which is funded by the neighbouring commercial and hospitality sectors, this initiative seeks to provide unemployed youth between the ages of 18 and 35, with access to a wide range of educational resources, vocational training programs, and skill development opportunities. The facility offers tailored programs that cater to various fields, fostering personal and professional growth. The proposed InnovateYouth project will include state-of-the-art classrooms, workshops, entertainment, working environments, learning facilities, physical and mental health resources, sleeping spaces and digital learning spaces, all designed to create an engaging and supportive environment for the unemployed youth. With funding provided by local businesses, educational institutions, and community organizations, the project aims to help facilitate future employment opportunities for young graduates and apprentices from the community centre into the surrounding business community. This project is aimed at youth culture; therefore, the facility also caters for youth activities and youth employment during the night, making this a vibrant thriving place for youth to be during the day and during the night. The projects intentions detail the staffing, equipment, technology, and maintenance required to run the facility effectively. It also outlines the various programs and services that will be available, ensuring a holistic approach to learning, working, healing and fun education and vocational training, as well as affordable accommodation facilities, under one roof. The project's location in Rosebank, a vibrant and growing neighbourhood, is strategically chosen to maximize accessibility and impact. Overall, this project is proposed to become a cornerstone of a youth culture, fostering economic growth, social inclusion, and long-term development through its unique programme and facilities, as well as a destination with thriving nightlife for youth, making it a building that is functional 24 hours a day.
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    Revitalizing Rural Landscapes: Transforming Architecture and Cultivating Community Anchorage Through Productive Landscaping in Kabokweni Mpumalanga
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Nkosi, Bonga
    This thesis explores the revitalisation of Kabokweni, a township in Mpumalanga, South Africa, through a comprehensive architectural intervention. It addresses the socio-eco- nomic challenges of informal trading and water scarcity by integrating design strategies that create sustainable market spaces and agricultural opportunities. Additionally, a food processing facility for avocados and mangoes is incorporated, creating opportunities for skill development and employment. By introducing a portion of land for each trader to farm on-site, the project reduces transportation costs and encourages local food production. Furthermore, borehole and rainwater harvesting systems are proposed to tackle the water crisis, with water features symbolising the historical significance of the Ngodini River. The architectural design preserves the local trading culture by maintaining the use of building perimeters for trade, fostering economic growth while strengthening the connec- tion between the community and their environment. The facility also incorporates training centres to equip locals with essential skills, creating employment opportunities and economic resilience. By balancing the formalisation of trading spaces with the preservation of informal practices, this project aims to improve the livelihoods of local traders, provide a sense of place, and foster sustainable economic development within Kabokweni.
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    A Conservationist Menagerie: Redefining The Johannesburg Zoo ThroughA Multi-Species Educational Facility
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Jacob, Anneline
    This architectural project seeks to rectify the injustices that the human-wildlife conflict has had on captive, injured and displaced wildlife and their welfare. Throughout the years human have exerted their dominance over wildlife and the current relationship between humans and animals is described as hierarchical and demonstrates a power dynamic whereby humans view themselves as superior to wildlife. This dynamic and the absence of animals which used to be a part of daily life has resulted in a lack of tangible experiences between species resulting in a knowledge gap and poor understanding of animal welfare. This research project will explore the relationship between humans and wildlife in the context of the Johannesburg Zoo which has faced increasing disapproval from the public as its current design fails to provide adequate landscape habitats and ecological aware facilities for animals, thereby decreasing the educational value and overall experience for the animals and visitors, threatening the welfare of the animals. The zoo represents the ideal testing environment due to its possession of animals in stimulated environments. As one of the largest sites that house wildlife within an urban landscape, it facilitates daily human interactions and is the ideal space to observe co-habitation and multi-species relationships. This will facilitate the development of an alternative zoo model which aims to draw lessons from the precedent "Multispecies Design" by Daniel Metcalfe to influence a shift in the power dynamic by creating interactions that will promote respect between humans, wildlife and nature. This will facilitate reconciliation enabling learning so that humans and animals develop a kinship that fosters coexistence and coadaptation to eliminate conflict and captivity, building wildlife welfare and maintaining resources for future use. The research will be directed through an explorative approach that will include a series of photographs, mapping, and research tabulations to gain an understanding of wildlife habitats and how they may be adapted and recreated in the urban landscape. The research will make use of film and comic-like graphics to illustrate the design and spaces representative of a utopian world, which may be created but has not been accomplished yet.
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    Rest in Peace: Encouraging empathy, compassion and interconnectedness through the design of a rehabilitation centre within Braamfontein Cemetery
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Damjanovic, Ana
    Within Johannesburg lies a dormant space, once a cemetery now forgotten – a relic of the past amidst the hustle and bustle of the city – the Braamfontein Cemetery. This thesis proposes a transformation, seeking to breathe life into this neglected space by integrating an animal rehabilitation centre and archive facility within its grounds, and tying it all together with public spaces and a large walkway. By merging the ideas of animal and ecological rehabilitation, urban revitalisation, and the fostering of connections between humans, nature and animals, this project aims to transform the Braamfontein Cemetery into a place of solace within the busy city. This centre would not only serve as a sanctuary for injured, abandoned and unwanted animals but also as a refuge for city dwellers seeking rest from the stressful and fast-paced living that comes with being in the city. The cemetery has a rich history that is seemingly forgotten by the people that reside so close to it. This thesis aims to use architectural solutions to resurface this history in order to foster a connection between the present lives of people using the space and the past lives of the people buried in it. Drawing inspiration from the ideologies of posthumanism, post-anthropocentrism, existentialism and memory, human-animal relationships and ecological restoration, this thesis explores the potential of reimagining forgotten, green urban spaces as vibrant ecosystems through the use of architecture. Ultimately, this thesis strives to not only revitalise a neglected space but to also cultivate a sense of interconnectedness among all living and non-living beings, fostering empathy, understanding, and reverence for the natural world and for the necropolis .
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    The dynamics of place branding in Johannesburg: 1994 - 2019
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-11) Mbinza, Zenzile; Sihlongonyane, Mfaniseni Fana
    This PhD thesis lays the ground for understanding place branding processes from cities of the Global South. It critically explores place branding as an emerging mechanism for urban governance in Johannesburg. It is critical because place branding and its related processes have increasingly gained momentum in countries, regions and cities jostling for niche status in global economics. This thesis explores the different place brands that Johannesburg coined over time, focussing on the period between 1994 and 2019. It explored the city’s place brands under the five mayors that presided over Johannesburg, beginning with Dan Pretorius (1994 – 1995), Isaac Mogase (1995 – 1999), Amos Masondo (2000 – 2011), Parks Tau (2011 – 2016) and Herman Mashaba (2016 – 2019). The thesis employed a qualitative research methodology and case study design. Primary data Archival research and interviews were the primary data collection strategies. The ensuing discussion of place brands in Johannesburg reveals the dynamics and push factors that have contributed to the development of place brands under the time in question. Politics, economics, and activities related to globalisation emerged as leading drivers for the city of Johannesburg to develop its various place brands. The thesis found that Johannesburg followed a template similar to the cities of the Global North in its application of place branding. However, the thesis also found gaps in the city’s place branding processes. For example, there was limited engagement with the city residents when developing Johannesburg’s place brands. It pointed to a unilateral, top-down application of place branding in the city, which precluded it from using these processes as democracy-building tools. It necessitates the exploration of place branding from the perspective of city governments to begin encompassing issues of inclusivity and public participation. In this light, the thesis calls for a more strategic application of place branding in the Johannesburg.
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    Exploring rapid development in emergency relocations in the South African context: a case study of Nellmapius Extension 21 in Mamelodi, Tshwane
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2020) Mahlangu, Phumuzile Nicoline; Huchzermeyer, Marie
    The upgrading of informal settlements has been at the centre of upgrading in South African cities. While the government advocates for phased in situ upgrading of informal settlements, in some settlements upgrading is not possible thus making relocation the only option. While some cities may create Temporary Relocation Areas as guided by the Emergency Housing Programme, the City of Tshwane has managed to create a permanent relocation area for a relocated community in its jurisdiction. Using a series of interviews with community members, their leaders and a City official, this research report looks at how the City managed to create a permanent relocation area in Nellmapius Extension 21, being the study area. The findings of the paper are that the City has managed not only to develop the area but it did so rapidly. This paper reports on how rapid development happened in Nellmapius Extension 21 reporting on the potentials and limitations of rapid development, and what it could mean for South Africa
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    The Role of Chiefs in Land Management in Peri-Urban Customary Areas Of Blantyre, Malawi: The Case of Mpemba
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022-04) Magwede, Chimwemwe Edith; Williamson, Amanda
    Peri-urbanisation is a new form of urbanisation and the peri-urban area is a new kind of multi-functional landscape for urban development. How peri-urban areas are managed matters because they are close to the city and due to high urbanisation rates in most developing countries, these areas will soon be part of the city. If urban peripheries are not well-managed, they will be a challenge for sustainable development. In Malawi, peri-urban areas fall under customary land and chiefs are the custodians of customary land. The study unpacks the role of chiefs in land management, how the National Land Policy and land-related legislation position customary leadership in the governance of land management and how municipal and customary land management systems interact with each other in the peri-urban areas. The study employed a qualitative approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and policy and legislation were reviewed. The 2002 National Land Policy of Malawi and land-related legislation were reviewed focusing on the role of chiefs in land management. Although the peri-urban areas fall under the jurisdiction of chiefs, the research reveals that this area is treated as no man's land as there exists an overlap of authorities in the peri-urban areas. The chiefs witness land transactions, advise their people on how to secure their land, and partially guide and manage land, although they are not aware of land regulations and standards. The findings also disclose that there is a lack of coordination within municipal land management systems and between municipal land management systems and customary land management systems. Although the legislation states that chiefs have to be incorporated in land management, these laws have not been fully implemented as there are still in the pilot phase.
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    Why do equity oriented, ‘progressive’ planning policies fail to redress the apartheid city? An examination of Planning Instrumentality in South Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-09) Klug, Neil; Bénit-Gbaffou, Claire; Todes, Alison
    In the immediate post-apartheid period, the fields of urban planning and housing experienced what some have called a ‘golden era’ during which planning played a significant role in the Reconstruction and Development Programme of the government, through developing new and progressive planning and housing policy instruments. Some of these instruments were designed to expedite the release of serviced land and provide subsidised housing, address the apartheid legacy of spatial segregation and housing backlogs. Despite success in the large number of houses delivered to the poor and increased service delivery to previously disenfranchised communities, by the mid 2000s there was growing criticisms of the state’s failure to redress discriminatory apartheid spatial patterns. South Africa was also experiencing growth in unemployment and inequality between emerging elites on the one hand and the majority of previously disadvantaged in society. This study sought to examine what role planning policy instruments played in failing to address the spatial legacies of apartheid. Acknowledging the wide range of potential variables contributing to this lack of efficacy, the study took an in-depth grounded, research approach. Using three case studies on different planning and housing related policy instruments and suits of instruments, at different phases of the policy cycle framework, it examined whether or not the state had managed to address housing and other inequalities. The first case study involved the examination of the processes and practices in formulating a local eviction policy instrument, the second reflected on housing officials’ engagement with the National Housing Code suit of instruments, and the third examined the practices and processes of implementing the Upgrading of Informal Settlements Programme. The findings of these case studies were that equity oriented, ‘progressive’ planning policies fail to redress the apartheid spatial inequalities because they are either not being selected for use or, where they are being applied, had limited impact because they were being implemented in a watered-down fashion. My thesis shows that there are multiple factors, from broad and complex governance structures to the actions of individual actors, that affect the efficacy of policy instruments.