Outdated town planning models adding to living space woes: Expert
A Durban-born architect says part of the problem why our cities and those in the rest of the world are struggling with space is because an outdated model of town planning is still being followed.
Kelvin Campbell spoke at the We Design 2016 Conference at the Durban City Hall where the focus was on how best to deal with the shortage of living space as a result of growing populations and urbanisation. Campbell, who is now based in London, says we need to look at creating mixed-use spaces.
"A lot of the models that were created were created coming out of the industrial revolution when we started separating uses. We started putting the office district in a particular area, the shopping street in a particular area and we moved housing to the suburbs. A lot of those models came out of Europe where there was incredible poverty and pollution in city centres," he said.
"However with that we have created another set of problems where people are travelling 3 or 4 hours a day to work in most parts of the world. I think we are missing that sweet spot between the city centre and the suburbs," Campbell said.
Spatial planner, Barbara Southworth, says industry leaders and government may have left the living space problem unattended for too long.
She says a bolder approach is needed in tackling the issue.
"We have the most awesome policy and the most incredible constitution, we have promised people change and transformation for 25 years and there is still no real transformation. My passion and what drives me is how to turn policy into action," she said.
"As professionals we need to be braver and bolder about what we do and not cave into politicians and the private sector. We know what the right thing to do is," Southworth said.
The conference was also addressed by Finance Minister, Pravin Gordhan, and heard how South Africa's cities are fast running out of living space due to mainly urbanisation.
(Photo: Steve Bhengu)