Tuesday, November 29, 2016

those who need to bring luggage onto the bus and not return to jozi kusasa are welcome to do so

arpl3012+3029 field trip

the bus will depart at 8 am from the wits planetarium
on wednesday 30 november 2016

the day trip includes an overview of the city of tshwane from the koppie.
we shall visit:
  • voortrekker monument
  • freedom park
  • union buildings
food + drinks shall be provided.  
we should return to wits by 17

Monday, November 14, 2016

Oral Reflections


The following projects need additional work to bring them up to an acceptable standard.
§  Returning Jorissen Street back to the people:  enhancing access of Wits . . .
Check spelling on the cover page.  It is Jorissen Street and not the way it is spelt in the document.  Project suffers from major referencing + format issues.  It is difficult to follow the thread of thought and the themes unpacked.  What is the intervention exactly?  Some images are extremely difficult to make out what they are demonstrating.  Project is incomprehensible form page 12 onwards.  Needs major restructuring.
§  Jorissen Street comes to life
Projects needs better formatting to communicate the key ideas.  A suggestion is that text is use to introduce the chapters covered.  For example, Site location + Analysis – what is been uncovered here?  Some intro text will assist the reader understand.  Project employs different fonts and font sizes and lacks proper referencing + sourcing.  Restructure and reformat for a much more eloquent visual narrative, currently it is difficult to decipher what the key themes are and why.  Needs major restructuring.
§  The power of art on a street . . .
Reformat final concept master plan for better clarity.  Spatial plans need street names and other fixes to orientate the reader.  Do a spell check and citations.  Minor changes need to happen to bring the work to an acceptable level.
§  Investing in the public realm
Project needs better formatting and a re-think of the graphics used to communicate the vision of re-imagining, even though its states, “vision of the project in re-imaging urban condition.”  Is this really what it wants to state?  Sections need more work.  Minor changes need to happen to bring the work to an acceptable level.
§  Creating safe and performing spaces in places of Braamfontein
From conceptual frameworks, connection of the concepts, to application, project needs major restructuring.  Repetitive use of graphics isn’t sufficient to explain and demonstrate the intention.
§  Seeking spatial justice for the people of Jorissen Street
Reformat project for a consistent narrative.  Graphics and text should complement and enhance each other.  Minor changes need to happen to bring the work to an acceptable level.
§  Merging Multiple Identities
This project is still at a conceptual stage and is far from being complete.  It took on much more than it should have and unfortunately did not deliver.  Rethink concept and simplify the theme for a more manageable project.

Overall, projects need to have no grammatical errors and misspellings.  Images and graphics need to be referenced, even if done by the author to differentiate between sourced and created material.  Font and font size to be consistent.  Plans need text, as in street, building names etc. for better access and orientation.

Hand in:

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Reworked projects are to be handed in as an electronic submission on 21 November by noon. 

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Task_5

dear all
having looked at the final task, a significant part of the work is not adequate for a pass.  to assist, we have made a decision that after the orals, students who have submitted, primarily, unreferenced and incomplete work, will have the weekend to pull the work to an acceptable 3rd year academic standard.  please note that because of the extra time given, a person cannot suddenly go from a 43% to  64%, but may go from 43% to 55%
therefore the maximum mark for any reworked assignments is 55%
amandla!

arpl3012_2016 oral schedule




name
time
01
badla, amahle
08.30 – 08.43
02
tshiashi, livhuwani
08.45 – 08.58
03
phewa, nombuso
09.00 – 09.13
morning tea/coffee break
09.15 – 09.58
04
mokgopo, tiisetso
10.00 – 10.13
05
mabayani, taboka
10.15 – 10.28
06
mabasa, rhulani
10.30 – 10.43
07
mashiri, lesley
10.45 – 10.58
morning tea/coffee break
11.00 – 11.58
08
shumba, grant
12.00 – 12.13
09
malandela, gcina
12.15 – 12.28
10
mbunjana, zizipho
12.30 – 12.43
11
tswai, klaas
12.45 – 12.58
lunch
13.00 – 13.58
12
ntuane, ntuane
14.00 – 14.13
13
shabalala, thandeka
14.15 – 14.28
14
paruk, fathima
14.30 – 14.43
examiners’ meeting: moderation of final marks
14.45 – 15.00


kindly make sure you are cognisant of your time and may you be there 15 minutes before your oral.

the oral will take place either in the new or old seminar room in the school of architecture and planning.

goodluck.

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Final Hand_In

everyone has to hand in a hard + a soft copy
you may hand in your soft copies from now till friday
http://gehlpeople.com/

arpl3012 oral

the oral exam will take place on friday 11 november 2016 in the old seminar room
we shall begin at 8.15 and times will be placed on the blog tomorrow

you may prepare a 13 slide / 5 minute electronic presentation of only your intervention or recommendations to screen during the oral if you so wish

the electronic presentation is not compulsory. it should be seen as a supplement to your hard copy hand in
be mindful that your exam is based on your hardcopy project which was handed in today tuesday 8 november 2016

the oral presentation to the external examiner only consists of Task_5 and is a 1:1 presentation.  you, as an individual. present your own project to the examine and they respond to your own project

see you on friday 

Tuesday, November 1, 2016


Key end of semester dates

08 Nov 16, 10 - Hand in Task_5
11 Nov 16, 08 - 15 -- Orals
30 Nov 16, 08 - 17 -- Tshwane fieldtrip

3rd UROLab Joburg

3rd UROLab Joburg | 2 – 4 November 2016
Governance, Urban Youth + Transformation


White Wits Protest 2016 ©Solam Mkhabela

Key focus:
This URO Lab will work with one overarching research question and through that come to examine the empirical dynamics of a particular neighborhood of Joburg – Braamfontein:

How does an urban area become contested? And, following from that: What are the qualities and properties that an area may have in order for it to become particularly prone for public contestation and discontent?

In this relation, the #FeesMustFall movement is a particularly apt example by which to engage with this question. We may ask, for instance, how the particular sites of contestation were selected. So, the overall focus is on the dynamics of a particular contested area (Braamfontein) while the fees must fall movement is one of our ways into exploring this. So, while taking seriously the importance of the fees must fall movement, here we focus on what it may articulate about the contestedness of a particular area.

Crucially, a contested area does not simply emerge out of nowhere and therefore we need to carefully examine the historical, social, cultural, economic and political aspects. At the workshop we want to unpack these aspects of the Braamfontein area, with an emphasis on Jorissen Street.

By so doing, we also want to examine what contestation might mean in particular instances such as Braamfontein. Is ’contestation’ always to be considered as a critical stance in opposition to an already defined ’other’ or opponent? Might ’celebration actually be considered as the other or ’flipside’ of contestation?

Finally and most importantly, in focusing on the contestation of space, we will come to examine in detail what urban orders may be said to make up this particular urban space? How does this urban space orders itself, we might say, through particular forms of contestation? And, following from that, what are the productive dynamics at play that essentially make for better and more vibrant cities?

Key questions to consider
·       Is the ’content’ of the contestation/celebration always tied to the history of the space?
·       What is the role of experimentation?
·       How do certain spaces open themselves up to popular contestation?

In order to operationalize this overall research question, this 3rd URO Lab will focus on three separate sub-question which in their totality will hopefully allow us to respond productively on our main research question.  The three sub-questions are essentially a way of fleshing out key issues that we need to deal with in order to respond to the overall question.

Wednesday:
How does the space frame the contestation?

Urban spaces seem to have always been at the center for popular contestation – it is and has always been a key site for the negotiation of citizenship, access to resources and basic urban civic rights. Wednesday we will examine the historical and contemporary layers of the Braamfontein area to begin to think about how a particular space shapes popular contestations.

Thursday
How does a form of contestation frame, condition, affect the space?

Contestation goes on at multiple overlapping domains and scales. Thurday we will therefore try to flesh out the different modalities of contestation – and also the multiple and often seemingly incompatible voice - and how they come to make a space.

Friday
How is a contested area enacted, lived and transformed?



The form of contestation and the spatial properties of a given urban neighbourhood are enacted and practiced through multiple and often inconsistent everyday practices. Friday, we will explore the particular vibrancy and dynamics of Braamfontein and consider: Where and how does the vibrancy occur? What is required in order for a contested space to be enacted and lived?