A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Architecture, University of the Witwatersrand,
Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of
Urban Design.The fountainhead of the tramways in South African cities occurred a century
ago, when Johannesburg, in particular, experienced horse-drawn trams in the
early 1890's. From a rough Babylon, this city has henceforth experienced
significant changes in time and space, failing to avoid the desecration of
racial segregation and the associated spatial ramifications. The
contemporary city hs thus charged with the task of reconstruction and
integration to redress the effects of past actions.
In parallel, the renslssance of the tramway worldwide, in the form of rapid
transit, has brought to light an opportunity to be exploited in the process of
re-assembling the fragmented urban form. The catalytic and associated rtpple
effects of rapid transit on the urban environment in nearby proximity is,
considered critical to both the sustainability of the system and to the
environment through which it operates.
The underlying approach incorporates the notion of linking history and
precedent as a means of instructing future designs. The process Is
concerned w!th definition, decomposition, analysis of intermutual links, and
re-assembling the whole, to achieve a higher level conceptual abstractlon and
understanding. Such an understanding could facilitate the urban designer to
maximise the catalytic benefits of a revived urban element.Andrew Chakane 201
