Galeshewe is a former township in South Africa that has been neglected for a
long time. The economic activity is low and the design of the physical
environment poor. The Urban Renewal Programme started in 1999 as an attempt to
improve the situation in previously disadvan-taged areas in South Africa. This
diploma work can be seen as one part of that program.
In South Africa one way of strengthening the economic growth is to work with
the development of economic activity clusters connected through different modes
of transport. In the Integrated Development Plan of Sol Plaatje unicipality,
the Galeshewe Activity Corridor was pointed out. Along the Corridor six
economic activity nodes were identified. In this diploma work suggestions for
development of the corridor and three of the nodes have been made. All three
students have together prepared the Corridor proposal. For the nodes, studies
and proposals in more detail have been done individually.
The overall aim of our project is to strengthen the physical conditions for
economic and social activities in a previously disadvantaged area. This will be
done through proposals for physical development which are presented by means of
illustrative material to picture how the area
could look like in ten to fifteen years. The aim is to describe how the area
functions and looks today, and based on that to create a comprehensive material
about Galeshewe, with focus on the Galeshewe Activity Corridor. As a response
to the overall aim, four guiding principles have been formulated:
• Holistic planning (regarding the spatial context for new pro-posals)
• Better balance between different modes of transport (a switch of focus from
car to pedestrians, bicyclists and public trans-port)
• Improve public spaces (create new squares to support eco-nomic and social
activities)
• Improve accessibility (mainly by handling the issue of security)
The guiding principles together with a SWOT Analysis, Kevin Lynch’s City
Structure Analysis and today’s situation in Galeshewe, have ruled the design of
the proposals for both the corridor and the nodes. The SWOT analysis
highlighted strengths like lively streets and well used public transport,
weaknesses like poverty and poor physical environ-ment, opportunities like the
will to improve and available funding to do so, and threats like bad reputation
and high crime rate in the area. Through the Kevin Lynch’s City Structure
Analysis the structure of and the relation between elements such as paths,
edges, districts, nodes and landmarks were identified. Interesting discoveries
were that many paths, or passages, are not connected to each other and that the
area lacks landmarks.
Along the corridor, upgrading of the streetscape through paving, tree planting
and new streetlights has already started. The proposal of the corridor has in
focus to create a safe street environment, as well as improved facilities for
the pedestrians and bicyclists. The proposal of the corridor also includes as a
design program for various fittings to improve the street environment. The
emphasis lays, however, on the node proposals. The three nodes have different
points of departure but are designed to work together.
The Entrance Node puts emphasis on a proposed new square placed near existing
businesses. The square will be surrounded by new busi-nesses and amenities such
as a new Galeshewe museum and a planned but not yet built petrol station. Space
around an existing park, a nearby swimming pool and Community Hall is planned
to form a connected
whole.
The Culture Node puts emphasis on semiformal trading and the development of a
cultural village. The node’s main focus has moved from existing businesses to
the corridor, where the Cultural Village and link-ages to the largest park in
Galeshewe are developed. Around a new car wash, a small public square in direct
contact with the park and new
trading is placed.
The Circle Node has a potential of becoming the centre of Galeshewe. Th...
