Connecting Cities Across Infrastructural Divides: A Summary of Case Studies from Self-Build Practices in Tshwane East

Abstract

This short paper investigates opportunities to connect divided cities by analysing ways in which occupation practices operate alongside, subvert and potentially transform historic, and presently developing urban infrastructure divisions in Tshwane’s eastern urban region. Urban spatial research analysing formal and informal built development and settlement patterns are presented in summary with a focus on areas around Mamelodi east and Moreleta Park in rapidly growing areas of Tshwane. These studies are outlined in greater detail in the extended version of this paper, ‘Connecting cities across infrastructural divides: Case studies from self-build practices in Tshwane east’ (Devenish et al. in J Environ Sci Sustain Dev 7(2), 2022). The case studies demonstrate conditions through which urban divisions of inequality are perpetually forming alongside service and social urban infrastructure developments. They also raise key questions relating to the urban spatial divides between formal building development economies, and informal urban occupations. The project also involves lifeworld and social network methods of analysis of self-build situations occurring along infrastructural intersections. These studies focus on the composition of building fabrics that actively attempt to circumvent issues of scarcity and unequal access to service and social infrastructure through the establishment of building interfaces that facilitate network opportunities. While this field work exposes many of the volatile situations that the urban majority experience on a perpetual basis, the primary aim is to reveal—from everyday spatial occupations—methods that can improve the network potential of built environments and transform their associated infrastructure systems.