Newtown mitosis a case for the temporal dimension of history as a place making tool
Date
2017
Authors
Gouws, Cliff
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Abstract
The dissertation Newtown Mitosis investigates the link between the theoretical constructs of time
and place, and analyses the potential of urban heritage as a place making tool. The research topic
focuses on collective memory as a catalyst for urban regeneration, which ultimately contributes to the
production of meaning in our historic urban environments. Though the analysis of various theoretical
stances concerning place, placelessness, memory and place-making, a new urban conservation
strategy is conceptualised. This strategy focuses on the use-value of urban heritage areas, where the
success of commemoration is based on the daily access of memory, rather than museumification or
monumentalisation of history.
The proposed study area, Newtown, provides the perfect canvas for intervention, in that its historical
layers and inherent sense of place is being under-utilised as a conservation strategy. As one of the oldest
precincts in Johannesburg, Newtown exemplify rich residential and industrial heritage that conceptually
represents an image of technological urban progress. Today this city node stands in isolation, unable
to reconnect future visions of growth with its layered history. Furthermore, the temporal dimension of
Newtown’s history that currently fuels its inherent urban character is ironically encapsulated in static
monuments and time-based relics like the historic Park Halt Station and Museum Africa. Further physical
constraints like urban buffers, precinct access, urban security and transportation issues are also focused
on.
The main research question focuses on how heritage can be used as a place-making tool in Newtown,
and thus challenges current urban conservation planning being applied by local government. The
dissertation also addresses the commemoration of contested histories, which is a reoccurring theme in
various South African cities. The research proposal thus aims at providing urban platforms for mediation,
where the temporal layers of history can be utilised to anticipate and inform the future
Description
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
degree of
Master of Urban Design, (MUD),
to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment,
University of Witwatersrand