Community health: a project of reurbanisation, social sustainability and adaptive reuse in the Maboneng precinct

Abstract

A clinic is a uniquely positioned function in a community. It can become the heart of an area, integrating a large range of functions with and for the public. Whether it be through interactions with business, police, artists or the community, all parties can benefit from the interactions. A redeveloping inner city area, especially one undergoing increasing levels of social uprooting, such as New Doornfontein, can benefit greatly from the community reinforcement and rebuilding that a healthcare facility can provide. With the negative impact of gentrification visible, and a drive towards potential social unsustainability in the area, a need for a centralised community driven scheme is apparent. The brief of the project called for a socially sustainable adaptive reuse healthcare-based scheme situated on a series of industrial sites in New Doornfontein. The area has been used by industry for 85 years, where currently businesses continue to operate. However, New Doornfontein has been undergoing a change, with existing industry becoming run down and abandoned, and the expansion of the new Maboneng phase taking over. Residential density is increasing, creating a demand for more social-based facilities such as healthcare and education.