This thesis is submitted to the School of Architecture and Planning, University of the
Witwatersrand in fulfillment of the requirements for the Masters of Architecture (Professional) / This thesis, entitled ‘The New Public’, aims to
investigate the role of public space and civic
architecture in the information age. Specifically,
examining the role of design in facilitating
multiple different forms of public life as well
as challenging the current approaches to
pedestrian movement within the city.
The design approach was to create a campus
containing a new public space and a hybrid civic
building which together allow for spaces that
facilitate new forms of public engagement. The
aim of this campus is to create public spaces
which host many different forms of public life
and allow for mixing and exchange.
The thesis is grounded in the context of 21st
century Johannesburg, a city which brands
itself a ‘world-class African city’ and whose
vision is to be a city that provides real quality of
life for all its citizens.
However, while the current spatial policies strive
to build a collective and shared vision for the
future of Johannesburg, the city still plagued
by a past based on segregation and inequality.
What this has left us with is a bifurcated
public environment. A spatial condition further
impaired by the currently strongly dived public
and quasi-public transport systems.
I have therfore chosen to site my project in
a space within the city which encompasses
these issues: The Park Station precinct,
Johannesburg.
The research component of this thesis aims to
unpack the factors which have led to a change
in the culture of use of the public realm both
globally and locally. I also investigate how
Johannesburg’s past and current planning
strategies created spaces that contain a ‘legacy
of separation’. Lastly the research extends to
the relationship between public transport and
public space and the effect of transit oriented
design (TOD) approaches on public life.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/20575 |
| Date | 13 July 2016 |
| Creators | Tyler, Julie-Ann |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf, application/pdf |
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