LOTUS PARK
LEVERAGING SHARED OPEN SPACES TO PROVIDE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY
Cape Town, South Africa 2014 client:
City of Cape Town, INTI, ACC
Lotus Park is a small informal settlement strategically situated adjacent to the Nyanga train station on the embankment of the canalised Lotus River. Unlike most informal settlements, Lotus Park is well structured both spatially and socially. The fine grain urban fabric comprised of single story shacks facilitates pedestrian movement and displays an intricacy of nuances in public and private thresholds and appropriation of space. Given the chance however, this vibrant community will embrace the opportunity to make Lotus Park their home.
The Density Syndicate investigates how density can contribute to the social economic empowerment of the Lotus Park community. In comparison to other urban agglomerations, Lotus Park has a relatively high density of 220 p/Ha.
The goal of the Density Syndicate is not to increase the density, but to create more indoor and usable outdoor area. By addressing this reconfiguration on the cluster scale, the benefits of both collective financing and participation planning can be maximised.
Collaborator: Doepel Strijkers, Jakupa, CORC, VPUU
LOTUS PARK
LEVERAGING SHARED OPEN SPACES TO PROVIDE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY
Cape Town, South Africa 2014 client:
City of Cape Town, INTI, ACC
Lotus Park is a small informal settlement strategically situated adjacent to the Nyanga train station on the embankment of the canalised Lotus River. Unlike most informal settlements, Lotus Park is well structured both spatially and socially. The fine grain urban fabric comprised of single story shacks facilitates pedestrian movement and displays an intricacy of nuances in public and private thresholds and appropriation of space. Given the chance however, this vibrant community will embrace the opportunity to make Lotus Park their home.
The Density Syndicate investigates how density can contribute to the social economic empowerment of the Lotus Park community. In comparison to other urban agglomerations, Lotus Park has a relatively high density of 220 p/Ha.
The goal of the Density Syndicate is not to increase the density, but to create more indoor and usable outdoor area. By addressing this reconfiguration on the cluster scale, the benefits of both collective financing and participation planning can be maximised.