Sophia van Greunen
Doctor of Philosophy candidate
Architecture, Urban design, Urban informality
Biography
Sophia is a Namibian architect and academic who completed her masters at the University of Pretoria in 2005. While she has executed a range of built projects throughout Namibia her greatest achievement is being part of a small group of people who were instrumental in setting up Namibia's first school of architecture in 2010. Some of her passions include urban public space, urban informality, urban design and ultra-ultra-low cost housing; which she’s been focused on through research, teaching and in practice.
Thesis
Urban Informality - the emergence and appropriation of Public Space
The research is about public space in informal settlements and draws from three main subject areas that have informed the research questions and subsequent methods: Urban public space, urban informal settlement and urban morphology. The thesis explores the relationship between two themes to better understand the emergence of public space through informal settlement. Firstly, informal settlement as a mode of urban production: the multiple spatial- and temporal scales of influence to settlement-making; and the shaping of space over time. Secondly, the definition of public space in informal settlement: its varied uses and meanings. The research comprises in-depth case studies of three representative informal settlements in South Africa and Namibia. Research methods include archival research, morphogenic mapping, semi-structured interviews, focus groups and observation in combination with photographic survey.
In developing cities, informal settlement is the primary mode of production of public space and urban infrastructure. It remains widely studied as a socio-economic problem and a housing- or service delivery challenge but rarely as an integral means of urban production. Public space produced through informal settlement extends beyond spaces for play and consumption to include livelihood opportunities through trade and social networks. Misconceptions about urban informality continue to drive questionable approaches and policy responses. It is critical that every planner, designer, policymaker, and NGO, hoping to engage successfully with this phenomenon, gain a deepened understanding of how it really works. This thesis uses public space as a lens towards such an understanding. This thesis will learn how public space emerges: how it is planned and designed; how it is shaped; and how it is repeatedly appropriated, contested and upgraded as a result of individual or collective use and meaning.