Exclusionary public interfaces : two urban case studies

Abstract

Urban public spaces forfeit their democratic potential when they are riddled with exclusionary spatial measures and devices. These instances are physical interventions that prohibit particular individuals from benefitting from urban public space at an equitable level with all other people. A concentration of exclusionary spatial measures and devices exist in the interfaces between private and public urban developments in the City of Tshwane. Their implementation lies at the hand of landowners and hostile, negligent, or short-sighted design. This paper documents such instances in Robert Sobukwe Street, Sunnyside, and at the Ditsong National Museum of Cultural History, Pretoria CBD, investigates their influence on pedestrian urban users, and urges for legislation to delegate a dual governance over urban public interfaces