Housing Space Research Articles

Using a private space for prayer in the inner space of the dwelling, By utilizing the design ideas borrowed from the Islamic identity: توظيف مساحة خاصة للصلاة في الفراغ الداخلي بالمسكن؛ بالاستفادة من الأفكار التصميمية المقتبسة من الهوية الإسلامية

This research aims to design a private space as a chapel in the inner space of a limited-space housing to achieve the privacy and comfort possible for its users that meets the functional requirements that help in reverence and not the space that calls for breath and being preoccupied with worship, then identifying the elements that can be used in the design of this space and how Its integration with the contemporary building design in a way that is commensurate with the economic, environmental and social constituents of those who live in the house. The importance lies in the following put forward a new idea that can contribute to achieving psychological comfort for the housing users In the dwelling it gives the psychological comfort to the worshiper, as it can be used as a place that helps to teach children to pray, or gathering to read the Qur’an, and a visitor who does not pray may see it in his heart and pray in his heart, and in it the Muslim can pray supererogatory prayers, and pray the night, and pray the woman, as well as the man If it is not possible to go to the whole mosque. The researcher used the descriptive method to study the elements that can be employed in designing the area under study and reached the most important results that allocating an area for prayer inside the residential space contributes greatly to achieving the benefit of privacy and psychological calm and also can benefit from the employment of some simple decorative elements to define the area of ​​the prayer area in keeping with the modern home decor. The most important recommendations of the research consisted in making use of design thinking and elements of Islamic identity by re-employing them with an innovative vision in line with modern designs of contemporary housing. It is necessary to think with an innovative vision to solve design problems and make the most of available spaces and employ them using the principle of flexibility to achieve the needs of users.

Equipotential Space in Housing as a Strategy for Adaptability

Architecture must provide answers, in the domestic realm, to the constant and vertiginous change in contemporary society’s needs and lifestyles. For this reason, we propose to examine the concept of 'adaptability' in housing based on the study of a series of projects in which we find a specific arrangement of rooms, which we call 'equipotential' or 'checkered' space. This configuration favors the generation of an open logic of relations between spaces, and acts as a mechanism that prepares the house for adaptability, allowing us to conceive it as an open, elective, dynamic and combinatory playing field.

Housing space and ICT usage: A cross sectional case study in the Netherlands

Information and communication technology (ICT) has reshaped the definition of the home by increasing flexibility in selecting residential locations, which can provide safe and comfortable environments for work, communication and leisure. However, few studies have comprehensively focused on the relationship between housing space and ICT usage. The present study collects survey data in the Netherlands and uses a zero-inflated negative binomial regression to analyse the relationship. Results show that (1) houses located in highly or strongly urbanised area are positively related with the duration of teleservices and general ICT usage; (2) detached, semi-detached and town houses are positively related with the duration of telecommuting; (3) flats are positively related with the adoption of telecommuting, the duration of teleservices, and the adoption and duration of teleleisure; and (4) the number of rooms is positively related with the adoption of telecommuting and the duration of general ICT usage but negatively related with the duration of teleleisure. Finally, the relationships between ICT usage with different housing space attributes and travel are discussed to support the policy making of transportation, environment and housing spatial layout.

SPACE ORGANIZATION IN PERAK MALAY TRADITIONAL HOUSE

The Perak Malay Traditional houses are one of the relics that should be appreciated due to their space organization uniqueness which is not present in today's modern houses. The study of the house's space organization should highly be given attention for future generations to discern. The issue is there is minimal approach to appreciating the space organization and there is even no concern of its benefits if applied in the construction of modern houses today. Indeed, in an orientation before the construction of a residential house, the role of the environment including culture, way of life, especially the occupants of the residence are taken care of by a craftsman. Discussion between the host and the craftsman is an important aspect before the residence is established. Space requirements are the most in the architecture of a traditional Malay house, a space was born as a result of the activities of the society, by gender requirements in addition to the comfort of concern with the residential environment. Space requirements are common in almost every traditional Malay house in Malaysia but there are differences in orientation, climate, environment and local culture that trigger the use of space. The purpose of this study is to pass knowledge to the future generation in order to appreciate the relics house. For that, the objectives of this research are to analyse the spatial organization design and architecture of a traditional Malay house with Perak state based on space functional diversity through research on the role of space during the performance of activities. This paper employs qualitative research adapting the observation on-surrounding and the house's interior space. Besides, sketches on house spatial pattern, joinery detailing and joinery construction were some of the approaches that have been applied to obtain the data. To strengthen data acquisition, interviews with target groups like village heads or local house carpenters were made. The data were analyzed and the sketches were illustrated in diagrams to interpret the pattern of findings. The results strengthened the characteristics of the interior spatial organization for Perak house traditionally do influence the environment, society, cultural customs, beliefs and religions. 

Differential Effects of Physical and Social Enriched Environment on Angiogenesis in Male Rats After Cerebral Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury.

Different housing conditions, including housing space and the physiological and social environment, may affect rodent behavior. Here, we examined the effects of different housing conditions on post-stroke angiogenesis and functional recovery to clarify the ambiguity about environmental enrichment and its components. Male rats in the model groups underwent right middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) followed by reperfusion. The MCAO rats were divided into four groups: the physical enrichment (PE) group, the social enrichment (SE) group, the combined physical and social enrichment (PSE) group and the ischemia/reperfusion + standard conditioning (IS) group. The rats in the sham surgery (SS) group were housed under standard conditions. In a set of behavioral tests, including the modified Neurological Severity Score (mNSS), rotarod test, and adhesive removal test, we demonstrated that the animals in the enriched condition groups exhibited significantly improved neurological functions compared to those in the standard housing group. Smaller infarction volumes were observed in the animals of the PSE group by MRI detection. The enriched conditions increased the microvessel density (MVD) in the ischemic boundary zone, as revealed by CD31 immunofluorescent staining. The immunochemical and q-PCR results further showed that environmental enrichment increased the expression levels of angiogenic factors after ischemia/reperfusion injury. Our data suggest that all three enrichment conditions promoted enhanced angiogenesis and functional recovery after ischemia/reperfusion injury compared to the standard housing, while only exposure to the combination of both physical and social enrichment yielded optimal benefits.

Willingness and preparedness to provide care: interviews with individuals of different ages and with different caregiving experiences

BackgroundAt present, the provision of informal care to older relatives is an essential pillar of the long-term care system in Germany. However, the impact of demographic and social changes on informal caregiving remains unclear.MethodsThirty-three semi-structured interviews were conducted with care consultants, informal caregivers and people without any caregiving experience to explore if people are willing to provide older adult care and how prepared these are with regard to the possibility of becoming care dependent themselves.ResultsIn total, three main categories (willingness to provide care, willingness to receive care and information as preparation) with several sub-categories were identified during the content analysis. While almost all interviewees were willing to provide care for close family members, most were hesitant to receive informal care. Other factors such as the available housing space, flexible working hours and the proximity of relatives were essential indicators of a person’s preparedness to provide informal care. It is, however, unclear if care preferences change over time and generations. Six out of 12 informal caregivers and nine out of 14 care consultants also reported an information gap. Because they do not possess adequate information, informal caregivers do not seek help until it is too late and they experience high physical and mental strain. Despite the increased efforts of care consultants in recent years, trying to inform caregivers earlier was seen as almost impossible.ConclusionsThe very negative perception of caregiving as a burden was a reoccurring theme throughout all interviews and influenced people’s willingness to receive care as well as seeking timely information. Despite recent political efforts to strengthen home-based care in Germany, it remains unclear whether political efforts will be effective in changing individuals’ perceptions of informal caregiving and their willingness to be better prepared for the highly likely scenario of having to care for a close relative or becoming care dependent at a later stage in life.

THE MEANING OF WOMEN AS KANCA WINGKING IN JAVANESE HOUSE ORGANIZATION OF PURA MANGKUNEGARAN

Following Edward T Hall’s theory, the designation of women as kanca wingking can be recognized to have hidden language. It is a symbolic form of women's role and spatial occupancy in the omah mburi (back-house with the highest elevation floor level), as shown in the Javanese house space organization of Pura Mangkunegaran’s main building. This characterizes profane and sacred space norms that shape the Javanese cultural thinking and behaviour, differentiating the role of man (king) and women (empress and princesses). The hierarchical spatial system of Pura Mangkunegaran's main building reflect the philosophy of life, role of the empress, and family relationship of Javanese people. The spatial layering system of Pura Mangkunegaran (from the front to the the back of the house or dalem) forms relational pattern between the house owner (the king) with those outsiders. On the other hand, the spatial arrangement pattern from the right to the left of the main building forms relational pattern more between the house owner (the king) and his familial side. This shown that the hierarchical system of the Javanese house spatial organization serves as one of Javanese ethics in maintaining social relations (or srawung) to preserve the principles of harmony and respect.

Re-socialising Aotearoa New Zealand Housing

Urban housing in Aotearoa New Zealand is predominantly unit-titled, individualised dwellings whether the housing is owner-occupied or a rental investment. As housing increases in density, the provision and management of common space becomes necessary. In Aotearoa New Zealand, when this occurs, the extent of privately owned housing space is typically privileged, and shared common space minimised. In contrast, cooperative housing integrates housing, economic factors, and social contexts to create long-term socially and economically sustainable housing. Since the 19th century, cooperative housing has provided evidence of internationally awarded and recognised, self-help, community-generated housing that includes shared components. Cooperative housing offers a third way of achieving affordable housing security, one that lies between home ownership and renting. Legislatively mandated and protected cooperative housing is needed in Aotearoa New Zealand to augment our existing housing production systems and types, and to help address the need for enduring, affordable, and socially sustainable housing.

Transformation Types of Transitional Spaces in The Local Dwelling in Iraq

Transitional space was considered as one of important parts in any different building types. These spaces contributed to the connection between many parts of spaces like (inside-inside or inside-outside), even in relationships between parts to parts or the whole building to the parts –and also to the urban context. Previous knowledge that focused on this space among limited types of functional patterns led to surfaced the research problem identified as” the need to identify the Transitional Spaces patterns in domestic houses in Iraq among different period times “. the research hypothese is “The patterns of transitional spaces in domestic Iraqi houses varied according to the function and location and the number of these spaces and these changed over time by drop in their types, in addition to reduce in its functional diversity”. The research methodology was consisting of three stages, first: building theoretical framework about characteristics of these kind of spaces in houses, second: select samples of Iraqi domestic houses from different periods times, third: analyzed finding and drawing conclusions. The research conclude that Transitional spaces are affected by many local environments forces, and by social, economic and cultural activities.

An Exploration of the Planning Approach for New Development Area with Underground Space in Hong Kong

Hong Kong is a densely populated city. Development of New Town or more recently called New Development Area (“NDA”) has been adopted to create more space for housing, working places and community facilities in the last few decades. But till now the planning of NDA remains focusing on above ground intervention without consideration in making use of underground strata and the opportunities for underground space development as a major land asset have not been fully explored. Whenever the potential use of underground spaces would arise, they are usually found to conflict with the established surface land development and difficult to be pursued.With the public aspiration for better living and working environment, the demand for enhanced utilization of underground strata as one of the spatial solutions is ever increasing in Hong Kong. As a response, underground space is now considered by a government appointed task force as one of the medium-to-long term options in increasing land supply. This paper will endeavour to propose an integrated approach of land use planning incorporating underground space for the future NDA planning, drawing on the experiences from recent plans and projects in other cities.

‘The real power must be in the base’ – Decentralised collective intellectual leadership in the European Action Coalition for the Right to Housing and to the City

The ongoing commodification of housing and urban space in Europe has led to the formation of a burgeoning housing movement, consisting of large anti-eviction networks in Southern Europe, as well as tenants’ unions and right-to-the-city networks in Central and Northern Europe. These different forms of housing activism have become increasingly connected at the transnational level, primarily due to the work of the ‘European Action Coalition for the Right to Housing and to the City’. Consisting of activist groups from over 20 different countries, this coalition facilitates mutual exchange, organises collective campaigns and has begun engaging in institutional advocacy at the European Union level. It steadily expands in size and tactical repertoire, aiming to develop a more unified transnational strategy for attaining affordable and self-determined living space across Europe. Drawing on the writings of Antonio Gramsci, this article makes the case that the ‘European Action Coalition for the Right to Housing and to the City’ increasingly performs the function of a ‘collective intellectual’ that organises a transnational struggle against neoliberal hegemony. Based on qualitative analyses of documents, interviews and field notes, it demonstrates that the ‘European Action Coalition for the Right to Housing and to the City’ exhibits a counter-hegemonic perspective that opposes neoliberal capitalism as a whole and manages to facilitate mutual solidarity across different activist communities explicitly on the basis of class struggle. At the same time, instead of organising a democratic centralist political project the ‘European Action Coalition for the Right to Housing and to the City’ pursues a more decentralised approach to collective intellectual leadership that prioritises domestic struggles, yet also lacks a cohesive long-term strategy.

A Study on the Characteristics of Community Spaces in the Japanese Apartment Housing

This study aims to extract spatial characteristics of different types of community activities by examining housing characteristics in Japanese apartment housing. For this study, first, the characteristics of Japanese apartment housing were studied, based on internet data and previous studies regarding Japanese real-estate data and apartment housing communities. Second, functions and roles of community spaces were investigated focusing on preferred complex community brands revealed in the studies on satisfaction of residents with apartment housing that have been conducted over the past five years, in order to classify the types of community activities. Third, the types of community activities in apartment housing that actively take part in community activities were investigated. Fourth, the researcher directly took part in community activities of one of the housing investigated earlier, and activities were analyzed to extract spatial characteristics. The results, first, the five types of community spaces sorted focusing on functions and roles of community activities and spaces were ‘space for exchanges among residents’, ‘experience and education space’, ‘recreation space’, ‘health improvement space’ and ‘life convenience space’. Second, it classified the types of community spaces in nine apartment housing doing active community activities. The results were provided the most ‘space for exchanges among residents’.

Temporary Use as a Participatory Placemaking Tool to Support Cultural Initiatives and Its Connection to City Marketing Strategies—The Case of Athens

For many cities, abandoned or underused spaces pose a major challenge, but temporary use is being manifested as a tool that can offer solutions. So-called “meanwhile spaces” provide opportunities for city officials to create the conditions for the cultural economy to be supported while simultaneously meeting urban regeneration goals and supporting city marketing purposes. In European cities, such as Berlin, Ghent, Nantes, and Bremen, there are examples where “temporary urbanism” is being incorporated into mainstream policy and is forming part of the city’s identity and tourism promotion. Temporary use is discussed in the context of current challenges facing European cities (austerity crisis, unemployment, refugee crisis, lack of affordable housing or office space). In this paper, the focus is on the creative sector. More recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has sparked discussion on how temporary use can cover a community’s needs. In this contextual framework, the scope was to explore the conditions under which temporary use becomes an effective policy tool and discuss management issues and difficulties that may arise. A description and analysis of the particularities of initiatives that were implemented in Athens compared to the ones in other European cities are presented. This paper is partly based on the works of the Athens URBACT Refill project, which included an extended consultation process with local stakeholders. Further field research was conducted regarding how temporary use initiatives with a cultural focus have been managed and the way the relations between owners, managers, and users were formed. Feedback from users and stakeholders’ representatives is presented. The key findings refer to the evaluation of the approaches used in temporary use initiatives with a cultural focus, the future perspectives, and the difficulty with drawing early conclusions on the effectiveness of these initiatives and the impact on the reputation of the city. Finally, the discussion is linked with promoting Athens as a city that allows experimentation by citizens’ groups and cultural initiatives in the context of temporary interventions.

Healthy Home Concept According to Javanese Ethnic Panaragan Society: An Etnolinguistic Study

Javanese ethnic Panaragan culture is very diverse. One of them is the traditional Javanese ethnic Panaraganhome. The home as a shelter is expected to bring outer and inner health to its inhabitants. The conceptof a healthy house can be known to the mindset of the people contained in language. The theory usedis ethnolinguistics which views language tends to reflect the mindset of a society. The method is usedethnoscience by analyzing linguistic utterances in the realm of building a healthy house. As a result, there areouter and inner concepts before building construction, healthy house space and griyowingking concept thatreflects a healthy home mindset for the comfort and safety of a residence which is summarized in languagepatterns.

Dwelling after Makuria: the organisation and function of space in houses of the Funj period in Old Dongola, Nubia

ABSTRACT Old Dongola, the capital of the Makurian kingdom of medieval Nubia, remained a significant town after the collapse of Makuria throughout most of the Funj period between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries AD. After its incorporation into the sphere of influence of the Funj sultan residing in Sennar, Old Dongola’s prominence within the region persisted as an important political and socio-economic centre. Remains of houses from the Funj period have been excavated as part of work undertaken by the Polish Archaeological Mission to Old Dongola since 1964. Preliminary reports from excavations of the houses enable an archaeological analysis focused on the function of particular spaces within their walls. The identification of the houses’ installations and the distribution of artefacts, as well as the localisation of traces of several household tasks, lead to conclusions regarding the multifunctionality of space within them. The abundance of ethnographic records concerning modern Nubian settlements provides valuable sources for the interpretation of the organisation of space in functional, symbolic, gender and privacy-related terms. This paper therefore presents an interpretation of the organisation of space within houses of the Funj period in Old Dongola on the basis of the analysis of accessibility and ethnographic analogy.

SPAȚIUL LOCUIRII URBANE - O NOUĂ PARADIGMĂ. POTENȚIALUL ZONELOR CU ȚESUT TRADIȚIONAL DIFUZ DE A SE ADAPTA UNUI NOU MODEL DE LOCUIRE

The present context, impacted by the pandemic, has emphasized during the last year a series of problems regarding the spaces where man engages in his daily activities. Foreshadowed at first as short term changes in the daily routine, isolation, quarantine, social distancing and work from home have become common aspects of the present reality changing the perception man had about the spaces he lives in. One of the most impacted by change during the last year is the space of the house, in particular the space of the urban house that changed into a hybrid space, a surrogate for the activities that once took place outside of the house: work, education, leisure. The translation of all these activities inside the house has generated some dysfunction that manifests mostly in the case of collective housing: insufficient space, restricted contact with the outside, minimal opportunities for socialization being just some of the shortcomings of the collective housing in the new context. Changing the paradigm of urban housing seems, in the present reality, more than necessary. A territory with potential in reimagining the urban dwelling is rrepresented by the areas with traditional urban fabric. These areas are plagued by their own problems such as: the old and abandoned houses that are becoming more and more degraded and that in some cases are demolished the area becoming infested with foreign interventions that do not belong in that particular place. The typology of dwelling from this areas seems that has more to offer that the model of the apartment: direct contact with the ouside, being closer to your neighbors, the small public ares from the vicinity. In this regard, the paper will investigate the transformations the space of the urban dwelling has suffered during the last year, the dysfunction that have emerged as a result of these transformations and housing models that could better respond to the current needs generated by the pandemic crisis

Will Rogers’ 1920s (1976), An American Family (1973) and The War Room (1993): A Cowboy’s Guide to the Pristine Sunshine and Wars in the Name of Peace

The study compares the responses of an artist, a common man and an American president to the times by analyzing the content of three documentary films: Will Rogers’ 1920s: A Cowboy’s Guide to the Times, An American Family (1973) and The War Room (1993) from the twentieth century. Will Rogers’1920s gives an insight into the simple life of a jongleur and a troubadour, cowboy cum actor, Will Rogers who was famous for topical humor in 1920s and whose life size sculpture occupies space in the American White House to keep an eye on the deeds of the greatest world leaders. An American Family, the world’s first ever reality show, documents real life events of seven members of a common American family and provide a contrast to the perfect Hollywood family portrait in 12 episodes. The War Room focuses on the president Clinton’s political agenda during his 1992 election campaign. The authors reviewed literature on the said documentaries and history of documentary film, American institutions and movements by Jack C. Ellis and Betsy A. McLane, Jeffrey Ruoff, Peter C. Rollins, Peter Ian Crawford, Klin Richard, Chris Hegedus, Shawn J. Parry-Giles and Trevor Parry-Giles. The study finds that Will Rogers learned to share his inherent happiness with the American audience by mollifying and disciplining many of their anxieties in the context of industrialization and the world war in 1920s. An American family is disturbing yet hilarious and presents a real portrait of the American family against 70s “culturally polyglot confluence backdrops” (Ellis and McLane 254). Pat Loud divorces her husband on air and their son Lance Loud becomes the first gay icon of the ‘gay decade,’ as several feminist, gay/lesbian, and civil rights, antiwar, ecology, and environmental protection movements takeover America. An American Family shows the mundane truth of everyday life in its social context. Its controlled realism reflects the filmmaker’s social conscience for audience’s identification and political action. The War Room celebrates the ideology of war during the president Clinton’s election campaign.

Saudi Arabia’s Colourful Culture: Exploring Colour in Saudi Heritage Homes’ Al-Majlis Rooms

Saudi Arabia considers its architectural heritage a part of its wealth and has extensively tried to preserve it. Several studies on Saudi Arabia’s heritage, particularly its architectural heritage, have been conducted; however, there is a lack of studies detailing elements of the interiors of historical buildings. This study analyses the colours in interior spaces of traditional Saudi Arabian houses. A descriptive-analytical method is applied to eight traditional houses from the four main regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: central, eastern, western and southern. This study demonstrates that the two houses selected from each of the four regions have similarities in the colour scheme and overall visual look and feel of the al-majlis interior space, with only minor differences. In addition, the study finds that each region is characterised by a distinct interior colour palette. Our findings will aid scholars in documenting colour as an important element of interior spaces in traditional houses and will provide a colour reference for designers, companies and paint factories for adaptation of contemporary designs and concepts to prevailing local identities. Additionally, our analytical framework may guide professionals when colour is considered as an element in interior design.

ОСОБЕННОСТИ ТРАНСФОРМАЦИИ СРЕДЫ СОВРЕМЕННОГО ГОРОДА (на примере Красноярска)

Urban planning concepts for mass housing construction were tested in the cities of Russia before the XXI century, the legislative framework changed, the centralized architectural activity lost its force. The diversification of the economy, the development of socio-cultural processes radically changed the approach to the formation of the city environment. The fulfillment of the requirements for the intensification and rationality of the use of territories without a comprehensive study of the city morphology changing often leads to the environment deformations. The purpose of the study is to identify the tendencies of the city morphology development under the influence of changes in ideas about the environmental quality. The city environment is understood as the unity of the natural and anthropogenic landscape, as well as the effective force – the citizens. In the study, the tasks were: to identify the most sustainable elements of the natural framework, constructed areas in a historical sequence; to determine the morphological periods of the Krasnoyarsk development, morphotops of the residential territories; to investigate the structure of the city fringe belts; to formulate the tendencies of the development of lower tier pf the residential housing and public spaces as the most susceptible to change under the influence of socio-cultural processes; to formulate the tendencies of the morphological development of Krasnoyarsk. To determine the boundaries of morphotops, calculate indicators CIS-tools with georeferenced data were used. To analyze the functional density of saturation of morphotopes with objects of small and medium-size business geoanalytical visualization of “functional flows” was performed. To assess pedestrian accessibility and visual connectivity, a spatial syntax method was used in the work. The main results of the calculated indicators were produced be the method of exploratory data analysis/ As a result of the study, the socio-cultural processes influencing the development of the morphology of the city were established; morphological period of the city development, morphotops of residential arears have been determined, changes have been made to the typology of public spaces, the concept of fringe belts has been confirmed, a new type of fixation line has been established, the pattern of development of lower tier of residential housing have been investigated. These results characterize he features of the transformation of the city environment and can be used for the purpose of architectural and urban design.

BOXED IN. Challenges of Escaping the Inherited Spatial Realities of Apartheid from the Centre to The Periphery.

This paper interrogates the existing spatial realities of Johannesburg as it was shaped by colonialism and the challenges of providing an inclusive urbanism between the centre, the periphery and the in-between. Johannesburg is a major urban centre in South Africa, with increasing economic and spatial inequality. The inherited spatial realities are still evident today; these structural realities are restrictive, unsustainable, and disadvantage communities ecologically, economically and socially. The paper is premised on an understanding that economic inequality is related to spatial inequality. The author draws on the personal lived experiences of being born on the periphery and the limitations of escaping the legacies of colonial spatial planning including the challenges of living on fragmented urban morphology.The author looks at the typology of the segregated post-apartheid township and the negative elements of apartheids spatial planning, especially focused on the restrictions it has on housing, employment opportunities, transport and public space on the periphery in comparison to the centre and how the in-between spaces further perpetuate socio-economic disparity. The author attempts through research to understand the resilience adopted by the Soweto community to have a safe and welcoming place despite the persistence of structural restrictions. The intention is to address the fragmentation and segregation caused by the inherited spatial structures. The planning of colonial cities, especially Johannesburg was based on achieving maximum control. The urban morphology was many times based on policies that organised people through race, class, and ethnicity.Its spatial planning was defined by separating citizens into different racial groups and economic classes. The rich white people located in the suburbs in the centre and the poor black people located in townships at the periphery separated by wide natural and man-made buffers in-between. The urban morphology of Johannesburg will be studied with a comparison analysis with other African cities which have similar patterns of spatial fragmentation in urban form due to colonial powers. The aim is to observe, compare and propose a defragmentation process towards the transformation of Johannesburg