Includes bibliographical references. / This dissertation presents the current reality of a South African city, Cape Town. Based on the literature it has been established that a large proportion of South Africa’s population lives in urban areas. South African cities are centres of opportunities and have the promise of a better life but they are also characterised by marginalisation, poverty and poorly managed urban growth. Informal settlements have become a ubiquitous feature of South Africa’s urban landscape. The combination of poverty, marginality, overcrowding and limited service provision, exposes residents to a range of ongoing hazards, particularly informal dwelling fires which creates an environment prone to risks and can be devastating for affected households. The current response from government has been analysed through the process of interviewing government officials; policy and institutional analysis, is to temporarily house people in Temporary Relocation Areas (TRAs) if affected by a situation that leaves them rendered homeless. It is believed to be an adequate response. However, as the research reveals, this response often exacerbates people’s resilience to deal with the disaster and the accumulation of risks found in informal settlements. Additionally it further places people in a vulnerable situation as Temporary Relocation Areas (TRAs) have limited service provision and are often located in remote areas far from opportunity centres. The intention of the research was to come up with a new strategy to address emergency response in the form of settlement provision for those affected by disasters. It was further discovered that there needs to be a more sustainable approach that would reduce risk accumulation in informal settlements in a proactive manner in order to mitigate the occurrence of disasters and slowly build resilience.

Includes bibliographical references. / This thesis stemmed from the idea that we as a society find it harder and harder to understand even the everyday technologies around us. It is argued that despite the seemingly limitless opportunities for self-learning in the ‘information age’, an interest for the technological is still not fostered within our society. This dissertation is inspired by Cedric Price’s proposal that, “[...]every town should have a space at its disposal where the latest discoveries of engineering and science can provoke an environment for pleasure and discovery[...]”. 1 It started with the search for a spatial models through which people could learn about and experience the essence of technology. The initial research looked at different ways people have learned about technology 1 Stanley Matthews, From Agit-Prop to Free Space: The Architecture of Cedric Price (London: Black Dog Publishing, 2007), 66. throughout history, focusing particular on examples where education could successfully be combined with leisure or recreational activities. It was important that the model proposed, not only taught people, but also inspired a sense of marvel and wonder through engagement with technology . Based on principles gleaned from the research a project was proposed which would manifest itself in two different, but interrelated architectural explorations. The first is a sort of ‘headquarters’ or ‘mothership’ for a new model of the education of technology. It finds itself in the Woodstock industrial area, and would serve as a resource to the greater Cape Town. The second is a prototype for mobile, rail-based workshops that would be developed and manufactured within the headquarters. These units would act as ‘satellites’, spreading the spirit of this movement across the country to areas where the resources for such education may not exist.

Includes bibliographical references. / Poverty eradication as a policy issue has received significant attention since the promulgation of the South African National Development Plan (NDP). The NDP envisages that by 2030 poverty should be eradicated. To do this government must accurately target their interventions ensuring that the intended population benefits from the actual poverty eradication intervention. With the evolution of systems and processes in the Science and Technology industry over the past two decades, the integration of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and MCDM techniques has achieved encouraging results within different planning domains (Lidouh, 2012: 2). This research paper presents a vector - based GIS - MCDM methodology that integrates both Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to the Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and COmplex PRoportional Assessment (COPRAS) within a GIS environment. This integration is facilitated through the use of loose coupling within the ArcGIS 10.2 environment.

Includes bibliographical references. / This dissertation deals with the phenomenon of movement in relation to architecture. What does it entail to create an architecture of movement and what possibilities can this type of design offer us outside of 'conventional' architecture. The research behind the topic bases itself in the theory of Game Design as a tool to structure movement with meaning. Game Design proves itself to be a potent tool in encouraging interactivity, in turn handing over a certain level of control and design over to the players participating. The more control afforded to the players, the more they can affect the outcome and experience of a game. This means games are a medium with the possibility for high replay value as players go back to experience the multiple outcomes of a game. The theory of using Game Design as a tool in architecture is then tested through my own design located on the edge of the Grand Parade in Cape Town. The design aims to create an architecture of multiple outcomes including an 'Everyday' and 'Festival' narratives through the use of movement. Game Design is used as a tool of analysis in order to determine whether the movement is integral to the architecture and its intended function through spatializing the key principles identified in the theory of Game Design. The conclusion drawn is that Game Design is an effective tool in aiding design in architecture. Its value emerges through the fact that it challenges design decisions made within architecture based on how integral they are in relation to the social and programmatic rules and expectations the project attempts to deal with.

Includes bibliographical references. / This thesis explores the notions of safety and the usage of Crime Prevention through Environmental Design methods for creating safer spaces within cities. The project examines the inner city of Durban specifically, grappling with the issues of crime and grime and the perceptions of the city as a space of vulnerability. The project examines the historical and current context of Durban with regards to perceptions held about the inner city. The Project then delves into the links between crime and the city and examines the extremities of crime within South Africa and Durban. It then turns to a study of crime and place theories which attempt to explain the connections between the offender, the targets and the location in which crimes take place. Particular attention is paid to possible implications for urban form. The thesis also investigates various ways in which Durban’s landowners, developers and residents have attempted to create islands of safety throughout the city, after which international and local examples of urban crime prevention are discussed. From these theories and case studies, a few principles are highlighted as guidelines for producing safer spaces. An exploration of design strategies follows. The city is analysed according to a set of elements of the city or a layering of the city on the scale of the Central Business District. This is then taken into a proposal for development. A precinct scale analysis investigates the finer details of Pickering precinct, an area notorious for criminal activity. Such detailed explorations of the built fabric are not possible at the scale of the city, but have an impact on smaller urban acupuncture proposals on a street segment scale. A number of routes that run through the precinct are then explored in terms of potential adjustments to the built fabric, in order to support pedestrian activity and safety along the routes. This project illustrates an alternative approach to creating safe spaces within the urban environment of Durban. Through providing a safe urban core, the city can allow for positive interactions to take place within common spaces and hence fulfil the role that cities have to play in fostering growth in society.

Includes bibliographical references. / This thesis uses a spatial epidemiology approach to investigate clusters of diseases across formal and informal built environments in "Brown’s Farm" Philippi. Health data were analysed using cluster detection methods in geographic information systems to identify diseases hotspots. The identified clusters were then examined against environmental, spatial, and socio-economic variables. Data from the Desmond Tutu HIVIAIDS Foundation database, census and questionnaires were used. Even though most of the disease clusters were found in the informal part of the study area, the data showed very limited variation in the distribution of diseases clusters across the study area.

This dissertation began as a study of a portion of the coastal Namib Desert that I am particularly inspired by and with which I formed a personal connection over the course of many childhood coastal excursions. From these studies a site within the salt pan mine concession outside of Swakopmund was chosen. Stretching from the ocean to the edge of an existing naturalindustrial salt pan, this site becomes the location for my architectural intervention, the Water Line. This intervention is a testing space for a small scale solar desalination and fog catching system that services a hydrology research center base, as well as attempting to incorporate a more public exposure to this form of technology and the water resource potential it provides. Before design within this landscape could be considered, both a more poetic and pragmatic understanding of this peculiar place and its extreme conditions was necessary. In considering the landscape and celebrating the natural-human idiosyncrasies of this particular landscape, and a specific site within it, the hope of invoking and advocating for the singularity of local phenomena is attempted through design. Throughout this dissertation the understanding of context and character of place was viewed as a means by which the architectural possibilities of the intricacies, peculiarities and experience of a space and landscape could be questioned. It was, and remains, a journey of discovery and understanding of place. The intention of this document is to highlight the many aspects of the environment; from historical, human and biological interrogations to its experiential and functional clues. Understanding context and landscape through multiple layers and scales is vital in this space of eternal contrasts. It is in a sense the only way to obtain a greater understanding of "sitedness" of this project. The existing responses to environment and place-making within this context also provide clues to how to capture a unique response to the singularities of this space, without succumbing to the ease of uniformity. Within this understanding is the theoretical questioning of what the architecture of this space could become.

My thesis investigates the ability to generate social and architectural sustainability from the surrounding context of a specific site- Power Town. A thorough analysis of the changing social conditions, cultural values and natural processes are done to be part of, and inform, this hypothesis. My architectural interventions are thus informed by the existing and will be a reflection of Power Town's vernacular. The first part of the document introduces Power Town to the reader, where it is situated and how it came to be, and why it is an unproductive settlement. Part two, 'a landscape enthused architecture', explores cultural, productive and responsive landscapes and their implication in architecture. Methods are investigated that help to uncover the complex layers of site and landscape. This thorough understanding Bird' s eye view of Power Town (Wildlife Expressions, Power Town) of the landscape will inform the design proposal. It will illustrate that Power Town has much potential to develop and evolve within its environment. In part three, 'adaptability', I discuss the potential of reusing structures, as they are, instead of demolishing them, clearing the site, and constructing new architecture. In many situations, manmade structures already exist in the context of a site and the adaptive reuse of them will be a productive addition to the context. New architecture must also be able to adjust and accommodate the unpredictable needs of the future. The fourth part, 'sustainable materials', is an investigation of a productive use of materials. Using materials originated from the context is the key initiative here. It makes for a sustainable construction that reflects the context and blends in with the landscape. This includes possibilities such as materials produced or harvested on site and the reuse of demolition- and industrial waste. All topics are discussed as interrelated issues that could contribute to the restoration of Power Town's dignity. Part five, 'design', is the synthesis of all these opportunities. A site making strategy that allows for unpredictable incremental phasing is designed initially. A number of design principles are implemented in this place making that would contribute to ascertaining social and architectural sustainability. The main idea here is to exploit the existing farming, fishing and construction abilities in the community and initiate a productive landscape. The place making plan lays the foundation for the design of a production centre. I propose to adapt and reuse the existing derelict power station. This new public building will form the heart of Power Town's productivity. It will house a number of facilities that offer, mainly; skills development workshops in different forms of production; a multi-usable auditorium; a production nursery; as well as flexible market, storage and work space for the processing and distribution of foodstuff in the community.

Includes bibliographical references / The lack of high streets in low income areas negate the socio-economic vitality of these towns. Through understanding how a high street functions one is able to appropriate the aspects of good streets to low income areas. Locally referred to as main streets, these streets are where most shops and other businesses and transport modes are found. Diversity is key in making a functional high street. Components that must be considered to create street diversity are the pace of the street, adaptability to rapid change and a concentration of things. This dissertation investigates the components that enable diversity by looking at how high streets exist within the Cape Town context. Developed high streets, emerging high streets and areas where there are no high streets are compared to further understand the components of street diversity. The dissertation proceeds to identify Main Road, Delft as an emerging high street. Main Road, Delft is then further analysed and findings reveal that the informal and institutional uses constitute the street. From further analysis, the institutional buildings reveal a lack of positive street making characteristics. The dissertation attempts, through a design of a Further Education and Training College, how to construct an institutional building that aids a positive public realm. The objective is to reinforce the emerging high street in Delft by facilitating diversity. The components of street diversity are explored by developing three building types that make various street conditions namely; a building onto a town square, a building as a thoroughfare and a building as an edge. Brick construction is adopted to construct the public realm and creates an enduring new civic image that speaks of robustness and low maintenance. The construction methods are appropriated to available skills and thus create job opportunities.

Includes bibliographical references / My interest this year was around the commercial development potential of low-income areas in South Africa. The dissertation title, "The Missing Middle" refers to three aspects of the commercial environment in South Africa which I believe to be missing, ones relating to economics, architecture and built-environment professional practice. Economics: I was interested in the gap between two disparate economies in South Africa, those that in oversimplified terms are referred to as the formal and informal economies. Architecture: I was interested in the fact that this disparity was reflected in the types of retail buildings seen in South Africa - the fact that there are a large number of big-box type shopping centres and a large number of small-scale micro-enterprises but very few retail buildings that are at a scale between these two. Practice: I was interested in the gap in the market for the provision of built-environment professional services in low-income areas. These three aspects informed the design for a retail centre in the low-income suburb of Du Noon. The design project, entitled Waxberry Market, is aimed at filling the gap between small-scale informal trade and large-scale retail centres (shopping malls) in the context of South Africa's low-income suburbs. This report documents my dissertation in four parts. The first three relate to my initial enquiries around economics, architecture and practice with the last part covering the design project.