WALKABLE JUTA STREET, BRAAMFONTEIN MAUREEN KINYUA
INTRODUCTION Transformation of Juta street, Braamfotein
THEME: IDEAS ON PUBLIC SPACE
PROJECT SITE: BRAAMFONTEIN
The project focuses on the notion of re-imagination/modification of public realm in city life. Achieved through public participation to enhance use of space, create sense of ownership and identity.
Lies on the apartheid planned railway border between the inner city CBD and northern suburbs of Northcliffe. A major cultural, and business hub. Connected to major transport nodes. Key node for re-generation by government and private stakeholders who are part of CID (City Improvement District,2004).Use of public space by citizens faces a lot of challenges: gentrification, privatization, overprotection, crime/safety and unsocial society scarred by the remnants of apartheid.
LOCALITY: JO’BURG
BRAAMFONTEIN URBAN DESIGN FRAMEWORK
A city founded in 1886, is now a major economic hub in Africa, producing 10% of Africa's GDP. It’s a model city of growth and development. Effects of racial segregated history can be seen, a it currently one of the most unequal cities in the world, which has lead to high crime rates creating a sense of unsafety in the streets. The city is undergoing urban renewal, which seems to be taking place in two extremes: on one hand we have privatization and gentrification, on the other we have overprotection and high perception of crime/safety, all in a bid to combat the socially fragmented apartheid past.
In this project, we take a new approach ‘designing from a far’ in utilizing tools and methods learnt in Neepsend project. We refer to current project being undertaken by local firms: Local Studio whose vision is a ‘Walkable Braamfontein’ and 1:1 to change the negative perceptions, intricate governance, and high levels of crime experienced in Braamfontein. Our work is undertaken through digital participation tools and examined through use of digital participation platform.
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CONTENT PG NO.
INTRODUCTION i.
PROJECT BACKGROUND a) Critical reflection b) South Africa: Gauteng province c) Gauteng Province: Johannesburg d) Inner city: Braamfontein
ii.
v.
vi.
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POSITION a) Critical reflection b) Initial and final principles c) Framework: Method of working
iv.
4 5 6 7-8
CONTEXT AND ANALYSIS a) Critical reflection b) Current street conditions
iii.
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12 13 14
SPATIAL DESIGN STARTEGY a) Critical reflection b) Group’s thought process c) Groups strategy
15 16 17-19
INDIVIDAL DESIGN STRATEGY a) Critical reflection b) Tangible and intangible street policies c) Different ideologies involved in design strategy d) Mapping relationship of stakeholders involved
20 21 22 23
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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PROJECT BACKGROUND
Digital communication tool Makes it harder to understand, & make enquiries regarding subject at hand.
Audibly unclear
Visually unclear
CRITICAL REFLECTION The project focuses on the notion of re-imagination of public realm in city life. Achieved through public participation to enhance use, create sense of ownership and identity. Johannesburg, the city of Gauteng province, was founded in 1886 and is currently a major economic hub in South Africa and produces 10% of Africa’s GDP (Gcro.ac.za, 2016). It is a city experiencing fast growth and development. However, effects of a racial segregated apartheid past can be seen as it is one of the most unequal cities in the world. Leading to increased levels of crime in the streets. In this project we took a new approach ‘designing from afar’. We worked with local South African firms i.e. Local Studio and 1:1 to realize our project. Local Studio’s vision of a Walkable Braamfontein’ helped us visualize our projects aim (Black and Black, 2015).We discover that unlike the Neepsend project, our work is undertaken through a series of digital participation tool and platform.
Audibly unclear
Visually unclear
Easier to understand, & make enquiries regarding subject at hand.
Live communication tool
Digital presentation link: https://walkbraamfontein.wordpress.com/2015/12/09/group-5_the-strategies-of-creating-a-walkable-juta-street/
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SOUTH AFRICA: GAUTENG PROVINCE
(EXECUTIVE CAPITAL)
(LARGEST CITY)
Pretoria
(JUDICIAL CAPITAL)
Durban
(MAJOR PORT)
SECOND LARGEST ECONOMY IN AFRICA (AFTER NIGERIA) RANKED AS UPPER-MIDDLE INCOME ECONOMY (WORLD BANK) MAJOR INDUSTRIES:MINING, AGRICULTURE, & TOURISM TOP 1O MOST UNEQUAL COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD
Port Elizabeth
(LEGISLATIVE CAPITAL)
5
(MAJOR PORT)
11 OFFICIAL LANGUAGES
GAUTENG PROVINCE: JOHANNESBURG MOST POPULATED PROVINCE 23.7% (2011)
SOWETO- CULTURAL & HISTORIC CENTER IN FORMER BLACK TOWNSHIP
SMALLEST PROVINCE 1.4% 9 (GCRO)
MAJOR BUSINESS & TRADE POINT
SANDTON CBD- MAJOR BUSINESS SECTOR OF SOUTH AFRICA (NEW CBD) North MIDRAND- NEW BURGEONING SPRAWL
PRODUCES 10% OF AFRICA’S GDP PRODUCES 34.5% OF SOUTH AFRICA’S GDP LARGE MIGRATORY POPULATION 10% LIVE BELOW POVERTY LINE
Northcliffe/ Rosebank
Inner city
Soweto Meadowlands/ Diepkloof
ALSO KNOWN AS JO’BURG OR JOZI AMONG OTHER NAMES LARGEST CITY IN SOUTH AFRICA
JOHANNESBURG
PROVINCIAL CAPITAL OF GAUTENG PROVINCE THE SEAT OF CONSTITUTIONAL COURT
GAUTENG PROVINCE
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INNER CITY: BRAAMFONTEIN BRAAMFONTEIN
Civic Theatre Jorissen Rates Hall
Metro Centre
Constitution Hill
Juta street
INNER CITY POPULATION:7,000 MAJOR BUSINESS HUB
MAJOR CULTURAL HUB HUGE STUDENT POPULATION MAJOR COMMUTER ZONES: M1, RAILWAY STATION, COACH STATION MOST SPOKEN LANGUAGE: ZULU AND ENGLISH
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POPULATION GROUPS (2011)
BLACK AFRICAN
WHITE AFRICAN
COLOURED
RELIGIOUS GROUPS
ASIAN
HISTORICAL TIMELINE
Mapubungwe Hills Xhoi San displaced & absorbed by tribes from Norther Africa who become Zulu and Xhosa
Newly formed Afrikaaners moved North to found new country
4TH/5TH CENTURY
170 000 YEARS AGO Caves exist in Gauteng province termed by UNESCO as ‘cradle of life’ richest hominin fossil site in the world
Colonized by the Dutch, then British 1795
MUSLIM
HINDU
TRADITIONAL AFRICAN
JEWISH
NO RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION
South Africa declared a union between British & Afrikaans rule
1800’S
1652
CHRISTIAN
1910
1896 Discovery of Gold in Afrikaner Republic leads to civil war
South Africa declared a republic under Afrikaans rule 1948
1913 Native Land Act disallows “Africans” to own land
Soweto Anti-Apartheid student uprising
Mandela released, 1st democratic electionsANC wins 1994
1976
1952 Apartheid institutionalized
1980’S Most violent period of civil unrest and border war
POST 1994 South Africa as new democracy
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CONTEXT AND SITE ANALYSIS
CRITICAL REFLECTION Braamfontein, project site, lies on the railway border between the Inner city CBD and northern suburbs of Northcliffe. It’s a major cultural, business and transport hub. A key node for renewal through a huge injection of capital by City Improvement District (Cidforum.co.za, 2016) which consists of the government and private stakeholders. From a great deal of decay it is quickly turning into a trendy arts district. However, the use of public space faces a lot of challenges: gentrification, privatization, overprotection, high crime rate and unsocial society scarred by the remnants of apartheid. According to (Mander, Brebbia and Tiezzi, 2006), building a strong connection among this key issues is paramount in creating successful urban spaces. Braamfontein has a large population of students as well. It is a very diverse district, filled with people of different cultures, backgrounds, ethnicity, social group, ages, social rank, and religious beliefs. According to (GCRO) South Africa is one of the top 10 most unequal countries in the world. This inequality margin seems to be increasing with the gentrification of the city. Interestingly post-apartheid conditions of inequality exist in new form, income inequality, with the most disadvantaged group being black South Africans, of which a vast majority dwell in informal settlements.
Income inequality
Geographical inequality
Situating and Gathering methods take place digitally through tools such as remote sourcing, collection of traces using photographs. Deeper understanding of Joburg’s urban history and present is achieved through research on twitter, blogs, writers, books, websites, books and films. Walking tool takes place through use of Google Earth, though it uses a series of street images captured at a certain period, help us analyze the street conditions. One realizes that use of this tool inhibits physical and emotional connection with the site. Nonetheless when used in addition with other sources allows one to understand site well enough. Digital presentation link: https://walkbraamfontein.wordpress.com/2015/12/09/group-5_the-strategies-of-creating-a-walkable-juta-street/
Socialeconomic division by race
Education access inequality
Unemploym ent inequality
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CURRENT STREET CONDITIONS
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PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF AREAS PRONE TO CRIME (JDA)
PERCENTAGE OF HOUSEHOLDS PREVENTED FROM ENGAGING IN DAILY ACTIVITIES WHILST ALONE 2013/14 AS A RESULT OF CRIME (JDA)
In the workplace 7%
5%
In the street in a residential area
3%
9% Using public transport
At entrertainment area
8%
In field/park
3% 2%
8%
16%
Walking to the shops
Some other outdoor area
Walking the town/shops 11%
In someone elses home 44%
13%
In streets outside office/shops Allowing children to play
In a shop/business While travelling in public transport 8%
22%
Allowing childre to walk to school
Some other indoor area
4%
3% 3%2%
Going to open spaces/parks
29%
Other
Investing in/starting a home business
At public transport station
Existing crime hotspots
Higher possibility of crime
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Lower possibility of crime
POSITION
CRITICAL REFLECTION The design project required a series of individual and group input and output. As a group our key agendas in coming up with our principles was based on ideas of inclusivity and connectivity of the Juta Street and its users. This was influenced by precedent examples such as ‘Reclaiming public space in Downtown Nashville’ and ‘Tottenham High Rd West Masterplan’ that we researched as a group. We thought of spatial concepts and aspects that would enable public to engage physically and socially. Considered physical and social boundaries (inequality, segregation, diversity, gentrification, ethnicity, xenophobia) that would need to be overcome in our design strategy. In the first weeks our initial principles were Scale, Flexibility, Accessibility, Safety and Function.We would also consider the stakeholders involved be it private owners, municipality, public, and at different levels of ownership ad use of public space. Our main focus settled on non-vehicular commuters, as this group involved most humble and largest number users of public space within Juta street. Non-vehicular commuters allowed us to bring together a diverse group of people: students, workers, residents and informal workers/dwellers. Understanding fundamentals of group work began as a challenge. First presentation and feedback was done physically. Content wise, it was a collection of individual principles that we put together to make a single presentation. Personally I was interested in Power and Connectivity – at how different forms and level of ownership of a space encourage use, care, and identity of a place. Hence communal ownership would enhance communal use of public space. Looked at three key points users as co-managers, co-producers and co-designers. Graphically it was overwhelming amount of material as we combined everyone's work in one sheet of paper. My first individual person of interest was the youth, influenced by the film Dear Mandela, whom I would considered as future of Braamfontein.Thus design strategy would highly consider their participation and input to ensure its success. By creating a street for them by them, viewing them as the hope Braamfontein streets need to help eradicate social-economic barriers that discourage social interaction and usage of public space: “The best public spaces foster community, elevate quality life and connect us to our city, and to each other”. Mega Canning,The Design Trust For Public Spaces. (Center, 2013) Digital presentation link: https://walkbraamfontein.wordpress.com/2015/12/09/group-5_the-strategies-of-creating-a-walkable-juta-street/
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SCALE
GUIDING
FLEXIBILITY
TRANSFORM TIME BASED STATEGY CO-MANAGER
POWER & CONNECTIVITY
VISUAL ACCESS
FINAL PRINCIPLES
ACCESIBILITY
PHYSICAL ACCESS
SAFETY
MOBILITY
C0-CREATIVE
CO-PRODUCTION
INITIAL PRINCIPLES
PRECEDENCE STUDY
VISUAL
ACCESIBILITY
ECONOMIC
SYMBOLIC
CRIME SAFETY TOTTENHAM HIGH RD WEST, UK
SAFETY TRAFFIC SAFETY PLATFORM FOR PUBLIC ACTVITY
FUNCTION
MEDIA OF CULTURE OPPORTUNITY FOR COMMUNICATION
LOCAL STUDIO,SA
13 DOWNTOWN NASHVILLE,USA
FRAMEWORK: METHOD OF WORKING GROUP WORK SHARED INTO INDIVIDUAL PARTS EXTERNAL INFLUENCES: • PAUD • THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING WORKSHOP
CRITIQUE
BRIEF DIGITALLY AND PHYSICALLY ACCESSED WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS SCHEDULE
INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH SHARED WITHIN GROUP
GROUP ANALYSIS OF FEEDBACK GROUP WORK BRAINSTORMING
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SPATIAL DESIGN STRATEGY CRITICAL REFLECTION Aim is to encouraging walkability along Juta Street. Our key focus being Safety(crime, traffic) and Accessibility (visual, symbolic, physical). Through creation of activity nodes and green pockets that are usable especially by non-vehicular commuters. We believe that this will also encourage use, attract public, enhance sociable interactions encourage sense of safety. Our main stakeholders being pedestrians, cyclist, skateboarders, wheelchair users, and informal traders. We analyzed, mapped and surveyed the street in regards to existing physical, societal and political conditions that influence spatial and social inclusion and exclusion. Aspects such as activity/noise levels, crime hotspots, current unfavorable streetscape conditions, and tangible and intangible policies existent that inhibit or encourage street use.This two principles are further addressed in five key strategies, ease of mobility, tangible and intangible street policies, promoting disabled access, corners/ junctions as rest/stopover nodes, and reactivating streetscape. First strategy, ease of mobility, acknowledges that there is high pedestrian use and thus focus on transforming the street into a green pedestrian friendly street. The second aspect, tangible and intangible street policies, focus on socio-spatial rules that currently exist such as no street trade, lack of street furniture-seats, unfavourable street design-narrow pavements, unfavourable environment- no sun shading, etc. We show how this policies makes the street less attractive to public. Third strategy, disabled accessibility, we believe providing ease of mode for most vulnerable members of society would make accessible to everyone else. Fourth strategy, looks at creating street corners nodes and junctions by increasing sociable activities/functions. In turn this nodes end up attracting public from surrounding areas due to its visual effectiveness, as well as enhance feeling of safety. Final strategy, re-activating and combining indoor outdoor spaces. Inspire a live, work, play environment within the street. Methods at this stage were proposing and communicating our ideas. Tools involved in these processes were photography, survey maps, scenario building- where we had visual images and renders that showed streets potential, setting up base and digital charrettes- which enabled to et feedback from architectural lecturers in Sheffield University as well as members of Local Studio through blog. Group work improved along the way as we focused on the strategies related to the key principles together. Presentations, critiques and feedback was accessed both physically and digitally. Feedback received enabled us to come up with related strategies. By the end of the project our individual strategies ended up complementing each other instead of contradicting, as was happening in the initial weeks. They also broadened our solitons by making us consider climatic conditions (this changes everything).
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Digital presentation link: https://walkbraamfontein.wordpress.com/2015/12/18/group-5-walkable-juta-street-in-braamfontein/
GROUP’S THOUGHT PROCESS
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GROUP’S DESIGN STRATEGY
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1ST STRATEGY: EASE OF MOBILITY
Live, work, play in the street 2ND STRATEGY: TANGIBLE AND INTANGIBLE STREET POLICIES
Exchanging culture foods, goods and ideas 3RD STRATEGY: PROMOTE DISABLED ACCESS
Affordable and healthy mobility 4TH STRATEGY: CORNER AND JUNCTIONS AS REST AND STOPOVER NODES
Creating attraction nodes 5TH STRATEGY: RE-ACTIVATING
Re-activating indoor outdoor spaces
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GROUP’S DESIGN STRATEGY
INDIVIDUAL DESIGN STRATEGY
CRITICAL REFLECTION Being influenced earlier on the notion of Power and Connectivity –encouraged through ownership ad inclusivity, my design strategy developed into Tangible and Intangible Street Policies. I analyzed how conditions in a street consciously and subconsciously affect pedestrians use of space. Looked at examples that discouraged positive street experience such as ban on informal trading, lack of safety, pedestrian signs, shade, seating furniture, cycle paths, too many parking zones, clearly show the dominance of automobiles on the street. Our main target users being non-vehicular commuters, I narrowed down my analysis to residents, workers, youth and informal traders.Youth participation and activities should be created to discourage crime in the area, commonly carried out by the said party. Tools that assisted in proposing communicating my strategy included mapping and photography. Mapping shows the changes required in the street for our designs to be realized. It involves a series of networks between the political sector, private sector and public sector. Encourages working together of all these diverse sectors in an agreed and mutually benefiting manor to ensure that the success of Juta street as a Walkable street is achieved. Activities perceived as informal e.g.. street trading, in Juta street are actually key nodes that would encourage walkability and use of the streets. They encourage socializing in outdoor spaces and become attraction site. Encourage interaction between different street activities include leisure parks, youth recreational park, street socialization, that encourage aspect of accessibility and safety in the street, and make it a landmark in Braamfontein. Digital presentation link: https://walkbraamfontein.wordpress.com/2015/12/18/group-5-walkable-juta-street-in-braamfontein/
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TANGIBLE & INTANGIBLE STREET POLICIES
CURRENT LAYOUT SEC B NEW LAYOUT SEC B 1
SEC B SEC A
NEW LAYOUT SEC B 11
CURRENT LAYOUT SEC A
NEW LAYOUT SEC A
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DIFFERET IDEOLOGIES INVOLVED IN DESIGN STRATEGY
MAIN PARTIES INVOLVED
Government : Municipality
DIFFERENT INTERVENTIONS IN EACH PHASE OF THE STRATEGY Designers: Architects Students NGO
Users: Informal businessmen, Students, Residents, Formal businessmen
Advertising in the city
Educational programmes in empty building
CITIZEN PARTCIPITION
Codesigners
• Diversity and variety of activities encouraged • Users involvement in creating spaces
Small physical interventions Comanagers
Large physical interventions Coproducers
• Users views and suggestions requested and taken into account • Inspires responsibility through caring for the environment
• Produced and managed by citizens • Self sustenance
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MAPPING RELATIONSHIP OF STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Amster, R. (2004). Street people and the contested realms of public space. New York: LFB Scholarly Pub. Black, T. and Black, T. (2015). BRAAMFONTEIN UDF. [online] LOCAL STUDIO. Available at: http://www.localstudio.co.za/urban-design-content/2015/10/5/urban-designexample [Accessed 22 Jan. 2016]. Braamfontein.org.za, (2016). Braamfontein. [online] Available at: http://www.braamfontein.org.za/ [Accessed 22 Jan. 2016]. Center, N. (2013). Reclaiming Public Space in Downtown Nashville. [online] Issuu. Available at: http://issuu.com/civicdesigncenter/docs/ncdc_reclaimingpublicspace [Accessed 22 Jan. 2016]. Cidforum.co.za, (2016).The JHB CID Forum. [online] Available at: http://www.cidforum.co.za/ [Accessed 22 Jan. 2016]. Contributor, T. and →,V. (2015). Good Riddance | Urban Joburg. [online] Urbanjoburg.com. Available at: http://www.urbanjoburg.com/good-riddance/ [Accessed 22 Jan. 2016]. Gcro.ac.za, (2016). GCRO. [online] Available at: http://www.gcro.ac.za/ [Accessed 22 Jan. 2016]. Joburg.org.za, (2016). city of Johannesburg. [online] Available at: http://www.joburg.org.za/ [Accessed 22 Jan. 2016]. Low, S. and Smith, N. (2006).The politics of public space. New York: Routledge Madanipour, A. (2010).Whose public space?. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. Mander, U., Brebbia, C. and Tiezzi, E. (2006).The sustainable city IV. Southampton:WIT. Publishers, A. (2014). Public Space Acupuncture. [online] Issuu. Available at: http://issuu.com/actar/docs/public_space_acupuncture [Accessed 22 Jan. 2016]. Stoneham, J. and Thoday, P. (1996). Landscape design for elderly and disabled people. Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK: Garden Art Press. Urbanjoburg.com, (2016). Understand Joburg Archives -. [online] Available at: http://www.urbanjoburg.com/category/understand-joburg/ [Accessed 22 Jan. 2016].
242015]. YouTube, (2016). (2012) Dear Mandela [Dara Kell, Christopher Nizza]. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5LJNj_HCro [Accessed 22 Dec.
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