Crime to be Foreign?
Ngonidzashe Tavuyanago- 3rd Year Degree
The focus of the project draws largely from the Urban Design Framework, which was centred on the driving theme of social cohesion in Alexandra township. The UDF is based on the idea that the initial wave of xenophobic attacks in February 2015 started in the township. As such it is necessary to find out why specifically this “space� harboured such a heated, backlash against foreign nationals and how architecture could form part of the solution. The UDF proposed a linear market along Rosevelt street which would address the economic struggles largely responsible for the outbreak of the Xenophobic attacks. The market would foster integration and diversity at the same time a source of livelihood. Central to the linear market is the individual design which focused on the social and political cracks that needed to be stitched together. My design proposes a restaurant, open amphitheatre performance space and curio shop. The driving ideology is that these spaces would allow everyone (foreign nationals and locals) to tell their personal story and struggles to create a deeper understanding of how similar our roots and narratives as an African people tie together.
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