Patricia Aramburu

Apartheid planning has not only created impoverished communities and neglected landscapes, but even the very relation between the two has been severed in the minds of many people. During the 50 years of apartheid, the city’s resources and developers’ interests were directed towards other areas than Cape Flats. Not a single park was built here during this period. At the same time, critical natural areas have been lost or degraded by pollution and uncontrolled urban encroachment. The ecological services that they provide are today severely compromised. The absence of connectivity between wetlands, rivers and the surrounding land has had a major impact on biodiversity and the functioning of fresh water eco-systems. As pointed out in the book Growing Together: ”...a site is not only a physical shape; it is as much the centre of fluctuating networks of human relationships that flow in and around it.” Cape Flats is a crucial landscape for spiritual expressions of Capetonians. The question becomes – How to direct change towards spaces that are inclusive, safe and meaningful for all citizens? How to develop spaces that connect to the everyday life of the communities?

***Just Grounds -pdf
***Exhibition