Non-places of the ghost courier: grounding ephemeral spirits: place design for the package and food delivery motorcycle courier for community identity development in Bedfordview, Johannesburg

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown measures taken in South Africa have made more evident who is considered an essential worker. The delivery motorcyclist began playing an important role in the maintenance of the country’s lock-down rules and helped to control the spread of the pandemic. Through this new reliance on technology and delivery systems, the delivery motorcyclist has become an important member of society. They have a rapidly developing community that can be seen taking up public spaces or “Urban Lost Spaces” revealing that they need their own space within the urban environment. The theoretical framework for this research is based upon the concepts of “Urban Lost Spaces”, “Non-places” and “Place-making” for the delivery motorcyclist, and the relationship that these theories have with the public urban environment. It will specifically focus on the established community of delivery motorcyclists, their space, and place-making within the Urban Lost Space of Johannesburg city, who have not considered them previously in the spatial planning of the city. The research is a local project, that has a site selected in Bedfordview, Johannesburg East beneath the Nicol Road overpass and next to Eastgate Shopping Centre. The purpose of the research is to look at the possibilities of revitalizing “Urban Lost Space” by raising the environmental standard of the workspace for the delivery motorcyclist. This will be done through the design of a “One-Stop mechanics workshop “ (in conjunction with appropriate programs) that promotes community and questions the current design of urban public space.