Reframing the Role of Public Open Space

This book explores the growing spatial inequality in contemporary cities, and the opportunity ofreframing the role of public open space as a tool of inclusion in a context of an increasing economic gap betweenthe urban poor and rich. The first part outlines the geographical and theoretical frames of reference, which are then tested inthe analysis of a case study: Cape Town. This city in South Africa was selected since its spatial aspects ofseparation are particularly evident due to the legacy of both apartheid and modernism. The examination ofthe policies of the City of Cape Town confirms the rising attention to public space since the 1990s. This slow progress of desegregationis tested through a critical study of one of the most disadvantaged areas of the city, Khayelitsha.The book explores the relevance and impact of an urban-design project, and reframes the role of public open space notonly as a tool for restructuring the apartheid city, but also for reinterpreting other fragmented contemporarycities.