Spatial Dialogues Rethinking Public Space Evaluation in Post-Apartheid Cape Town
##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.sidebar##
##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.main##
Abstract
Public space evaluation commonly relies on measurable indicators of accessibility, activity, comfort, safety, and spatial performance, but often gives limited attention to relational, affective, and historically situated dimensions of lived experience. Drawing on spatial justice, relational, and affect theory, this paper introduces Spatial Dialogues as a relational, evaluative framework for understanding public space through reciprocal exchanges among Self, People, and Space, and Spatial Dialogues Mapping as an exploratory tool for operationalising these relations using criteria, survey responses, and radar-chart visualisation. The framework is tested through Bree Street Sundays, a recurring car-free street experiment in Cape Town’s inner city led by Young Urbanists South Africa, understood as an intermittent public-space and tactical-urbanism intervention. Drawing on participant responses, the findings indicate that the intervention produced a strongly positive public-space experience, particularly regarding comfort, enjoyment, social interaction, and collective welcome. However, these positive atmospheres did not fully translate into stronger perceptions of agency, historical connection, or long-term spatial transformation.
##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.details##
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
The Authors retain copyright for articles published in The Journal of Public Space, with first publication rights granted to the journal.
Articles in this journal are published under the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial Licence (CC-BY-NC) - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
You are free to:
• Share - copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
• Adapt - remix, transform, and build upon the material
Under the following terms:
• Attribution - You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
• NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
References
Ahmed, S. (2004) The Cultural Politics of Emotion. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Available at: https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/the-cultural-politics-of-emotion-772.html (Accessed: 17 May 2026).
Anderson, B. (2009) ‘Affective atmospheres’, Emotion, Space and Society, 2(2), pp. 77–81. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emospa.2009.08.005 (Accessed: 17 May 2026).
Carmona, M. (2019) ‘Principles for public space design, planning to do better’, Urban Design International, 24(1), pp. 47–59. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41289-018-0070-3 (Accessed: 25 March 2026).
City of Cape Town (2025) Cape Town Central Business District Local Spatial Development Framework: Implementation Plan. Cape Town: City of Cape Town. Available at: https://resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/City%20strategies%2C%20plans%20and%20frameworks/CBD-LSDF-Implementation-PLan.pdf (Accessed: 21 May 2026).
de Certeau, M. (1984) The Practice of Everyday Life. Berkeley: University of California Press. Available at: https://www.ucpress.edu/books/the-practice-of-everyday-life/paper (Accessed: 11 March 2026).
Gehl, J. (2011) Life Between Buildings: Using Public Space. Washington, DC: Island Press. Available at: https://cus.ubt-uni.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Jan-Gehl-Life-Between-Buildings_-Using-Public-Space-2011-Island-Press.pdf (Accessed: 11 March 2026).
Harrison, P., Todes, A. and Watson, V. (2008) Planning and Transformation in South Africa. London: Routledge. Available at: https://www.routledge.com/Planning-and-Transformation-Learning-from-the-Post-Apartheid-Experience/Harrison-Todes-Watson/p/book/9780415360319 (Accessed: 21 March 2026).
Inside Guide (2025) ‘Bree Street: Car-Free Summer Sundays’, Inside Guide, 27 October. Available at: https://insideguide.co.za/cape-town/things-to-do/bree-street/ (Accessed: 17 May 2026).
Lefebvre, H. (1991) The Production of Space. Oxford: Blackwell. Available at: https://archive.org/details/productionofspac00lefe_0 (Accessed: 22 March 2026)
Massey, D. (2005) For Space. London: Sage. Available at: https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/for-space/book227109 (Accessed: 12 March)
Mehta, V. (2014) ‘Evaluating public space’, Journal of Urban Design, 19(1), pp. 53–88. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/13574809.2013.854698
Our City News (2026) ‘Opinion: Once you change the street, you change the city’, Our City News, 8 April. Available at: https://ourcitynews.co.za/2026/04/08/opinion-once-you-change-the-street-you-change-the-city/ (Accessed: 19 May 2026).
Project for Public Spaces (2022) How to Turn a Place Around: A Handbook for Creating Successful Public Spaces. 2nd edn. New York: Project for Public Spaces. Available at: https://www.pps.org/product/how-to-turn-a-place-around-2 (Accessed: 12 March 2026).
Soja, E.W. (2010) Seeking Spatial Justice. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. Available at: https://www.upress.umn.edu/9780816666683/seeking-spatial-justice/ (Accessed: 21 March 2026)
Turok, I. (2001) ‘Persistent polarisation post-apartheid? Progress towards urban integration in Cape Town’, Urban Studies, 38(13), pp. 2349–2377. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/00420980120094551 (Accessed: 12 March 2026)
UN-Habitat (2015) Global Public Space Toolkit: From Global Principles to Local Policies and Practice. Nairobi: UN-Habitat. Available at: https://unhabitat.org/global-public-space-toolkit (Accessed: 21 March 2026)