Transforming urban open space: The development of two parks in Soweto with emphasis on art in the park

Abstract

The urban park is a relatively ' unknown' entity in township areas in South Africa. People see parks as areas to squat, dump rubbish, and graze livestock, or to be developed for housing (figure I). A recent study carried out for the Klipspruit River community in Soweto asked, 'what do you most like about the Klipspruit?' (Duthie, Young & Vollmer 2000) . Of the respondents, 62.4 percent stated outright that there was nothing they liked about the Klipspruit and its adjacent open space. In Soweto, most of the historically developed parks are in a state of decay, and maintenance is never undertaken. The perception of parks and open space in township areas has therefore not been positive.