Why is this called "Digging for Gold"? Perhaps because the process for this thesis project so far has felt like I've been digging for gold in a nearly impossible way. Let me back up for a little bit. This is a blog about my thesis project titled "Cities of Gold" which examines the agency of landscape in the context of gold mining and informal settlements in Johannesburg. The premise of this design investigation is to find synergies between the gold mining industries and informal settlements that are mutually beneficial, AND it has to be landscape based. All this to result in a design project by mid-May.
Digging for Gold--it seems to be a metaphor for the ambitions of the design project itself. Many economists, most notably Hernando De Soto, have argued that informal settlements should not be seen as a liability, but an opportunity for economic development. That business, governments, and other financial institutions should consider informal settlements as potential resources, not just because of their large numbers (1 in 6 people in the world live in slums according to UN-HABITAT), but also because the shack/self-built house or whatever dwelling squatters live in should be considered an investment on their part and represent potential consumer power.
Needless to say, this approach has been highly criticized, and since I am not an economist, I will not attempt to address financial or policy issues (I'm just a landscape architect), but to consider whether or not there are hidden resources within informal settlements that might be an asset to their city or other industries. Perhaps a new type of symbiotic relationships can be forged through the design of the physical environment and start to shape the modes of production and survival mechanisms of the city itself.
Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni have been fascinating case studies, not just because about 25% of their population live in informal settlements, but also because of how the gold mining industry has played such a dominant role in the physical form of the region. Gold mining has LITERALLY changed the landscape, and continues to actively shape its topography and character.
I have some thoughts about where the project is going, but I'm going to save that for another post. My advisor says I should try to summarize my project every two days verbally to distill my thoughts and keep focused. Hopefully I will be disciplined enough to do so.
If you're interested in what I've been working in since last Fall, read my thesis prep document to catchup!
About Me
- Dorothy Tang
- Dorothy Tang is currently teaching at the University of Hong Kong. Dorothy’s current research investigates landscape change due to production, infrastructure development, resource extraction, and urbanization at multiple scales. She is particularly interested in the rehabilitation of environmentally degraded landscapes due to mining, infrastructural systems in informal settlements or slums, and the relationship between urbanization and water resources. This research forms the basis for landscape design proposals that address these various issues. Most recently, Dorothy co-curated a design workshop and exhibition that explores environmental change in the Pearl River Delta and potential for collaborative infrastructural and urban strategies across the political borders of Hong Kong and Shenzhen. In addition to research and speculative work, Dorothy is also an active landscape designer working to implement small-scale landscape projects that seek to improve water quality in rural China.