Integrated Neighbourhood - Slovo Park (Panel 3)

INTEGRATED NEIGHBOURHOOD - SLOVO PARK (PANEL 3)

Urban Design Principles and Criteria

Johannesburg 2011
Design Consultant: Michael Hart Architects. Urban Designers
Client: Gauteng Local Government and Housing / City of Johannebsurg

Connectivity

Connectivity is an important principle towards new livable neighbourhoods’. It is a major component of the future success through integration. The need to integrate from an economic, transportation and social perspective is to gain access to public facilities, movement routes, business and trading facilities that will create high levels of functionality within the development.

Continuity

Continuity of movement systems that link neighbouring nodes must serve the new neighbourhood in drawing energy into a new activity spine that slows down traffic and allows for stopping of busses, taxis and private vehicles. Continuity shall apply to movement, built form, public space and green spaces.

Movement Network

The major public transport route through Slovo Park encourages a continuation for metro busses to move through a circular loop within the new neighbourhood. The low level of car ownership within the neighbourhood necessitates for an efficient public transport route with convenient stops.
Stops shall be located at retail points, community facilities within the development and adjacent to the existing schools in neighbouring Coronationville.
Movement routes shall linking with the traders market and public facilities.
Low order access roads shall incorporate social spaces and pedestrian street courts.

Activity nodes and spines

The pedestrianised activity spine shall link the business and transportation nodes.

Public space and community facilities

Public spaces shall be implemented in a number of different forms. Open-air spaces, parks and squares shall be well defined. These spaces shall be located adjacent to community centres, crèches or churches allowing for a synergy sharing of uses.

Education and Child care

The development shall rely on the sharing of neighbouring schooling facilities. The inclusion of new preschooling facilities and crèche facilities shall be developed with community centres and community halls.

Health

The location of a community clinic within the development is vital in achieving convenient access within walking distance of all the new residential unit.

Religion

The incorporation of a prominent site for a church building may become a community building with shared uses and facilities. The church is located adjacent to the community centre with a public open space between them. This relationship shall reinforce the identity of ‘place making’ for a new community.
Important community buildings will create landmarks and reference points of a unique character.

Green Network

Creating a Green Network is in response to a basic human need for the natural landscape. The built environment requires a balance between hard construction and soft natural landscape. The environmental importance is to promote and improve natural ecologies, bio diversity, filtering of pollution and natural cooling of urban environments.
The importance is that green spaces are continuous allowing ecological systems to develop throughout the neighbourhood.
Parks are manageable in size ensuring that continual maintenance by the city is possible. Parks are designed as usable spaces and are located within close proximity to community and public facilities. Parks shall be linked with continuous tree planting along pedestrian linkages and sidewalks.
‘Street courts’ alongside residential blocks shall be well treed with indigenous trees creating shaded areas for recreation and play.
Courtyards within residential blocks shall include soft landscaping to enhance the environmental conditions for residents to develop safe and secure children’s play areas.

Key Strategic Objectives

Stitching the urban grid

The urban grid is a movement and services network. The locale of Slovo Park is an opportune infill development between two existing neighbourhoods. The stitching of the urban grid refers to knitting together network systems. Physical movement paths for public transportation, non motorized movement and points of access. It encourages social cohesion, and enhances the connectivity of a disenfranchised community with a broader society. It brings with it infrastructure and services. Integration brings identity and an the independence of getting an address. It brings a sense of recognition and pride.
The ‘knitting together ’of urban areas offers residents choices of transport including walking and cycling to reach a greater variety of amenities.
The grid formation of the proposed neighbourhood is one of a multi-directional public right-of-way network. This allows for motorised transport on a lower order with mixed-mode transport at a reduced speed.

Panel 1 | Panel 2 | Panel 3 | Panel 4.

MICHAEL HART ARCHITECTS URBAN DESIGNERS