The township in the South African context is a unique consequence
of Apartheid spatial planning. Envisaged as settlements for black labourers
on the outskirts of the city, they have become home to many
South Africans. Mamelodi was established as an effectively designed
township for labourers working in Pretoria, and grew at an exponential
rate, leading to a sizeable demand for housing. A mass provision
of housing was implemented then and, post 1994 to meet this
demand. The same strategy of housing is still continuing through the
Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP). This provision of
housing has not been complimented by a provision of public amenities
and has led to monotonous neighbourhoods filled with housing
and no public space.
The ever growing community of Lusaka, in the east of Mamelodi, is
a community with a landscape of housing without public amenities
and public spaces. This neighbourhood has large amounts of people
moving in and out, with some people seeing it as a place of permanence
and some as a temporary detour. This influx of people and
the duality of temporality and permanence creates a very dynamic
society, one that the current architecture cannot respond to. The new
architecture has to address the above mentioned issues, providing
the community with access to public amenities and public spaces
that add value to their environment. The solutions derived can be
discussed and used to address similar problems plaguing townships
around South Africa.
Informele nedersettings in die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks is 'n unieke
gevolg van Apartheid se ruimtelike beplanning. Oorspronklik in die
vooruitsig gestel as nedersettings vir swart arbeiders het hulle 'n
tuiste vir baie Suid-Afrikaners geword. Mamelodi was gestig as 'n
effektief ontwerpde informele nedersetting vir arbeiders wat werk
in Pretoria en het teen 'n eksponensi?le koers gegroei wat gelei
het tot 'n groot aanvraag vir behuising. 'n Massa voorsiening van
behuising was toe en n? 1994 ge?mplementeer om hierdie aanvraag
te voorsien. Dieselfde strategie van behuising word steeds voortgesit
deur die Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP). Hierdie
behuisingsvoorsiening was nog nie aangevul deur 'n voorsiening
van openbare geriewe nie en het gelei tot eentonige woonbuurte wat
gevul is met behuising en geen openbare ruimte.
Die steeds groeiende gemeenskap van Lusaka, in die ooste van
Mamelodi, is 'n gemeenskap met 'n landskap van behuising sonder
openbare geriewe en openbare ruimtes. Hierdie woonbuurt het groot
getalle mense wat in en uit beweeg, met sommige mense wat dit sien
as 'n plek van blywendheid en ander as 'n tydelike ompad. Hierdie
instroming van mense en die dualiteit van tydelikheid en blywendheid
skep 'n baie dinamiese samelewing, een wat die huidiglike
argitektuur nie op kan reageer nie. Die nuwe argitektuur moet die
bogenoemde kwessies aanspreek om die gemeenskap toegang te
bied tot openbare geriewe en openbare ruimtes wat waarde toevoeg
tot hulle omgewing . Deur dit te doen kan die oplossings wat afgelei
is bespreek en gebruik word om soortgelyke kwessies aan te spreek
wat informele nedersettings regoor Suid-Afrika teister.
Argitektuur is vir die mense
