Rebecca Knighton - Project One Reflective Portfolio

REDISTRIBUTION / REVITALISATION

RE:APPROPRIATION INDIVIDUAL REFLECTIVE PORTFOLIO REBECCA KNIGHTON / URBAN DESIGN / 150208127

RE-APPROPRIATING (ideas of) PUBLIC SPACE PROJECT ONE. REBECCA KNIGHTON. 150208127.

PROJECT BACKGROUND //

POSITION //

CONTEXT AND ANALYSIS //

SPATIAL DESIGN STRATEGY //

INDIVIDUAL DESIGN STRATEGY //

CRITICAL REFLECTION //

JUTA STREET

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BRAAMFONTEIN

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JOHANNESBERG /

GUATENG PROVINCE

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SOUTH AFRICA

PROJECT BACKGROUND / POSITION / CONTEXT AND ANALYSIS / SPATIAL DESIGN STRATEGY / INDIVIDUAL DESIGN STRATEGY / CRITICAL REFLECTION

POLISHING THE CITY OF GOLD

“Developers began buying up buildings in the centre of the city, which since apartheid have been home to some of the poorest residents. Developers cleaned up the areas, poeple were evicted and street traders moved along.”

“Johannesburg’s inner city has seen dramatic change in the past 20 years. As apartheid began to collapse, laws that kept the black majority out of cities were first disregarded and then repealed. But as black people moved in, whites fled to suburbs. The inner city dramatically degraded, with neglected buildings, fewer services and rampant crime.”

Crime rates in the city centre have fallen by 60% in the last decade

MONEY TALK, POVERTY WALKS “Some affluent professionals are leaving the protective walls of suburban life to snap up homes in the city’s gritty core, lured by improved neighborhoods, low prices and large spaces to design to their liking.”

“Johannesburg presents us with such juxtoposition, wealthy young families move into chic apartments, whose previous residents now reside in one room a few blocks away.”

PROJECT BACKGROUND / POSITION / CONTEXT AND ANALYSIS / SPATIAL DESIGN STRATEGY / INDIVIDUAL DESIGN STRATEGY / CRITICAL REFLECTION

BRAAMFONTEIN IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT “...rationalising the proactive and entrepreneurial approach to urban development” Part of the ‘City Improvement District’ Scheme Since 2004 Municipal government initiative - Provision of cleaners and public service ambassadors - Funded by an additional levy on property in the area - Support economic and business development

Juta Street runs along the southern boundary of the BID

PROJECT BACKGROUND / POSITION / CONTEXT AND ANALYSIS / SPATIAL DESIGN STRATEGY / INDIVIDUAL DESIGN STRATEGY / CRITICAL REFLECTION

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WHAT IS PUBLIC SPACE?

Studio ACCESSIBIL 2015/16: IT Y AND INC LUSION Re-appropriating (ideas of) SHIP R E WN O D Public Space AN ING PR

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Neal, Z (2009) Seeking common ground: three persectives on public space. Urban Planning and Design. 2010(dp) p1-8.

PROJECT BACKGROUND / POSITION / CONTEXT AND ANALYSIS / SPATIAL DESIGN STRATEGY / INDIVIDUAL DESIGN STRATEGY / CRITICAL REFLECTION

LOCAL STUDIO’s ‘Walkable Braamfontein’

CRITIQUE BY DESIGN PUBLIC TRANSPORT AND CYCLING

Agent of Change URBAN D E

FRAMEW O GN SI

CONNECTIVITY AND WALKABILITY

SAFETY AND SECURITY

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PRIVATE MOTOR VEHICLE USE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE

Consider Local Studio’s proposals, and putting together spatial design strategies that

ENDORSE // EXPAND // QUESTION

Blogging platform ‘WordPress’ acts as a method of sharing ideas and providing feedback for our proposals.

LOCAL STUDIO (2015) WALKABLE BRAAMFONTEIN: VISIONING CHARETTE. [POWERPOINT] 12/12/15 LOCAL STUDIO (2015) URBAN DESIGN FRAMEWORK (IN B.A. DE CARLI PROJECT 1 BRIEF)

PROJECT BACKGROUND / POSITION / CONTEXT AND ANALYSIS / SPATIAL DESIGN STRATEGY / INDIVIDUAL DESIGN STRATEGY / CRITICAL REFLECTION

A value system which addresses the broad and general concerns relating to public life in Johannesburg.

Design priniples are the building blocks to the proposal: informed by and .articulating a specific value system.

PRINCIPLES

VALUES

VALUE SYSTEM /

Proposal that address the predetermined principles, considering the both physical and social shaping of an area.

INTERVENTIONS

DESIGN PRINCIPLES /

linkages

engaging with creativity

equality

dynamic participation

variability

shared space

sustainability

ease of movement

security

respect for the environment

education

humanistic concern

communication LOCAL STUDIO: URBAN DESIGN FRAMEWORK We considered elements in this framework and aimed to learn from it. This will allow for cohesive ideas and a common goal

SHARED SPACE and EASE OF MOVEMENT: principles to be articulated in the Spatial Design Proposal PROJECT BACKGROUND / POSITION / CONTEXT AND ANALYSIS / SPATIAL DESIGN STRATEGY / INDIVIDUAL DESIGN STRATEGY / CRITICAL REFLECTION

SOSTENUTO, TABOR Slovenia : 2009-2012

Ran by NGO ProstoRoz, a community based project to revitalise an inner city area.

A festival called ‘Neighbours Day’ established to celebrate the area and use the new public spaces.

THE WHARF

Washington DC : 2013-Ongoning

Charrettes and community engagement platforms throughout design Creatively designed street furniture

Expansion of green spaces Event space Increasing connections in the city between seperate areas.

Community events to showcase plans and designs.

Well presented time scale plans

CAIRO PASSAGEWAYS Cairo, Egypt

Innovative mapping, with linterective layers.

PROJECT BACKGROUND / POSITION / CONTEXT AND ANALYSIS / SPATIAL DESIGN STRATEGY / INDIVIDUAL DESIGN STRATEGY / CRITICAL REFLECTION

CREATIVITY ON THE STREET

LIVING URBAN LANDSCAPE

TAKING OWNERSHIP OF THE STREETS

PROJECT BACKGROUND / POSITION / CONTEXT AND ANALYSIS / SPATIAL DESIGN STRATEGY / INDIVIDUAL DESIGN STRATEGY / CRITICAL REFLECTION

BRAAMFONTEIN IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT Spatial and social interventions that will play to Juta Streets advantage in close proximity to the BID: for example linking with this area through physical passageways will provide a flow of people, trade and density.

SPATIAL DESIGN STRAGETY:

RE-APPROPRIATION: REDISTRIBUTION AND REVITALISATION Principles: Shared Space and Ease of Movement

A street engaging with nature: a green corridor through the city, with pocket parks and native plants The street itself as a public space, space for educational and creative events, informal gatherings and community lead ideas.

A more spacious pavement providing space for safe, comfortable and attractive seating areas

Welcoming street traders and taking pride in the city’s informal economy goal photo

Increasing city-wide connectedness with traffi c and pedestrian systems,

Walking systems and traffic calming measures to make Juta Street a safe, walkable and pedestrian-led environment

Creative, seasonal, spontaneous and inclusive activities: the street as a platform for Braam’s passion.

LOCAL STUDIO: URBAN DESIGN FRAMEWORK Walkability is at the core of our strategy, there are elements of Agents of Change framework we hope to expand upon

PROJECT BACKGROUND / POSITION / CONTEXT AND ANALYSIS / SPATIAL DESIGN STRATEGY / INDIVIDUAL DESIGN STRATEGY / CRITICAL REFLECTION

CONNECTING JUTA STREET: BRAAMFONTEIN AND BEYOND rejecting the notion of a ‘prosperous enclave’...

accessibility, inclusivity, sustainability, creativity, prosperity, productivity

Putting together a network of physical interventions, creative social interactions and good quality governance that will work together - with the rest of the city - to break down the potential barriers of unsustainable gentrification.

PROJECT BACKGROUND / POSITION / CONTEXT AND ANALYSIS / SPATIAL DESIGN STRATEGY / INDIVIDUAL DESIGN STRATEGY / CRITICAL REFLECTION

WALKING, CYCLING, CARS AND PUBLIC TRANSPORT CHENNAI, INDIA, 2014:

OLD PASSANDA, CALIFORNIA: Parking meters in Old Passanda meet short term parking needs and also contribute to the upkeep and development of public space in the city. A scheme like this in Joburg would address parking needs, and ensure the area is productive: parking is ‘taxed’ to make up for the space lost.

Chennai's neighbourhood-level mapping and survey analyses to identify local road, traffic and pedestrian safety issues http://ci-journal.net/index.php/ciej/article/view/1179/1115

http://thegaffer.deviantart.com/art/ Kubrick-Museum-75143386

business and transport

cycling and shared bike schemes

http://www.fastcompany.com/1567557/why-nycs-newdedicated-crosstown-bus-lane-owes-debt-bogota-colombia

bus and cycle lanes

LOCAL STUDIO: URBAN DESIGN FRAMEWORK Endorsing the idea of promoting cycling and walkability- and carefully managing traffic.

making parking productive, and a generating sustainable income

BUS STOP CAFE: Fuctioning as a shelter, pavement feature and a trading opportunity

BOGOTA, COLUMBIA: The efficiency of buses in the city has increase by innovative traffic planning, so much so New York City has based their transport planning on it, and have seen 40% decreased in journey times.

a dedicated network for buses

road safety and walkability

BRAAMFONTEIN IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT Better and more efficient connection with the nearby neighbourhoods.

creative combinations of functions

JAE MIN LIM, 2010: Zebra crossings that allow for jay walking: making the pavement work for the pedestrians.

a network of bike sharing: increased connectedness

http://www.fastcodesign.com/ 1662244/clever-crosswalksquashes-jaywalking-bymaking-it-legal

prioritising the pedestrians

mapping to inform decisions about the interventions

PARIS, FRANCE: Bike sharing scheme has made £13 million for the city since it’s launch: promoting healthy lifestyles and emission free transport. http://en.velib.paris.fr

short term parking solutions

PROJECT BACKGROUND / POSITION / CONTEXT AND ANALYSIS / SPATIAL DESIGN STRATEGY / INDIVIDUAL DESIGN STRATEGY / CRITICAL REFLECTION

http://www.metrocouncil.org/Handbook/ Local-Planning-Highlights/maplewood-living -streets/photos/Maplewood-Living-Streets-PDF.aspx

MAPLEWOOD LIVING STREETS: Finalist in 2014 Environmental Initiative Awards, a community run project in the USA

LOCAL STUDIO: URBAN DESIGN FRAMEWORK Expanding the notion of green infrastructure

ENGAGING PAVEMENTS

street furniture, green spaces, productive public space

http://www.morethangreen.es/en/brothers-in-benches-u rban-furniture-with-recycled-pallets-street-art-in-johannesburg/

http://www.puregreenmag.com/pure -green-blog/the-everything-roof

EVERYTHING ROOF, TORONTO: A public building’s roof converted into event space, urban farm, educational tool and more

BROTHERS IN BENCHES, JOBURG: Brothers in Jeepestown iniatied a community project recycling crates for public space

PROJECT BACKGROUND / POSITION / CONTEXT AND ANALYSIS / SPATIAL DESIGN STRATEGY / INDIVIDUAL DESIGN STRATEGY / CRITICAL REFLECTION

AN ENVIRONMENT FOR TRADE AND EVENTS

a platform for Johannesburg’s thriving informal economy and creativity

a street that can transition from the formal to the informal LEGALALITY AND POLICIES how would the city’s action against street trading affect this proposal?

http://www.iol.co.za/business/news/da-s treet-traders-losing-income-1.1609704

https://informalcity.wordpress.com/category/ uncategorized/

http://www.timeslive.co.za/thetimes/2015/02/12 /cop-ghost-squad-to-clean-up-city-streets

http://citizen.co.za/154839/concourt -sets-aside-high-court-order-informal-traders/

converting space from parking to public: creating an environment conducive to walking, socialising and more

oppourtunties for both permanent street features, and temporary and seasonal idea. a space of the people.

PROJECT BACKGROUND / POSITION / CONTEXT AND ANALYSIS / SPATIAL DESIGN STRATEGY / INDIVIDUAL DESIGN STRATEGY / CRITICAL REFLECTION

INITIAL PROPOSAL // REMOVING THE CARS alternative parking and public transport encouranges

A PROCESS, WITH STEPS TO REACHING THE FINAL GOAL CARRIED OUT SYSTEMATICALLY

WALKABILITY making the area safer and more conducive to walking and cycling

GREEN SPACE from parking space to public space with planting as a focus

STREET FURNITURE creative and fuctional street furniture to attract penedestrian

INFORMAL TRADERS put measures in place that allow informal and street trading

EVENTS & ACTIVITIES using the completed new public space for community events

REVISED PROPOSAL // GREEN SPACE from parking space to public space with planting as a focus

STREET FURNITURE creative and fuctional street furniture to attract penedestrian

EVENTS & ACTIVITIES using the completed new public space for community events

INFORMAL TRADERS put measures in place that allow informal and street trading

WALKABILITY making the area safer and more conducive to walking and cycling

REMOVING THE CARS alternative parking and public transport encouranges

feedback from tutors encouraged us to understand the spatial & temporal complexities of placemaking: a process made up of standalone stages has a degree of naivety

PROJECT BACKGROUND / POSITION / CONTEXT AND ANALYSIS / SPATIAL DESIGN STRATEGY / INDIVIDUAL DESIGN STRATEGY / CRITICAL REFLECTION

“IT’S ONLY THROUGH A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE DIVERSE USERS WE DESIGN FOR THAT WE ARE ABLE TO CREATE EFFICIENT, SUSTAINABLE, LONG-LASTING AND BEAUTIFUL ARCHITECTURE”

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GREEN SPACE from parking space to public space with planting as a focus

STREET FURNITURE creative and fuctional street furniture to attract penedestrian

EVENTS & ACTIVITIES using the completed new public space for community events

INFORMAL TRADERS put measures in place that allow informal and street trading

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andrew taylor, MADE architects, 2012

WALKABILITY making the area safer and more conducive to walking and cycling

REMOVING THE CARS alternative parking and public transport encouranges

PROJECT BACKGROUND / POSITION / CONTEXT AND ANALYSIS / SPATIAL DESIGN STRATEGY / INDIVIDUAL DESIGN STRATEGY / CRITICAL REFLECTION

How can we gain an understanding of these diverse users?

communicating the needs, wants and concerns of the stakeholders, providing feedback to proposals and existing designs COMPLEXITIES AND COMMUNICATION CHANNELS

municipality funding sources techinal specialists masterplanners

policy and financial limitations, the feasibility of projects and when the mirco fits into the meso, and the meso fits in the macro

residents, business owners, visitors, informal workers, students and more

LOCAL STUDIO: URBAN DESIGN FRAMEWORK Local Studio as a professional playing an intergral role in the development of the area.

olders with h e di ak

business owners, residents, professionals, artists, and more

SHORTER AND IMPARTIAL COMMUNICATION METHODS

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BRAAMFONTEIN IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT ngo could act as a middle man between initiatives like this and the users

PROJECT BACKGROUND / POSITION / CONTEXT AND ANALYSIS / SPATIAL DESIGN STRATEGY / INDIVIDUAL DESIGN STRATEGY / CRITICAL REFLECTION

community representatives FRIENDS OF JUTA

NGO aim: facilitate a prosperous and successful Juta Street - a street working for its users, the environment, and towards a leading by example towards a more inclusive Johannesburg

innovative and practical solutions to the needs of stakeholders

FIT FOR PURPOSE / INCLUSIVE IDEAS / COMMON PURPOSE / EXPERTISE

environmental interests

harnessing the power of social media and the audience in provides: a space free of time and space limitations

digital platform

putting the planet first

people and ideas that work towards productive and sustainable space.

modern and forward thinking designs attracting internation attention

DESIGN RESILIENCE / SENSE OF OWNERSHIP /

technical and creative minds

rejecting ‘money talks, poverty walks’ and fighting against cultural segregation

age/ gender/ language/ religion/ income/

a digital platform excusive to those with access to technology and the internet?

PROJECT BACKGROUND / POSITION / CONTEXT AND ANALYSIS / SPATIAL DESIGN STRATEGY / INDIVIDUAL DESIGN STRATEGY / CRITICAL REFLECTION

DIFFERENT LEVELS OF ACTIVITY

MODEL MAKING

building upon the NGO: using the platform to reach out to more users of the street

PROPOSAL MAP

QUANTITATIVE RESPONSES

LESS IMPORTANT ......... MORE IMPORTANT GREEN SPACES POLLUTION MARKETS AND SHOPS HOUSING ART ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS MULTI-USE SPACE SEATING AREAS LIGHTING PARKING

PARTICIPATION IN DESIGN

JUTA STREET, JOHANESSBURG

DESIGN YOUR IDEAL...........

DESIGN YOUR IDEAL...........

shopping centre

juta street

the communities input directly impacting upon the future of the street

DESIGN YOUR IDEAL........... car park DESIGN YOUR IDEAL...........

DESIGN YOUR IDEAL........... park

an awareness of limitations a time consuming procress: but worth the time to create a sustainable space, which will have functions and spaces that are coducive to inclusivity

exhibition space

DESIGN YOUR JUTA STREET

POSTAL IDEAS

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PROJECT BACKGROUND / POSITION / CONTEXT AND ANALYSIS / SPATIAL DESIGN STRATEGY / INDIVIDUAL DESIGN STRATEGY / CRITICAL REFLECTION

PAVEMENT / PUBLIC SPACE / EVENT SPACE Social interactions on Juta Street to strengthen a community, attract people and business, and articulate our value system

STREET FESTIVAL

ART AND MUSIC WORKSHOPS HELD ON THE PAVEMENT

SIDEWALK SESSIONS

Street takeovers which combine art, culture, food and trading to attract people from around the city. A place where more ‘informal’ creativities such as grafitti are celebrated

Throughout the design and physical changes, use the pavement as a platform for creativity: show users the potential of the space

Buidling upom the physical changes to the street: making use of event space and pedestrianised roads for a music event. profits would contribute to the areas upkeep

PROJECT BACKGROUND / POSITION / CONTEXT AND ANALYSIS / SPATIAL DESIGN STRATEGY / INDIVIDUAL DESIGN STRATEGY / CRITICAL REFLECTION

00:00 MIGHTNIGHT

10:00

07:00 MORNING

14:00 MIDDAY

19:00 AFTERNOON

EVENING

JUTA STREET: A TWENTY FOUR HOUR SPACE practives and activities, with a layer of governance, working together with physical interventions to provide a useable space 24 hours a day using information directly from users of the street, gathered durung the participatory events, to find out more about the use of the street.. for example: where needs more lighting to facilitate eventing use // what are the peak times to travel through the street// how could the afternoons be more family friendly// what time should public transport remain run until//

LOCAL STUDIO: URBAN DESIGN FRAMEWORK Safety and security are parts of the Walkable Braamfontein urban design strategy: without a safe environment 24 hour space could not exist

PROJECT BACKGROUND / POSITION / CONTEXT AND ANALYSIS / SPATIAL DESIGN STRATEGY / INDIVIDUAL DESIGN STRATEGY / CRITICAL REFLECTION

The spatial design strategy entitled: ‘redistribution, revitalisation, appropriating’ is a design response to the work of Local Studio. The studio is based in Johannesburg and has put together an urban design framework for Braamfontein, Johannesburg. Our focus as a group was Juta Street, an inner city road within the neighbourhood in question. In addition to the group’s strategy, an addition layer is added by each group member. In my case, I designed proposals for governance and social practices. The individual design strategy should act as a layer upon the groups proposal, coming together to form feedback loops and successful place making techniques.

Although the proposal I have designed does take into account the social and cultural complexity of the city, I feel it could have developed beyond recognition of this trajectory and gone further to ensure positive change was made. For example, rather than selection of participation tools and a promise of inclusivity, further research would have allowed activities to be designed implicitly for their audience with aims against which they could be measured. In relation to the entire spatial design strategy, this would allow for informed decisions to be made and reduce the likelihood of an ignorant naivety that looks at physical interventions through proverbial ‘rose-tinted glasses’.

The inclusion of a community based NGO gives the proposal great capacity for creating a sustainable prosperity for Juta Street. Working as a method of easing communication between the users of the space and the organisations which propose and fund design interventions – this increases the likelihood of design resilience and a fit for purpose space. When critically reflecting on whether the NGO in this instance is successful in its aims, I feel I certainly has the potential to be. If the idea where developed and was perhaps the sole focus of this individual design strategy, I think it could underpin the whole spatial design strategy and contributed to the potential resilience of the interventions.

An element of the design strategy that I feel would be successful is the proposition of various events to take place. I consider this successful in its aim of building upon the concrete interventions for the redistribution of parked cars and the creation of engaging public space. The social practices I propose would be successful in revitalising the street, and be relatively unique in their intention of providing a creative platform. Whilst many spatial design strategies are financially driven and measured against profitability, I chose to focus on the social worth of creativity, and the inclusivity and accessibility this allows.

The idea of a 24 hour Juta Street was one that developed from proposing social activities in the streets. It was one of the more complex thought processes – as I researched it further it became clear that safety and security were paramount and it was not something that would happen over night. The eventual goal of a safe place through the day and night runs parallel to the Brammfontein Improvement District, who are involved in the provision of Public Safety Ambassadors, as well as Local Studio’s urban design framework which lists safety and security and important goals. Following reflection, it may be more realistic to design steps to build up to this.

Physical interventions to promote safety such as lighting systems and social practices to increase security would be a prerequisite, which could the be built upon gradually. A way of doing this may be to introduce some activities that educate about personal safety, running along side enjoyable things to do out and about at night.

Having examined the smaller elements of my individual design strategy, I can then take a step back and consider whether their flaws or successes are part of a wider pattern. In doing so, I have identified a potential reason for this repetition. The intention of proposing a strategy which seeks to address cultural and social difference, create inclusive events, run a scheme of participatory design and increase public safety, all underpinned by the formation of an NGO, is too broad a proposal. This breadth has hindered an ability for depth in the time scale and research scenario the project is based.

If I were to carry out this work again, I would ‘strip back’ my ideas and look for the common theme: a proposal that seeks to bridge the gap between authority and community. This aim could then be explored, with an NGO as possibly one solution of several explored, researched and drafted. This narrow focus would have given me the ability to focus on a proposal cohesive with the wider spatial design strategy, and wider still the organisational structure in Braamfontein. If the ideas were more integrated with the spatial design, I think it would strengthen both elements and create positive feedback loops as further designs and reflections were carried out.

‘Reflection in action’ is another part I feel the proposal lacks. If I had routinely examined my work and addressed the wider context of the project I may have identified short falls sooner. In the future when undertaking project like this one in any setting, I will aim to design reflectively, and use further precedent studies to deepen my understand and ability to design successful tangible and intangible proposals.

hugely complex and demanding systems: too much for one proposal

feedback looks design and research

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good governance is central to a successful design: this would be my focus next time