Urban [infra]structure : using neglected infrastructure as a framework for the regeneration of inner city voids

Abstract

November of 2014 saw the approval and commission of Tshwane's 2055 vision for the city (Tshwane municipality, 2013: 6). It seeks the restructuring and rejuvenation of the inner city in an attempt to remedy a state of stasis resulting from urban decentralization and fragmentation. Although Tshwane's proposal has potential, its formal exclusive nature and prioritization of the city centre has initiated a process of decay in the informal zones of the urban periphery. This process of decay is particularly evident within the city block of Brown Street. Once a place where many a union march started, Brown Street now exists as a shadow of its former self (Valeska, 2013). A lack of supporting infrastructure and appropriate spatial conditions have facilitated a sharp increase in crime. The consequent privation of safety has, in turn, prompted vacancies of onsite industries. (Valeska, 2013). The loss of formal economic infrastructure (energy) alongside the simultaneous degradation of adjoining infrastructure has inevitably led to the decay of this city block. This dissertation focuses on the possibility of rehabilitating and regenerating the decaying "in-between" (Woods, 1997: 13) spaces of the city block within its urban periphery. A theoretical approach to transformation is proposed, which, instead of opting for demolition, seeks to expand on existing systems. Therefore, by harnessing site potential, the project suggests that the neglected infrastructure become part of a regenerative machine; a system of components that will stimulate the re-investment and development of the city block. The main intention of the [infra]structure is to establish a coordinated relationship between the formal and informal of the city, the vision and the void. The goal is to create an organized centrality, where fragmented realities are brought together harmoniously using the neglected infrastructures as mediator.