Living drosscapes, remediating urban disconnections

Abstract

“Adaptively re-using waste landscapes has become one of the twenty-first century’s great infrastructural design challenges” - Alan Berger The study of this dissertation aims to understand how the principles of landscape architecture and the theory of urbanisation can be used to reprogram “waste landscapes” in South Africa. Growth, in all manner of forms, creates waste. In the urban environment, these “waste landscapes” create fragmentation within the city, acting as “holes and barriers” in urban development. In South African cities, the effects of Apartheid urban planning has led to purposeful “waste landscapes” to deliberately separate social groups through the use of mine dumps, landfill sites and enclosed communities. Therefore, there is a need to remediate the past and create socially justified connections for communities that are cut-off from economic urban nodes. Johannesburg city, which is one of the capital cities in South Africa, has a goal to become the “Future African city” in 2040 as set out by the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, in their report, Spatial Development Framework 2040. As part of this framework, an area along the N3 and N1 highways that links Johannesburg and Pretoria, has been dubbed the “N3 development corridor.” A section of this corridor will be used to explore an intervention that relates to landscape urbanism and its principles of adapting and re-using a “waste landscape”. The “waste landscape” in question is the Linbro Park Landfill Site which is currently undergoing its final capping process as the site closed in 2005. The landfill and the N3 act as a barriers between the previously disadvantaged community of Alexandra and the future development and economic potential of Linbro Park. The design objective is to reprogram the landfill into a public green space that contributes to reconnecting urban fragmented communities, improve ecological diversification and urban systems within the region.