THEORETICAL ISSUE

PUBLIC SPACE FEEDING HIGH DENSITY LIVING 

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Public space, community, sprawl and high density living are issues I feel are needed to be addressed in South Africa, architecture and urban environments today. High density living provides a solution to commuting from the suburbs and a solution to sprawl. Public space among high density housing allows for interaction which produces a sense of community through daily interaction.



Good public space provides a space for social interaction, special events and cultural life. Through this a sense of community is created. The in between spaces of a building are just as important as the buildings themselves. (Chermayeff, Alexander, 1966: 66). Sea point has the promenade but this is a linear space which people move quickly through. Public squares beckon people to stop moving and settle in (Gehl & Gemzoe, 1996: 26). Cape Town lacks public space. For the reason I have decided the FNB site because the public space in front of the building can spill over the triangle site at the beginning of Regent Street and into the ground floor of the building. This public space should be a space for daily interaction, special events and should allow for flexibility so that the space can adapt with the community. 



Cape Town has become a sprawling, car dependant city where a large amount of people live far away from the city centre. Automobiles have become the dominant pressure; because of this quiet streets have become busy. “Leisurely pedestrian movement is lost in turmoil of cars” (Chermayeff & Alexander, 1966: 34) The average American spends 10 years of his life in the car commuting. (Schittich, 2004: 13). This wasted time and the inefficient and uneconomic space of parking should be reason enough to provided free public transport within the inner city, promote predestines and bikes. This can be done through shared space. Parking space can become public space where there are parking lots. Bike lanes can be made where there is side street parking. (Gehl &Gemzoe, 1996: 42). Sea Point is close to the city centre so traveling by bus or bike would be an easy task.



Another method of preventing sprawl and reducing traffic, is by enabling more people to live close to the city is through high density living. Most dream of their own little house in the country. (Schittich, 2004: 9) This dream results people moving to a single house in suburbia. “The men, women, and children of suburbia are seldom quite close, and never quite along.” (Chermayeff & Alexander, 1966: 64). Multi-storey buildings can have the qualities of a ‘little house’. The transition between inside and outside is a way of creating a home feeling. Instead of having a garden, a roof patio creates the same transitional zone and welcome. (Schittich, 2004: 13)



Good housing is created not only through good architecture but also good traffic links, accessibility to public facilities, the green space around the buildings which also provides space for social interaction and connection to the outside space. The quality of good living space is dependent on the interaction between living, working and leisure. (Schittich, 2004: 10).Through high density ling, shared space, recreational space, and alternative transportation to the car, Sea Point can start to become an alternative to the suburbs.

Influential readings:

- High-density housing, Schittich, C
- Public Space • Public Life, Gehl, J., Gemzoe, L.
- Community and Privacy: Toward a New Architecture of Humanisn, Chermayeff, S., Alexander C

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Further helpful readings:

- The Death and Life of the Great American City, Jacobs, J.