Project Statement

Racial inequality is a challenging global issue, especially pronounced in South Africa. In Cape Town's Asanda and Die Bos communities, two parallel walls and the abandoned land between them completely separate black and white communities. While the white community is affluent, over half of the black residents live below the poverty line, lacking water, fresh food, and etc. We propose a strategy to reconfigure these walls, promote exchange, and restore social equity, responding to ‘ASLA’s Racial Equity Plan of Action’. This project will remove physical and invisible barriers through wall reconfiguration and green space development, achieving environmental justice in the black community and fostering economic exchange between the communities.

Project Narrative

In response to the severe residential segregation and racial inequality present in the area, we propose the concept of "Unity Oasis" that embodies growth and stitching. This concept can be extended to other cities in South Africa.

Growth:

The concept of growth will be implemented on the walls and the communities beyond the walls. Static walls will transform over time, expanding into the communities on each side. These walls will no longer be limited to concrete structures; they will connect the two communities in the form of green walls and green corridors.

Stitching:

The concept of stitching will be applied to the area between the walls. Strip-like green spaces, acting as inclusive spaces, will grow from the base of each wall. Over time, the green spaces on each side will expand and eventually meet, stitching the two isolated communities together.

Between the walls - Abandoned Area:

We will address the abandoned area within the walls through ‘stitching’. By dismantling and reorganizing components of the walls, we will break the complete separation and create inclusive spaces around the walls. These inclusive spaces will gradually differentiate into other functional areas such as farmland, trade, and art exhibitions. Green spaces will start growing from the inclusive spaces on both sides, and the joint governance of these green spaces by the two communities will facilitate the merging of functional strip-like green spaces. This is a dynamic process that will ultimately stitch the two green spaces together, fostering both spatial and emotional reconciliation between the communities, creating a platform for equal dialogue and shared governance.

Beyond the walls - Communities:

We will apply the concept of growth to the communities. To address environmental injustice in the black community, we will establish green corridors that grow over time, providing more green spaces for the black community. These corridors will link inclusive spaces along community streets and integrate with renovated shanties and green walls. Over a longer period (3-7 years), the collaborative efforts of community residents will extend these corridors to connect the entire community. These green corridors will help collect and purify rainwater, produce local fruits and vegetables (‘imifino’), and enhance water and food access. In the white community, similar green corridors will be established, connecting different logistics nodes and aiding in rainwater management.

Integration:

Once the stitching process inside the wall and the majority of the growth process outside the wall are completed, the two communities will be tightly linked as a single system. A complete fresh food supply chain will emerge, relying on the designed green spaces and renovated communities, facilitating economic exchange on equal terms. The black community will primarily serve as producers, leveraging their agricultural and handicraft industries through farmlands, processing stations, and trade points. The white community will serve as consumers, with distribution centers receiving online orders and black community members delivering products to their doors. The consumer spending from the white community will, in turn, support the development of green corridors in the black community. This system will alleviate poverty and unemployment in the black community and promote resource redistribution. The success of these measures can be directly reflected through the Gini index.