Defining the Layers of Urban Complexity: An Epistemological Shift Towards Inclusive Cities

Abstract

While designers have the adept ability to objectively manipulate space, there seems to be a lack of ability to design for the complexity of human needs and values. Modern urban design methodologies, of the global North, tend towards the social as spatially constructed, inherently negating the possibilities of place as social construct. The primary objective is to explore alternative possibilities in understanding the complex contextual nuances of contended spaces, through subjective perception, to analyse the indeterminate, dynamic and latent qualities of place beyond the objectivist definitions of space. The methodology is defined by a mixed methods approach underpinned by a pragmatist philosophy. A literature review of some of the most significant seminal works in spatial analysis and place-making forms the conceptual framework. The Grey Street District in Durban, South Africa, as the primary case study critically analyses the dynamic evolution of place over time from the apartheid era into democracy. The study is enhanced by drawing as method of inquiry. An auto-ethnographic inquiry draws on the author’s personal experience of various urban environments. The paper reveals possibilities of alternative methods of spatial interpretation to propose an alternative methodology for urban design towards inclusive cities.