Page 100 - IJPS-11-6

International Journal of
Population Studies Redesigning public spaces in South Africa

mobility, cultural events, informal economies, and delivery or beautification but also as a strategic lever for
political expression, and are essential to the vitality and social transformation (Sutherland & Anderson, 2024).
cohesion of urban life (Wilson & Wanjiku-Kihato, 2023; Research by UN-Habitat (2023) reinforces the idea that the
Zhang et al., 2024). design of safe, accessible, and participatory public space
The value of public space lies not only in its physical contributes directly to urban resilience, social cohesion,
structure but in its ability to facilitate inclusion, access, and gender equity.
and shared experiences. Recent research has moved Recent global and African urban policy frameworks,
beyond viewing public spaces as passive containers for including the New Urban Agenda, Africa’s Agenda 2063, and
activity, instead positioning them as active arenas of social South Africa’s Integrated Urban Development Framework,
reproduction and spatial justice (Benny et al., 2024; Dovey have underscored the importance of inclusive public space
& Pafka, 2023). In this framing, public spaces are dynamic as central to sustainable, equitable development. These
territories where power, identity, and rights are constantly frameworks emphasize not only the physical design of
contested and negotiated. Their design and management public space but also governance processes that foster
reflect broader social hierarchies and can either reinforce community participation, co-management, and long-term
exclusion or serve as tools for empowerment and integration. stewardship (South African Cities Network [SACN], 2023;
Effective public spaces are intentionally designed to be UN-Habitat, 2023).
inclusive, safe, and multifunctional. Universal accessibility Public space must be understood as a barometer
is a fundamental principle ensuring that children, elderly of democracy and urban equity. When designed and
individuals, people with disabilities, and other often- governed inclusively, public space becomes more than just
overlooked groups can safely and meaningfully participate a void between buildings—it becomes a generative site of
in public spaces (Lawton Smith, 2023). The provision of hope, solidarity, and transformation (Wilson & Wanjiku-
amenities such as seating, shade, toilets, lighting, and safe Kihato, 2023). Conversely, when neglected or securitized,
pedestrian infrastructure has been identified as crucial it can reinforce urban exclusion and deepen social divides.
to the everyday usability of these spaces (Biddulph et al., In this light, reimagining public space is not simply a
2023). Research increasingly emphasizes the intersectional design challenge, but a deeply political act.
dynamics of exclusion, noting that women, girls, informal
workers, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, 1.1.2. Defining inclusivity
and other (LGBTQ+) individuals experience public space Inclusivity refers to the intentional creation of environments
differently due to real and perceived threats of violence, where all individuals—regardless of gender, race, age,
surveillance, and discrimination (Rodríguez et al., 2025; disability, or socioeconomic status—can participate
Viswanath & Kamath, 2023). fully, safely, and meaningfully. In the context of public
South African cities present a particularly complex spaces, inclusivity goes beyond physical accessibility to
terrain for the evolution of public space. The spatial legacies encompass safety, representation, cultural relevance, and
of apartheid persist in the urban form, with patterns of equal access to urban amenities and opportunities (Benny
segregation, unequal infrastructure provision, and socio- et al., 2024; Lawton Smith, 2023). Inclusive public spaces
spatial fragmentation still visible in public environments actively respond to the diverse experiences and needs of
(Rampaul & Magidimisha-Chipungu, 2022; Visagie & city residents, creating environments that foster dignity,
Turok, 2023). Despite the constitutional commitment to belonging, and mutual respect (Rodríguez et al., 2025).
spatial justice, many public spaces in townships, informal As cities become more diverse and unequal, the
settlements, and peri-urban areas remain underfunded, imperative for inclusive design has grown. Recent global
insecure, or inaccessible—reflecting enduring patterns of frameworks, including the UN-Habitat Global Public
marginalization. Public space is often the only accessible Space Toolkit (2023) and the New Urban Agenda, explicitly
form of “common” infrastructure available to lower- identify inclusive public space as foundational to achieving
income communities, serving as sites for informal trade, just, resilient, and sustainable cities. Inclusive design is
childcare, spiritual activity, and recreation (Lombard not merely about compliance or accessibility audits—it
& Rakodi, 2023). Inclusive public spaces are critical in is a rights-based, user-centered approach that challenges
cities of the Global South where high levels of inequality, planners, designers, and policymakers to interrogate who
informality, and youth unemployment intersect with rapid public spaces serve and who they exclude (SACN, 2023;
urbanization. The notion of spatial justice, widely adopted UN-Habitat, 2023). The aim is to dismantle physical,
in post-apartheid urban policy discourse, demands social, and psychological barriers that hinder participation
that public space be planned not only as a site of service and reinforce urban marginality (Dovey & Pafka, 2023).

Volume 11 Issue 6 (2025) 94 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.5813