"Go! Durban" as a catalyst for development, as means of integrating migrant workers and the city : a mixed use inter-modal transport hub for Durban.

Abstract

This study stemmed from the high transport cost experienced by migrant workers who commute from the periphery to the city on a daily basis for work. This problem is a result of a combination of modern and apartheid city planning. The cost of the commute usually makes up the majority of the salary of a migrant worker and requires them to spend lengthy periods in transit due to inefficient systems. This dissertation aims to address the high costs faced by migrant workers in commuting on a daily basis to and from the City. It intends to use the GO! Durban Proposal as a catalyst for urban regeneration in an attempt to achieve meaningful integration of marginalised individuals living on the periphery, with the city. The theory explored is that of “Right to the City” by Henri Lefebvre and its progression into Social and Spatial Justice with a focus on the works of Peter Marcuse, David Harvey and Edward Soja. The theory provides new perspective to the research problem suggesting that in order for integration to occur migrant workers need to be provided with the opportunity to participate in their city and shape the spaces which they occupy, along with being granted permanent access as opposed to the current visitation right experienced by migrant workers. The research has guided the architectural design of a mixed-use intermodal transport hub for Durban city center which will incorporate the activities and systems which exist on site while providing infrastructure to facilitate the GO! Durban transport proposal. This provides the opportunity for top down development to meant bottom up activism in order to create a space in the city which accelerates the integration of migrant workers and the city.