If it is undeniable that the Braamfontein Regeneration Project has been able to bring back people to a previously semi-abandoned area. It is important to analyse who and which kind of changes are attracted and dismissed as a result of this project The study examines neighbourhood regeneration in Braamfontein in order to test the extent to which it is an example of similar regeneration developments across global cities, and especially in emerging economies. One part of current global literature suggests that such neighbourhood regeneration has been dominated in recent decades by an inversion of interests from public to private. In the Braamfontein case – situated here through detailed documentary, mapping and image research – the study finds that the border between private and public is very ambiguous. Public agencies, private businesses and developers pursue similar and different goals with varying methods. A ‘profitable vision of the city’ which is clear for public authorities and private developers is not necessarily perceived or shared by most of the users (residents, business owners, consumers from other zones). The overall conclusion is that Braamfontein is a contradictory example of urban neighbourhood change which partly fits with and partly contradicts the global model, but which seems to reinforce the creation of a segregated consumption space in Johannesburg.

Thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, School of Architecture and Planning, at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2017 / In this thesis, elements of Crawford Stanley Holing's life history are put into perspective. It provides a historical trajectory upon which the space imbued in the various contexts hosting pivotal activities on the production and refinement pf resilience idea are explored. These elements are also used as a point of departure from where the idea of resilience originates and circulates internationally and in the context of South African cities. [Abbreviated abstract. Open document to view full version] / MT 2018

Document is submitted in partial fulfillment for the degree: Master of Architecture [Professional] at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, in the year 2016 / In this dissertation I explore the notion of how space relates to human and place identity within the context of the buffer zones established under Apartheid. By exploring spaces remaining as political remnants the concept of the invalid landscape is investigated. Twenty-one years after the ! rst free elections these invalid landscapes still exist in South African cities, as open wounds on the democratic landscape. Historically divided communities remain residentially segregated facing each other uneasily across these buffer zones. This dissertation is a collage of theoretical and experimental discursions and case studies relating to identity, borders, and architecture. South Africa continues to grapple with myriad urgent practical problems while at the same time trying to de! ne a new national identity. Despite the gains of democracy, our nation is still faced with signi! cant challenges of which limited access to public transport remains a pressing urban issue. This thesis attempts to revalidate the spatial divide that continues to cleave the landscape of Alberton and Thokoza by proposing a train terminal that is in line with the vision of the National Development Plan of 2030. The project is focused on the translation and articulation of the landscape through an architectural language that is posited as an urban cicatrisation. By situating the proposed Alrode Train Terminal (ATT) within the invalid landscape, a bridge and operating connection between these two polarized communities is offered. An exploration of the idea of identity and the effects of the invalid landscape can take place while simultaneously addressing a practical challenge for our rapidly developing city. Inspiration for the project derives from the unprompted informal culture that has arisen within Johannesburg. Here life plays out alongside passing traffic made up of pedestrians, taxi ranks, streets,roadside activities and commerce. A social network aggregated by mobility where we see people starting anti-authoritarian movements, reclaiming and re-appropriating public space to meet their everyday needs. This de! ance of authoritarian space-making lays the groundwork for revalidating the invalid politically constructed landscapes. Traditional models of division are characterised by the vertical plane. The architecture of the ATT aims to collapse the vertical to put forward a new mediation of the horizontal plane and its architectural possibilities. The ATT acts as a bridge that affords its visitors the opportunity to transcend physical and cultural boundaries. By crossing between the polarized communities, visitors may potentially experience acculturation and in this way expand their identities

Abstract: I have chosen to design an urban wellness public space in Durban Blue Lagoon. The aim of this research is to understand and find out the use and spatial qualities of public urban spaces that work well. The idea behind this research is to explore how this space can activate and reconnect the Durban Blue Lagoon site, by re-imagining the boundaries of the Umgeni River and how this space can connect to the city. The primary theme for my project is looking at the urban public spaces, buildings and cultural activities on the site that encourage and can attract a diversified public through an environment that enhances social and physical wellbeing. The most effective public spaces are multi-use destinations with many planned activities that create a platform of exchange and where citizens can find common ground and activity zones to relax, gather, learn and play. This theory has informed the design. The proposed site for the programme is in the city, the Durban’s Blue Lagoon recreation area, between the main road and the shoreline. The Blue Lagoon and Umgeni River junction site is close to the city and proposes opportunities for connection and engagement with the Beachwood Mangrove reserve. It is surrounded by water systems on the edges of the site, where the Indian Ocean and Umgeni River meet. Twill reflect on the Umgeni River as a conceptual starting point. The concept for the Urban Wellness Public Facility will reflect on the Umgeni River as a conceptual starting point. The site is surrounded by natural landscapes and greenery, which would further enhance the essence of enjoyment which adds to social and physical wellbeing. The programme integrates an urban wellness public facility with the principal idea of leisure, health and wellbeing spaces coming together. The programme will include an educational centre, urban wellness space, viewing platform and river taxi stop that bring awareness of social and physical wellbeing with leisure and recreational facilities. There are existing jogging, cycling, skating and fishing activities on the site and the existing jogging route will run through the urban wellness space and educational centre. The users will be the general public and tourists who will engage with exhibits, public talks and will enjoy leisure and recreational spaces. / EM2017

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Urban Design / ABSTRACT In township environments where pedestrian activity occurs out of necessity; and public transport prevails - the main street becomes a magnet for mobility, social encounters and economic exchange. It is the path that connects the settlement to the whole; it disperses and draws in; it collects and connects. It is the image of the township. Streets play an important role within townships as the primary form of public urban space. It is within these spaces that the residents make their own opportunities for a better quality of life. (Jacobs, 1993) explained that by designing the streets, one has largely designed the city. / EM2017

Traditionally the high street serviced residents in the local suburb. The proliferation of entertainment and leisure activities on the high street in suburban Johannesburg has appealed to people in the broader region. These social spaces within the suburb provide a simultaneous interaction of individuals who can carry out their daily activities of shopping, dining and socializing and essentially has contributed to these high streets being successful destination points. Patrons, the foot traffic of the high street, sustain businesses on the high street. Some business owners neglect to implement city by-laws and comply with licensing regulations often perpetuating unfavourable circumstances for residents in the suburb. Noise, petty crime and parking constraints detract from the street's allure. Alternatively, some residents enjoy easy access to the street's activities. Using a mixed method research approach, this research reveals some of the perceptions, regulations and tensions regarding the prominence of entertainment and leisure activities on the high street. Three case studies (7th Street in Melville, 4th Avenue in Parkhurst and Rockey/Raleigh Street in Greater Yeoville) are explored to evaluate the role of entertainment and leisure on the suburban high street.

Thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree of Master of Architecture (Professional) to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, School of Architecture and Planning at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2017 / In a world of speed, where everythingseemingly happens in an instant, the context of this thesis is fully engrained in contemporary society. With an increase in pace of life, brought about through technological developments, we are enveloped in a new sense of connection. For the first time, people who are across the world can be reached within the touch of a button. No longer do we wait; no longer do we slow and no longer do we pause. We have entered a societal race that appears to be unending by the pressures of perpetual modernity. Johannesburg is continually growing as a 21st century city as it adapts to new technologies and industries as speed develops the urban landscape. Through investigations into this contemporary way of life of My City and an inherent increase in pace of the everyday, people living in the city are being driven by the mundane. It is within the modern city, that slow becomes a phenomena and an importance of place is emphasized. With little space to take time and appreciate the city amidst this fast-paced way of life, the disconnection between people and place is ever increasingly growing. A virtual gap between real and unreal begins to create a rift between the city and the people. People are pulled into a ‘mobile hello’ where there is a lack of awareness in spaces around the city. The notions of time, movement and pace of life translate into a contemporary condition that identifies the importance that people and the city have placed on the virtual. Thrust by the tension between the virtual and real in every day, people are being pulled into a new sense of telepresence1.This telepresence and the current pace of life translate into a condition that emphasises the need for deceleration as a means of reconnection. By looking at theories around third place as a means of gathering within architectural discourse, the work challenges Johannesburg to prepare for its future by allowing for place of pause amidst this condition. Around the city a sense of timelessness comes with spiritual space, thus the proposed programme of the House of the Spirit becomes a space of accessibility, connectivity and sociability. This space rekindles the ideas of slow, by allowing for people to take pause from the everyday in a common space. The architecture brings about a way to stimulate the past and looking towards a future of our people while dealing with conditions that surround the city in the present and an inherent increase in pace of the everyday, people living in the city are being driven by the mundane. It is within the modern city, that slow becomes a phenomenon and an importance of place is emphasized. With little space to take time and appreciate the city amidst this fast paced way of life, the disconnection between people and place is ever increasingly growing. A virtual gap between real and unreal begins to create a rift between the city and the people. People are pulled into a ‘mobile hello’ where there is a lack of awareness in spaces around the city. The notions of time, movement and pace of life translate into a contemporary condition that identifies the importance that people and the city have placed on the virtual. Thrust by the tension between the virtual and real in every day, people are being pulled into a new sense of telepresence. This telepresence and the current pace of life translate into a condition that emphasises the need for deceleration as a means of reconnection. By looking at theories around third place as a means of gathering within architectural discourse, the work challenges Johannesburg to prepare for its future by allowing for place of pause amidst this condition. Mapping the city draws light activities and places that are preparing for its people. Around the city a sense of timelessness comes with spiritual space, thus the proposed programme of the House of the Spirit becomes a space of accessibility, connectivity and sociability. This space rekindles the ideas of slow, by allowing for people to take pause from the everyday in a common space. The architecture brings about a way to stimulate the past and looking towards a future of our people while dealing with conditions that surround the city in the present. / GR2017

M.Tech. (Fine Art) / In Rhythmanalysis: Space, Time and Everyday Life, Henri Lefebvre (2004 [1992]) presents an incomplete account of an interdisciplinary, poetic science of rhythms, where the body and senses are given prime place as instruments of measure. This text has strong correlations with the Minutes Project, a collaborative study of everyday urban Johannesburg through the mediums of time-lapse film and sound recording. This correlation raises the question of how critical dialogue between Rhythmanalysis and the Minutes Project may contribute to the development of new methods for the study of the everyday. The research unfolds as a series of iterative processes, moving between theoretical engagement and critical praxis, including critiques of selected scientific works of Etienne-Jules Marey (1830-1904) and the media critique of Friedrich Kittler (1999), as well as the production of films, installations, and performances. Through these engagements I evolve a constellation of ideas and methods for the study of the everyday, centred on the relation between the measuring function of indexical graphic traces and the rhythmic measure of bodily, sensory experience. Both quantitative and qualitative methods are employed, resulting in an integration of empirical and poetic modes of investigation. Lefebvre’s proposed figure of the rhythmanalyst emerges as a productive sounding-board for the development of a study of rhythmic aspects of the everyday, and the process of rhythmanalysis is extended in this project to encompass collaboration and participative interpretation. In the course of the research, I develop a novel method of graphing quantities of movement over time in the spaces studied, presenting multiple possibilities for interpretation as a trace of an underlying rhythmic layer of urban life. The research project as a whole demonstrates the practicability of the integration of empirical and poetic modes of investigating the everyday.

M.Tech. (Architectural Technology) / The aim of the design of the dissertation is to create a transient and exclusive public organization in Ballito. Which is rapidly developing coastal town on the north of Kwa-Zulu Natal North Coast. The development of the framework through the ‘old heart’ of the town is intended to reinstate an identity to a particular place. The infrastructure ruptures the exclusive wall of privatized developments that shape an impenetrable barrier to the other regions greatest assert- the ocean. The space will serve all members of the community as well as seasonal or sporadic visitors and is activated by the imminent identification of its surroundings –and event. The infrastructure will also act as the machine of town – servicing and supplying resources through a sustainable systemic cycle. Unexpected environmental threats are managed in a manner that respects the sensitive coastline. A thorough situation analysis of the region is conducted together with the municipalities IDP. A regional and urban framework is conceptualized to understand the site as an important future node whilst addressing insensitive and myopic development trends of sprawl, exclusivity and segregation.

A research report submitted to the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, ce public participation on the Corri om policy-making process and projec Empire-Perth Development Corridor Bradley C. Peens ted the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environme nesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the of Science in Development Planning Johannesburg, 2015 / In South Africa public participation is the cornerstone of our democracy, yet it often has limited influence over the final outcome and does not form an important part of the policy-making process. I investigate a controversial corridor development process in Johannesburg – Empire-Perth Corridor of Freedom and how participation influenced the process and content. Through in-depth interviews with key individuals and through analysis of various documents I stitch together how this participation process unfolded. The policy process was highly complex and faced many internal challenges. It was carried out by consultants and initially was technocratic with limited participation but through a mix of resident mobilisation, opposition, and co-operation the process shifted to a more open one where new spaces for participation emerged where the public were able to influence some decisions. For a process similar to this one to run smoother it is essential the project team use graphics and illustrations which are context specific and capture the essence of the project. Participation needs to be embraced from the start and clearly incorporated into consultant’s briefs, and a variety of spaces for participation need to be provided. These are essential factors contributing to the success of corridor policies which are arguably the most controversial in planning. Key words: public participation, policy-making process, corridor development, resident mobilisation.