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. Arch Thesis / Cinema has been considered the primary art form of the 20th Century. However, due the falling number of cinema goers the art form is under threat of losing its significance in modern day society. The decline in cinema goers has led to the decreased profitability of the independent film industry. This has led to the reduction of the complex narrative in films and an increased focus on special effects. As a result films, and the way in which they are perceived, are losing their artistic integrity as an art form. Through the formation of a cinematic architecture a more spatialized experience can be projected upon the audience. This creates a space of pure experience and hedonistic escape for the cinema goer. It can then be said that through architecture, the reinvention of the cinema typology and an increased approachability within the independent film industry, an experience can be created that could not be replicated in one’s home. The rise of the home theatre and internet based media has come to justify the need for the cinema to act as a social space. The non‐exclusivity that was once a strong driver of the 1930’s ‘Golden Age’ of cinema has become increasingly fictional in the present day context. The decline in cinema goers stems far beyond cinema and lies in the relevance of film to the common man. This thesis aims to break down the barriers that surround the film and cinematic universe and allow it to flood the surrounding city context embedding itself in the local culture. The physical design should programmatically encompass elements of pre‐production and postproduction with Johannesburg acting as the physical film set for production. The average man should have the ability to enter this building, gain the skills and knowledge to develop a film, rent the relevant equipment, edit the film and use the building as a platform to showcase work and earn an income. This ultimately transforms the building and its urban framework into a cultural knowledge database where depictions of local culture and time can be archived for future generations. Flexible professional workspace and the timesharing of highly specialised equipment allows for the rapid expansion and contraction common to the highly volatile industry. Park Station as a site choice acts as a cultural interchange. This provides vast interconnectivity that is needed to host large scale events such as the Jozi Film Festival and the South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs). A study of the history of cinema and its impact throughout has inspired and informed this work. The temporal progression of cinematic style has resulted in the loss of both luxury and ‘The Spectacle’ of cinema. This being said, this progression has improved the availability, variety and increased the immersion of the audience within the film. Cinema architecture, through a more inclusive approach, can be reinvented to once again act as the primary platform of display for the independent film industry. Film will thus start to form an integral part of the surrounding streetscape and pedestrians’ daily lives. The building design will cater for the escapist and the socially integrated; the in‐between and the excluded.

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 / Uganda is one of the most ethnically diverse countries on the planet. Under half a century of colonialist rule, the country was subjected to a loss of identity through a painful process of demoralizing propaganda and subordination that sought to create of it a consistently dependent market. Over 50 years after independence, the country is still suffering the repercussions of our recoded identity. The colonial code ensures a people that are constantly subjugated to a foreign, imperialist power, and only through recoding the colonial will we be able to take back the power of self-definition that has defined our post-colonial, neo-colonial state. The soil in which I root is an investigation into the origins and influence of the colonial in the development of national identity in Uganda within the context of Sub-Saharan African states. This research will be investigating appropriate influences, in terms of contextual relation and monumentality, which have been employed in the development of identity: looking particularly into two approaches to national identity generation – the personality cult and the anti-monument. This is conducted in order to determine an appropriate response to a Ugandan “museum” of political history – designed to contradict the existing, colonial, introspective building – within the context of Kampala city. With 70% of the population under the age 24 and the highest ethnic diversity in the world there is an urgent need to recognize Uganda’s identity as a post-independent society, in order for the development of a national self-efficacy and self-determination determination. / XL2018

This dissertation offers a unique examination of new cultures and forms of social movement organizing that include horizontal networking, non-hierarchical decision-making and governance combined with the importance of public visual art. Based on 23 months of ethnographic fieldwork, I analyze how processes of neoliberalism and globalization have influenced youth organizing and shaped experiences of historical marginalization. What makes youth activism in Southern Mexico unique from that occurring elsewhere (i.e. Occupy Movements in U.S. and Europe) is the incorporation of indigenous organizing practices and identities with urban subcultures. At the same time, the movements I study share important characteristics with other social movements, including their reliance on direct-action tactics such as occupations of public space and sit-ins, as well as their creative use of digital media technologies (i.e. Arab Spring). This research contributes to the study of social movements and popular politics, globalization, culture and resistance, and the politics of space by examining how youth activists combine everyday practices and traditional social movement actions to sustain autonomous political projects that subvert institutional and spatial hierarchies. They do so through decentralized activist networks that resist cooptation by the state and traditional opposition parties, while at the same time contesting the spatial exclusion of marginalized communities from the city center. This research contributes a critical analysis of the limits of traditional models of social change through electoral politics and traditional opposition groups, such as labor unions, by challenging us to take seriously the innovative models of politics, culture and governance that Mexican youth are offering us. At a larger level, my work suggests the importance of genuinely engaging with alternative epistemologies that come from places we may not expect- in this case urban, indigenous, and marginalized youth. / 2015-10-03

Orientador: Norma Regina Truppel Constantino / Banca: Marta Enokibara / Banca: Helena Cristina Fernandes Ferreira Madureira / Resumo: A presente pesquisa propõe a análise multimétodos dos espaços verdes urbanos das cidades de Botucatu e Bauru, a fim de valorizá-los. A criação e manutenção de espaços verdes urbanos proporcionam inúmeros benefícios, contudo, tais espaços só se tornam relevantes à vida urbana quando objeto de políticas, programas e projetos públicos bem sucedidos. Nota-se que a partir do final do século XX e início do século XXI, uma consciência em relação à importância desses espaços começou a emergir, tanto por parte da administração pública como da população. No entanto, diante da conjuntura contemporânea baseada na multifuncionalidade dos espaços verdes, na maioria das vezes as ações dos planejadores e administradores não coincidem com as necessidades dos cidadãos. Assim, entender como as diferentes instâncias da sociedade avaliam os benefícios associados a esses espaços, considerando os fatores sociais, culturais, territoriais e políticos do meio, torna-se fundamental para o desenvolvimento e aplicação de estratégias e políticas públicas urbanas participativas e eficientes. Dessa forma, nosso objetivo é verificar se os benefícios dos espaços verdes são igualmente classificados pela população em diferentes áreas urbanas, apresentando divergências ou influências das particularidades locais, e se os benefícios atribuídos pelos cidadãos têm o mesmo valor que os destacados pelas políticas públicas municipais. Para isso, a metodologia adotada inclui diferentes materiais e métodos: pesquisa bibl... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The present research proposes the multi-method analysis of the urban green spaces in Botucatu and Bauru cities, in order to valorize them. The creation and maintenance of urban green spaces provide innumerous benefits, however, such spaces only become relevant to urban life when object of successful politics, programs and public projects. It is noticed that from the end of the twentieth century and early of twenty-first century, a conscience in relation to importance of these spaces began emerging, as much in the public management as in the population. Therefore, in face of the contemporary conjuncture based on the multifunctionality of the green spaces, mostly the action of the planners and managers do not coincide with the necessities of the citizens. Thus, to understand how the different instances of society evaluate the benefits associated to these spaces, considering the social, cultural, territorial and political facts of the place, it is fundamental to the development and application of the participative and efficient strategies and urban public policies. This way, our objective is to verify if the benefits of the urban green spaces are equally classified by the population in different urban areas, presenting divergences or influences of the local particularities, and if the benefits attributed by citizens have the same value that the detailed by the municipal public policies. For this, the methodology adopted includes different materials and methods: bibliographic and... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

Orientador: Gisele Maria Schwartz / Resumo: Para que possam ser adequadamente desenvolvidas as vivências no âmbito do lazer e para que ocorra a apropriação deste fenômeno como direito social, se faz necessário dispor, gerir e difundir os espaços públicos nas cidades. Entretanto, nem sempre esses processos ocorrem de forma eficiente na Gestão Pública, deixando a população sem a devida informação a respeito dos espaços adequados para as práticas esportivas e sobre o direito ao lazer. Na perspectiva de contribuir para minimizar essa defasagem de informações, este estudo teve como objetivo identificar e mapear os espaços públicos de esporte e de lazer pertencentes à Prefeitura Municipal de Rio Claro/SP, bem como, analisar suas formas de apropriação. O estudo, de natureza qualitativa, desenvolveu-se por meio da união de pesquisa de revisão sistemática, de pesquisa documental e de pesquisa exploratória, com base na técnica de observação. Os dados coletados durante a pesquisa exploratória foram analisados descritivamente, pela técnica de Análise de Conteúdo. Os resultados foram apresentados em dois artigos, o primeiro, referente à revisão sistemática, apresentou dados relativos aos estudos que abordam as temáticas envolvendo gestão, políticas públicas e espaços nos contextos do esporte e do lazer e demonstrou que, embora essa temática seja abordada nos diversos estudos acadêmicos analisados, os espaços públicos e a gestão dos mesmos são abordados de forma secundária, necessitando maior atenção. O segundo artigo, foi provenien... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: In order for leisure experiences to be properly developed and appropriated as a social right, it is necessary to manage and disseminate public spaces in cities. However, these procedures do not always occur efficiently in Public Management, leaving the population without proper information about the spaces appropriate for sports practices and their right to leisure. With the aim of helping minimize this information gap, the objective of the present study was to identify and map sports and leisure public spaces that belong to the City Hall of Rio Claro / SP as well as to analyze their forms of appropriation. This study had a qualitative nature and it was developed through the gathering of systematic reviews, documentary and exploratory researches, based on the Observation Technique. Data collected during the exploratory research were descriptively analyzed using the Content Analysis Technique. The results were presented in two articles, the first one, referring to the systematic review, presented data on the themes involving management, public policies and spaces in the contexts of sports and leisure, and demonstrated that, although this theme is addressed in several academic studies analyzed, public spaces and their management are addressed in a secondary way, requiring more attention. The second article came from the data derived from documentary research, from the mapping and from the analysis of the public spaces of sport and leisure in the city of Rio Claro – SP, and brou... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

Orientador: João Cardoso Palma Filho / Banca: Soraia Chung Saura / Banca: Mario Celso Ramiro de Andrade / Banca: Carminda Mendes André / Banca: Roger Marchesini de Quadros Souza / Resumo: A presente tese apresenta relatos e análises de práticas artísticas, políticas e pedagógicas realizadas na cidade de São Paulo com o fim de refletir sobre as potencialidades de uma aprendizagem que se produz no decurso de ações coletivas e colaborativas no espaço urbano. Entre elas, encontram-se a do Coletivo Bloco Fluvial do Peixe Seco, que propõe intervenções carnavalizando, entre outras coisas, os rios da cidade, e também o movimento de ocupação de escolas públicas empreendido pelos secundaristas do país em 2015 e 2016 - para citar apenas as ações mais conhecidas dentre as diversas sobre as quais a tese se debruça, propondo-se a investigar as possibilidades pedagógicas que essas intervenções podem oferecer a estudantes, pesquisadores, artistas e pessoas em geral, objetivando uma reflexão sobre aspectos da história do espaço urbano e das estruturas de poder nele presentes. Com exceção do movimento secundarista, todos os relatos que a autora apresenta são de práticas e experiências artístico-pedagógicas em que esteve diretamente envolvida, seja como participante ou como proponente das ações, por exemplo em sua atuação docente nas Escolas Municipais de Ensino Fundamental Dilermando Dias dos Santos e Tenente José Maria Pinto Duarte. Em todos os relatos, busca revisar o lugar da arte no espaço público - servindo-se de conceitos como "arte contextual", de Paul Ardenne - e também a noção de aprendizagem e a função da escola. Para tal articula uma reflexão, a partir do pensamento... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: This thesis presents reports and analysis of artistic, political and pedagogical practices carried out in the city of São Paulo in order to reflect on the potential of a learning process that occurs in the course of collective and collaborative actions in the urban space. Among these practices are the Coletivo Bloco Fluvial do Peixe Seco, which proposes interventions to "carnivalize", among other things, the rivers of the city, as well as the occupation of public schools undertaken by the country's high school students in 2015 and 2016 - to mention only the best-known actions among the several on which the thesis focuses, proposing to investigate the pedagogical possibilities that these interventions can offer to students, researchers, artists and people in general, aiming at a reflection on aspects of the history of urban space and its structures of power. With the exception of the high school student movement, all the reports that the author presents are about practices and artistic-pedagogical experiences in which she was directly involved, either as a participant or as a proponent of the actions, for example in her teaching role in the Municipal Schools of Primary Education Dilermando Dias dos Santos and Tenente José Maria Pinto Duarte. In all the reports, the author seeks to review the place of art in public space - using concepts such as "contextual art" by Paul Ardenne - as well as the notion of learning and that of the function of the school. For that to be done the... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

This thesis explores questions of politics and public space through an examination of the experiences of people involved in Occupy protest camps and local officials who were tasked with managing the protests in Eugene, OR and Madison, WI. Using assemblage as an organizing theoretical framework, this work identifies the actors involved in the production of Occupy protest camps and traces the trajectories of two Occupy protests from their beginnings to eviction day. It highlights the role of space in the protests, the ways in which protesters negotiated with local authorities for long-term use of public spaces previously prohibited by law, and some of the factors that contributed to the eviction of the protest camps. Finally, it seeks to reframe the debate on public space and conceptualizes public space as an assemblage that is continually made, unmade, and remade through the interactions of diverse, heterogeneous actors. / 10000-01-01

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Informal sector operators in many cities of the global South face extensive harassment, criminalization and restricted access to public spaces despite the important role the sector is playing in urban development. Using Lefebvre’s theory of right to the city the study aimed to investigate how the city of Masvingo has embraced urban informality. The study also examined how informal sector operators in the city of Masvingo have been accessing –urban space and creating opportunities for the informal sector to access such space. The study also examined how the provision of essential services in the city has been extended to the people in the informal sector as a way of granting them their right to urban social and infrastructural services. The research took a survey design where a cross section of Masvingo city, including the city centre, residential areas and industrial areas, was sampled for the study. Methodologically the research used a mixed method approach to data collection and analysis, where both qualitative and quantitative methods were used. A questionnaire survey constituted the quantitative component of the study and it was administered to the informal sector operators, In-depth interviews and field observations were at the core of the qualitative methods that were used in the research. In-depth interviews were done with key informants in the city and these included officials in the city council, government ministries, and leaders of informal sector associations and civic groups in the city. Field observations were done in areas where the informal activities were carried out to assess the provision of services and the environment in which informal activities were operating. Data collected through interviews and field observations was analysed qualitatively and the SPSS was used for quantitative data analysis. The research found that informal operators in the city of Masvingo are being disenfranchised of their right to the city in various ways. They are not afforded the right to express their lives in the city centre as the city authorities are determined to flush out all informal structures and activities from the city centre in line with their modern city goals. The planning system in the city does not recognise informal activities as approved land user in the city centre and they do not plan for them in new spatial development projects. However, informal activities continue to occupy contested spaces, where they are in direct contravention of existing regulatory framework and this has been used to marginalise them and deny them of their right to the city. Right to the city calls for all urban residents to have access to the city centre and that access to city space should be based on use values rather than exchange values (Lefebvre 1996). Also, informal sector operators based at various sites in the city are generally denied access to essential services such as waste collection, provision of water and sewer services. / 2020-08-31