Overview

This book presents salient examples of architectural projects and practices in South Africa since 1994 that collectively subscribe to the paradigm shift towards Public Interest Design. Despite radical political transformation in the country, the people of South Africa remain adversely affected by the socio-spatial legacies of a segregated urban landscape. The contributions by architects to address these challenges go largely unnoticed and remain a marginalised practice, even within the mainstream profession. Kim’s (2018) Conceptual Taxonomy, along with relevant themes of Spatial Agency (Awan et al 2011) are unpacked in terms of the South African context, learning from a selection of local architectural examples. Projects include the Warwick Markets in eThekwini, the Violence Prevention through Urban Upgrade programme in Cape Town, projects undertaken by Carin Smuts of CS Studios, as well as a collection of smaller but impactful interventions across the country. The selection illustrates the deliberate and necessary shift from a culture of segregation, fortification and private interest, to one of intense collaboration, democratic engagement and responsive design thinking. Serving as a microcosm of the challenges to integration and democracy faced by society globally, this book will be of great interest not only to scholars and students of architecture, urban planning, and development studies in South Africa, but also internationally.

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9781032455051

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Carin Combrinck is an Associate Professor and head of the Department of Architecture in the Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. She serves as a researcher of the Unit for Urban Citizenship and as the Co-Director of the Informal Settlements working group of the UIA. Claire du Trevou is a professional architect and public space strategist working at the intersection of architecture and community development with a passion for inclusive spatial transformation. Her work spans informal settlement upgrading, affordable housing, and participatory placemaking in South Africa. Known for her energetic approach, she thrives in co-creation spaces and facilitates workshops to turn bold ideas into action. Claire holds an MBA from UCT alongside her Masters in Architecture from the University of Pretoria, bringing a strategic and systems-thinking lens to sustainable urban regeneration. Tshepo Mokholo is a South African interdisciplinary designer, urbanist, writer, and researcher. He holds an Honours degree in Architecture from the University of Pretoria and is pursuing a Master’s in Southern Urbanism at the African Centre for Cities. His research focuses on alternative development models, particularly examining township food systems. Mokholo has worked on design and research projects internationally, including with the African Design Centre and MASS Design Group in Kenya and Rwanda. He writes for platforms like Africa In Fact and Mail & Guardian, discussing urban governance, township innovation, and spatial economics. His work emphasizes reimagining cities and exploring ideas at the margins.

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