Changing public spaces and urban resilience in the City of Tshwane, South Africa

Abstract

The City of Tshwane has experienced significant political, socio-economic and spatial changes. The lives and daily use patterns of different people in the city, as well as public spaces changed. While some people have retreated to semi-privatised space, others are enjoying unrestricted use of space in more traditional parks and quality public spaces in former marginalised areas. This raises questions regarding the impact of these changes on urban resilience, especially in the context of the new Tshwane 2055 vision calling for a “liveable, inclusive and resilient city”. This study analyses six public spaces in three different neighbourhood types in Pretoria and highlights the emergence of three trends - degradation, adaptation and transformation. The paper argues that these trends have implications for urban resilience of both the public space and the immediate surroundings in terms of diversity, intensity, proximity and connectivity in and around these spaces. Limited diversity proximity, intensity and connectivity strain opportunities for adaptation, while radical intervention at a specific point in time can expedite the trajectory of change and bring about rapid transformation. This has implications for urban planning and design in terms of deciding the level, extent and nature of interventions in particular parts of cities.