On the Periphery: a place of transition on the East City and the redevelopment of District Six
Continuing the narrative of the cityboth my relationship and its history, the design dissertation suggests the city to be a place of inclusivity rather than its previously racially divided past. It finds itself at the east periphery where forced removals had divided the dynamic community of District Six and its link to the city centre. The structure of the document begins with the spatial experience of the city ‘edge', having no lived experience of the community, one can only feel the disparity of an once abstraction of place to its now bare land. The document is divided into four parts to introduce the city at the time of its first nations to its present, post-apartheid. Part One explores the city in a linear structure, the work of Linda Graaf suggests that the city, by colonial and imperialism has influenced the spatial formation of the built environment. This is analysed alongside the formation of District Six in understanding its social and economic influence of place and proximity to the city. Part Two collects the spatial every day that made up the social life of District Six. It analyses the architecture which is suggestive by Jan Gehl to be the physical structures that support the everyday to take place. Key elements of the built fabric are analysed for its layers of transition from home to street and also, community to the city. Part Three closely investigates the east periphery where the residential grain had established itself into the city centre and later dissipated by forced removals, creating a disconnection. This part of the design dissertation introduces site and the importance of the site being in proximity to the city and where gentrification is on the rise. Part Four elaborates on the spatial transitions of place across scales. This is integral to the design dissertation as it suggests a place of transition between the city and the redevelopment of District Six. It further explores the concept spatially and suggests ways in which the site can benefit transition beyond its boundaries. It imagines a dynamic place on the periphery where the exclusive and the incoming community share place. This encourages a city that is inclusive for all across class categories.
Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics