Using Public Space in the Global South

This research brief is part of a Global South Public Space Platform that is dedicated to unpacking, exploring, and testing new ways of using public space in the Global South. Looking across the parallel contexts of South Africa and Colombia it points to alternative approaches to create dynamic and resilient cities. 

Public space only comes alive when it is used. This seems obvious, but using public space in South African cities is to come up against a long history. Spatial planning during Apartheid, was not just about determining who lived where, but also about controlling the urban space through which people and politics moved.

In democratic South Africa, the legal and policy culture and framework have directly and indirectly persisted, producing a context which often snuffs out the use of public space rather than facilitating it.

From citizen initiatives and art, to informal businesses, this legacy of control permeates almost every aspect of public space.

This is highly visible across many areas of urban life. And looking at comparable contexts points to alternative approaches to create dynamic and resilient cities.

As part of a Global South Public Space Platform https://www.thelocalsouth.com/global-south-public-space-platform this research brief helps to rethink public space and informality, looking across the parallel contexts of South Africa and Colombia.