Mandisa Mtshali

The intended research is grounded in the intersection of spatial architecture and the geography of violence within townships, examining how their physical and social boundaries sustain cycles of violence. The primary theme focuses on the implicit violence embedded in the status quo—manifested through spatial segregation, socio-economic exclusion, and the spatial legacy of apartheid-era urban planning. The research questions how the built environment reinforces social fragmentation, limits opportunities for upward mobility, and conditions inhabitants into cycles of marginalisation and conflict. A secondary theme

investigates the potential for architectural interventions to disrupt these cycles, creating networks of healing and communal resilience. By rethinking the community hall as a transformative typology, the design intervention seeks to promote a sense of belonging, connection, and integration. Rather than imposing external solutions, it leverages existing community dynamics, recognising that the ingredients for healing both social and spatial are embedded within the community itself. The proposed intervention rethinks communal space as a site of reflection and a subtle defensive system. Through a spatial approach that encourages interaction, mediation, and social cohesion, the intervention aims to create pockets of resilience within the township, offering alternative spaces that disrupt entrenched cycles of violence. While the intervention alone cannot undo the broader spatial legacy of apartheid planning, it aims to introduce a framework that fosters localised transformation, allowing communities to gradually reshape their own social and spatial dynamics. At its core, this research seeks to bridge the gap between architecture and geographies of violence, demonstrating how intentional and evidence-based design can contribute to healing and empowerment within constrained urban environments.