3.2 CASE STUDY: ANTON LEMBEDE DISTRICT
3.2.1 Introduction
The choice and relevance of this case study on pavement dwellers' life and street livelihoods along Anton Lembede district, in the Durban CBD, is that the conceptualization and design of the nurturing dream centre needs to be appropriate in terms of the specific life styles and livelihoods found in the context of Durban's inner city. This research addresses the "human feeling" (Alexander, 2003) found in the needs of living (Ortega, 1962) on the streets of Durban.
In this case study, research is done on the human needs as one aspect of the "bridge over which any humanistic architecture of the future must pass" (Frampton, 1983: 53). The nurturing architecture is to incorporate the real needs of living pavement dwellers, and not simply an abstract scheme independent of the specifics of place, people and environment. The fundamental relationship between the individual's experience and his/her circumstances in the city (Pallasamaa, 2005: 40) are delimited as the livelihood needs of the pavement dweller and their circumstances in the inner city.
The research of this case study into the pavement dwellers' life and livelihood strategies in the Anton Lembede district was conducted using quantitative and qualitative data gathering methodologies. The quantitative research data was gathered using a survey questionnaire (see Annexure A: Questionnaire on Pavement Dwellers), and the qualitative data was gathered using observation, in-depth interviews, informal discussions and focus group discussions. Photographs
CONCEPTUALIZING A NURTURING INNER CITY ENVIRONMENT INFORMED BY THE N EEDS OF STREET LIVING:
Towards a multipurpose dream centre for the pavement dwellers of the Durban CBD.
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64 | P a g e were taken and sketches of street scenes drawn (see Annexure C: Schedule of Qualitative Issues on Pavement Dwellers).
The findings on the pavement dwellers' needs are analysed and interpreted within the humanistic framework delineated in the Theory of Living and the literature review. The analysed findings of the specific needs of the pavement dwellers were utilized to inform the conceptualization of a nurturing architecture.
The research findings are divided into two sections: the first section describes the understanding of the Durban inner city pavement dweller; the second section depicts the major activities of the Durban pavement dwellers - here the activities range in diversity from car guards to fishing, from trading to prostitution. The data gathered from the questionnaire is presented in Annexure B:
Questionnaire Findings and Analysis; these findings and analysis are combined with the data analysis and interpretation of the qualitative research below.
3.2.1.1Background on Durban
Metro eThekwini development exemplifies the dual city divide between the "haves" and "have- nots" as discussed in the literature review (See Chapter 2: Population explosion and the creation of the dual city).
Figure 3.1: 'Poike pots' and high rise buildings, an image of the Durban dual city. (Author, 2013)
65 | P a g e The development of the port of Durban arose in response to the European 19th century industrial cities' demands for raw materials from the colonies. From the outset the economic development of Durban proceeded along the divide between the coloniser and the colonised. The harbour of Durban expanded in the late 19th Century when it became the port of preference for the mining development on the Witwatersrand and the concomitant industrialization of South Africa in the early 20th Century. Apartheid built on the foundation of this colonial heritage of Durban exacerbating the colonial divide, and further entrenching a dual city in the economic and social structures and in the design of the suburbs, mass housing and peri-urban shack dwellers cordoned off, under apartheid laws, on the periphery of the city. Post -1994 eThekwini Metro, in confronting this legacy of duality inherited from colonialism and Apartheid, faces similar challenges today of dualism as any developing global city, including the daily arrival of new immigrants over the past decades. A city historically designed and built for a colonial elite numbering in the hundreds of thousands must learn to create an embracive architecture for new democratic citizens number in the millions (Franks, 2000: 27-32).
Since 1996 the Durban inner city population has grown by almost 20%. There has been job losses over the years in the Durban economy, for example the city lost 30 000 jobs in 1990s primarily in the clothing and textile industries and further job losses in the 10000's followed the economic recession since 2008. The dual city nature of Durban is encapsulated in the divide between formal and informal employment, with half the households having a family member that earns an informal income. Overall 34% of South Africans have an informal livelihood strategy (http://wiego.org).
3.2.1.2Geographical Location
The data gathered was drawn from Anton Lembede Street and portions of intersecting roads ensuring that the whole area was represented in the sample.
CONCEPTUALIZING A NURTURING INNER CITY ENVIRONMENT INFORMED BY THE N EEDS OF STREET LIVING:
Towards a multipurpose dream centre for the pavement dwellers of the Durban CBD.
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66 | P a g e
Figure 3.2: Map showing the Anton Lembede area, Durban CBD, (near Esplanade and South Beach, where interviews were carried out (highlighted in orange). (Google, 2013)
3.2.1.3Spatial Location of the Study
The research was conducted in both the planned and the unplanned spaces identified by Hou (2010): spaces between, wedges, void spaces, spaces below and spaces around Durban’s inner city. Pavement dwellers in the inner city were interviewed around the commercial and residential blocks, and public spaces in the area such as parks.
Figure 3.3: A 3D image depicting the length of Anton Lembede Street and context. (Google, 2013)
67 | P a g e 3.2.1.4Survey Logistics
The researcher made contact with Deen Mohamed, the owner of the Durban Beach Shelter, who advised where pavement dwellers congregate and how to conduct a user friendly survey with them. The survey questionnaire, on the advice of Deen Mohamed (2013), was committed to memory so that pavement dwellers would not feel that they were being interrogated by the police. The data gathering took place throughout multiple visits, both during the day and the evening.