Technopolitics and the Town Hall of modern day: engaging a new form of political activism in Braamfontein

Abstract

In this study, the evolving role of political activism and its relation to digital media and politics are looked at in the South African context. Public space and the city streets are recognised as the theatre for political activism through which the people have equal opportunities for expression and interaction. How the public uses the cityscape to shape and mobilize action and how the architecture is responsible for the shaping of protests and demonstrations. This report considers the necessity of a localised platform to which the architecture is used as a common ground for the mediation of public servants and the people. How is contemporary civic architecture in South Africa, which has sought to attain a higher level of transparency in government being perceived. How we can incorporate the evolving nature of the democratic process with regards to digital media and credible information in the civic environment is considered. The culmination of this paper’s research is to present a way of considering the manner in which civic spaces are thought of when designing architecture which, by nature is inherently political. The project proposes a town hall which is designed around dialogue and transparency. A space that can be accessed by all, a space that people can come to when dealing with grievances and issues. The focus on how the architecture can be more responsive to and representative of the evolving nature of politics