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.

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Latin American research has addressed the role of urban landscapes in contributing to a sense of community, to social relationships, to the quality of urban life and to community development. This thesis analyses, compares and evaluates spatial practice in two local parks of Bogotá, Colombia. Spatial practice in this research is defined according to Lefebvre’s writing on the production of space. Spatial practice refers to the sensorial level of spatial phenomena; it involves uses, interactions, perceptions, influences and transformations in the everyday relationships between space and people. The two parks under investigation are located in and belong to different socioeconomic areas and the cross-class comparison of parks and spatial practice is important in a highly segregated city such as Bogotá. Locally, the two parks are part of the innovative municipal government program, ‘Parks for Learning How to Live,’ (1998-2000).This project transformed public space physically as well as residents’ perceptions of public space, parks, and outdoor recreation and leisure. The research design was qualitative because it sought information on perceptions, uses and feelings of park users.The findings identified that despite the two parks being similar in terms of their physical characteristics, they display different spatial practices that in turn reflect the socio-economic status, history, and expectations of the communities that use them. This research provides an in-depth analysis of the spatial practice in these two parks in order to start building a bottom-up framework that may be instrumental for future planning. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

This document examines the public spaces created by the built environment of the city and asks: How is it that the apparently benign and benevolent activity of designing public space can in fact reinforce values that effectively marginalise and exclude significant groups of people? It contrasts the consequences of design decisions that are based on a value system of ???either/or??? with the possibility for designs based on ???both/and???. The perception of boundaries, the desire to dwell, the need to belong and the relationship of these phenomena to an understanding of ???self???, is proposed as the key means for analysing how public space is experienced by the user. The document uses the language of barriers and boundaries to interrogate how the value systems of those with the control over resources is manifest in the built environment of the city, and examines the impact such environments have on the user???s desire to ???dwell??? and need to belong. The potential for an alternate paradigm based on a system that recognises ???both/and??? to produce beneficial outcomes is then proposed, with a focus on an ethic of care to complement the ethic of justice that currently guides design decisions for public space. Personal interviews with architects, town planners, representatives from relevant government agencies, and users of public space, participation in public meetings and systematic observation of specific sites have been used to inform the argument and assess the validity of claims. The document is extended by a body of visual work that further interrogates the need to belong and broader issues of the primal significance of ???sanctuary??? to the ability to ???dwell???. The making and maintaining of boundaries, necessary to form a sanctuary, is portrayed as a process fraught with insecurities and vulnerabilities necessitating, in circumstances where personal power or the ability to influence one???s environment is diminished, the use of subversive tactics in order to create a space in which one can belong.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Delaware, 2006. / Principal faculty advisor: Robert E. Lyons, Dept. of Plant & Soil Sciences. Includes bibliographical references.

Hong Kong, being known as Asia’s World City and an international metropolis, possesses topography and sub-tropical climate that supports the habitat of a wide range of flora, fauna and wildlife. Many are surprised to realize that 70% of Hong Kong’s total land area is countryside and mountains, in which 40% of them is officially protected as country parks, marine parks, areas of special scientific interest, etc. under the Country Parks and Marine Parks Ordinance (Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, 2012). Much emphasis and protection have been put in these natural open spaces; however, urban open spaces, especially those within private developments, seem to be of a lesser concern to the public. Recently, there are raising discussion and concerns over the shortfall of open space in urban areas, especially in older districts. As the population of Hong Kong increases exponentially, the existing provision of public facilities cannot cope with the rising demand. Some new public spaces are created to address the increasing demand, yet their quality is questionable. The provision of public open space in private developments (POSPD) became a controversial issue in 2008, when reporters discovered the misuse of the public open spaces in Times Square and Metro Harbour View. The developer of Times Square made use of the public open space to generate revenue by renting it out for exhibitions and events. As for Metro Harbour View, its podium garden was never opened for public use after the development was completed. Also, as these public spaces are being operated and managed by private companies, privatization and commodification of public open space are emerging phenomenon in some spaces. Thus, the general public started to express concerns over the provision of POSPD. In this dissertation, understanding of various key concepts and their interrelationships will be illustrated in the literature review. This together forms the theoretical framework for this dissertation. Elements that constitute a successful public open space will be identified. Privately-owned public space in New York City will be used as a detailed overseas case study to draw insights and best practices in order to enlighten the current practice in Hong Kong. The current policy and practice of provision of POSPD in Hong Kong will be reviewed. Problems and key issues in the existing POSPD will be illustrated by two detailed case studies. Questionnaire surveys, site visits, field observations and interviews will be done as data collection methods. The goal of this dissertation is to analyze whether the recently published guidelines on the design and management of POSPD is comprehensive enough to address the existing problems and key issues. Recommendations will be given to improve the guidelines if there are some missing elements and to illustrate the appropriate design and operating approaches to guide future planning, design and management of POSPD in new developments and public open space in planning projects. / published_or_final_version / Urban Planning and Design / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

As addressed by Lefebvre's theories on the 'Production of Space', there has always been discrepancies between the conceived spaces of the producers and the perceived / lived spaces of the users. Particularly with public spaces, history has shown that these spaces have often contested and conflicted in Hong Kong, where the public realm has been shrinking at an alarming rate, becoming less accessible, and often overly maintained and subject to surveillance and policing. This study attempts to carry on the debates in this regard, and provide a new limelight towards how public spaces can be considered and planned for in the case of Hong Kong. Through the extensive review of literature and numerous interviews and discussions with various professionals, scholars, government officials, local bodies, etc. it was found that institutional and procedural gaps, along with the focus on maintaining and satisfying standards and the economic well-being of the city, hinder the development of a healthy and vibrant public realm. However, there is ample room for many possibilities and ways to resolve such issues, particularly when under the framework of a placemaking approach. With all things considered, much more research is needed to substantiate the multifarious collection of issues addressed, particularly in terms of the political economy of Hong Kong and its effects on the development of our city and its spaces. / published_or_final_version / Urban Planning and Design / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

There is a rising concern on the management of public open space in private development (POSPD) upon the conflicting interests between public users and private owners. For the public users, POSPD is almost equal to a public playground or a park which does not require entrance fee and general requirements. For the private commercial development, POSPD is a by-product of decoration which can be used to exchange for higher plot ratio and a catalyst attracting more consumers for making profits and the management of POSPD is not a difficult thing. For the private residential development, POSPD can be a selling point or gimmick to attract potential buyers in such a way pushing up the selling price but the management agencies would face a big problem in observing the guidelines of the provision of POSPD required under lease for the use by the public. In practice, the POSPD was never opened for public use after the development was completed and the best example is Metro Harbour View. In response with the issues of commodification of POPS, the Development Bureau (DEVB) undertook an in-depth policy review of the subject matter in 2008 and commissioned a consultancy study in 2009 for drawing up a set of clear and practicable design and management guidelines for POPS for reference by property owners, management agencies and the general public. The “Design and Management Guidelines for Public Open Space in Private Developments” (“the POSPD Guidelines”) were promulgated in January 2011. The POSPD is equivalent to POPS in this dissertation and one of which is to avoid provision of POPS on private land in private residential developments so that individual owners would not be made liable to manage and maintain those public facilities. In this dissertation, the study aims to illustrate the understanding of various key concepts and their interrelationships together forming the conceptual framework for this dissertation. This would examine the roles of POPS in Hong Kong and reevaluate the effectiveness of the design and management guideline. It also examines the different information released by the websites of the Lands Department (LandsD) and the Buildings Department (BD) in connection with the POSPD. In response to the public criticism and concern, the LandsD and the BD each announced its own list of the existing POSPD named "Provision of Public Facilities in Private Developments" for public investigation and supervision in 2008. This dissertation will also suggest some recommendations to improve the guidelines if there are some missing elements and to illustrate the appropriate design. / published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management

The contemporary city is driven by private interests, leaving the public spaces as a weakly woven system. In such a system public space making is usually the left-over in the composition. By shaping the publicly accessible spaces through the section of the tower, a series of relationships of public/ private occur. Elevating the public ground throughout the city through remedial and new developments brings the public space to a more direct confrontation with the typology of the tower. The site chosen for this exploration of building and public space making is the municipal address of 900 Burrard St. in downtown Vancouver. The block already contains two existing buildings, which represent excellent regional examples of early Modernism; the former BC Electric Building and the Dal Grauer Substation. A programme of hotel, residences, office space, fitness club, cinema, and branch library generate specific scenarios around which the public space negotiates as transitional space.