December 14, 2006
By Anish Abraham
JOHANNESBURG is the world's largest man-made forest - and it is City Parks' job to maintain the trees and increase the number of parks and trees in the metro's marginalised areas. Little wonder then that Thabo Munyai, the country's first black landscape architect, sees his job there as a thorough challenge.
He has been with the company since February 2005, assisting with the design of parks, road islands, cemeteries and general open spaces that need to be formalised.
Munyai got into the profession as a result of a design competition, after which he was persuaded to study landscape architecture at the University of Pretoria. Following stints in the private sector and with Tshwane's parks department, he moved to City Parks after submitting proposed designs for parks.
"The attraction to the profession is that there is creativity involved," he says. "You are also working with natural resources, which can have a direct impact on people in surrounding areas."
He explains that proper planning and implementation, as well as a combination of elements such as water, trees and land result in harmony between residents and nature.
A challenge facing the City is that most parks are situated in the more affluent areas to the east, west and north of the inner city, while such facilities are scarce in places like Alexandra, Soweto and Lenasia. Open spaces in those areas are often neglected and undeveloped, providing a haven for criminals.
"This is also the opportunity to go into the townships, where such open spaces were not planned for full use by communities. I would like to use my understanding of township living to positively impact on their lives through providing recreational space."
Township communities are also beginning to see the value of parks in their neighbourhoods, with increased public participation and use of local labour during the creation of new parks instilling a sense of ownership among residents.
Parks in the inner city are also vital, since they provide a sanctuary for residents of dense, high-rise buildings. A main problem in this area is that parks are no longer used for what they were designed, while the behavioural patterns of surrounding residents have also changed. As an example, Munyai points to soccer being played in inner city parks, though they were not designed for that purpose.
"This poses a challenge for us as landscape architects."
Cosmo City parks
Munyai has done extensive work on parks in the Cosmo City development, where he was the designer, project manager and project co-ordinator. The development includes three sizable parks, with one in Extension 0 and two in Extension 2. They range in size from 3 000 square metres to 6 000 square metres.
One of the projects is to green Cosmo City - from scratch
"I was really excited as we were starting a project from scratch," he says. He used aerial photography to identify movement patterns, to see how people interacted with the open space and to know what activities took place there.
To attract children, parks are usually equipped with playing equipment, but when space is available small-scale soccer pitches, cricket pitches or multi-purpose courts can be added. As the park grows, additional facilities such as toilets, braai areas and shaded structures have to be explored.
"I think the park in Extension 0 is one of the best designed in the city, considering its scale, location and budget," Munyai adds, referring to one of his favourite designs.
City Parks also keeps assessing existing parks, especially the older ones, to make sure they are utilised to the full. If the park is no longer functioning as it was designed to, the agency will investigate options such as adding additional features or total park redevelopment.
What makes a good park?
"My approach to park design is durability, especially as vandalism can be an issue. Even though we want something that is aesthetically pleasing, we have to keep in mind if it will still be there in the long-term," Munyai says.
He makes sure that fencing and paving used is not of the kind that can be easily vandalised or stolen, and that as many features as possible are permanent, immovable fixtures.
According to Munyai, a "comprehensive" park includes features such as water fountains, lighting, benches and a distinction between high-activity zones and passive recreational zones.
High-activity zones are areas that accommodate youngsters playing various games or making use of installed play equipment, while passive zones are those where residents spend leisure time or have picnics.
He also enjoys adding water features, fountains or pools into his park designs, saying that these bring life to the park. There are pitfalls, however - pools are potential drowning disasters and maintenance costs of water features are much higher, putting a strain on available resources.
"It is a real design challenge to create a water feature that addresses those issues, but is also aesthetically pleasing to users," he says.
Another trademark of Munyai's parks is his preference for using mainly indigenous trees such as
Celtis Africana (white stinkwood),
Combretum erythrophyllum (river bushwillow) and
Rhus lancia (karee).
"I have nothing against exotic trees, which can be very beautiful. But indigenous trees have a higher chance of survival, use less water and attract indigenous birds and other wildlife," he concludes.
Permission to use web site material
Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as:
- Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website
(www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency
(www.joburg.org.za)";
- If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original
article on this website;
- The name of the article's author is acknowledged;
-
The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill
in this brief online form).
Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400 |
