Landscape [re]Mediation : a strategized landscape intervention that explores the functional, aesthetic and cultural value of trees as design informant

Abstract

This dissertation identifies and explores a case of environmental injustice that has manifested itself physically along the Ekurhuleni Mining Belt. The injustice is broken down into its social and environmental components; investigating its relation to both the people and the(ir) environment. The project sits within a context of an informal settlement (Makause) that has established itself next to a former Crown Gold Recoveries mine. The piece of land lying between the mine dump and the settlement is the chosen site in which a socio-ecological relationship is proposed. Through regenerative theories, this relationship is anticipated to grow into a self-evolving and resilient form of stewardship for the environment. The overall intention lies in guiding both the users and the site to reach their full regenerative capacity. The proposed design and programs of phytoremediation, agroforestry, arboretum, and tree nursery anticipate this organic nature of growth and change overtime.