Part 4 of my South Africa series Imagine a public transportation system that combines the low cost and fixed routes of a bus, with the frequency and availability of a private taxi. The system would be idea: convenient, low-cost, and predictable. There’d be no fear the driver was taking you for a ride, and catching […]
Government-Built Sprawl
Part 3 of my South Africa Series The lack of progress bridging the social divides in South Africa has not been due to political will. In addition to a variety of political rights (many which Americans will be familiar with from our Bill of Rights), the South African Constitution includes workers’ rights to join unions, […]
The Defensive City
Part 2 in my South Africa series The combination of affluence and desperate poverty in South Africa I described yesterday has made the country a world leader in both crime and security technology. In particular, security measures are pervasive in the physical form of the city. Although some of the security measures date from the […]
A Cityscape Divided
Part 1: Setting the Scene I recently returned from spending one month in Cape Town participating in a study abroad program. Each day this week I will post a new article exploring, in order, the social context, the defensive architecture I observed, government led low-income urban sprawl, Cape Town’s ingenious Minibus taxis, and a selection […]
South Africa Trip Photos
So far, my trip to South Africa is going great. I won’t have the opportunity to write much here until after I return in July, but I thought I would share a few highlight photos. Our studio class is examining housing and economic issues in a small town about two hours from Cape Town called […]