Samuel Kagiso Ramohlola

The architectural fabric of Alexandra Township reflects a distinctive and complex spatial form shaped by exclusion, scarcity, and resilience. Established in 1912 as one of the few freehold areas accessible to Black South Africans, its development diverged from the rigidly planned and state-controlled models of other Johannesburg townships. Alexandra’s built environment is inseparable from the social organisation of families, kinship networks, and survival strategies that have continuously reshaped it. Multi-generational households, often tied to rural homelands, cluster within shared yards that operate as dynamic social and architectural infrastructures. These yards are regularly reconfigured to accommodate new arrivals relatives, students, or migrant workers—illustrating a principle of hospitality and collective survival that drives ongoing spatial adaptation.

To outsiders, Alexandra’s dense mix of formal houses, backyard shacks, subdivided rooms, and improvised extensions may appear chaotic or dysfunctional. Yet closer examination reveals an adaptive system in which courtyards, passages, and extensions balance privacy with communal life. This fabric embodies what AbdouMaliq Simone calls “people as infrastructure,” where social ties and improvisation substitute for absent formal provision. In this sense, architecture is not merely a response to material scarcity but also an expression of cultural obligation, kinship, and resilience.

Over time, Alexandra has absorbed multiple layers of transformation: from early freehold homes to waves of informal construction, RDP housing interventions, and contemporary extensions. The result is a palimpsest of spatial forms that record histories of dispossession, resistance, and reinvention. Importantly, Alexandra functions as a laboratory of urban experimentation, where residents continually negotiate density, land use, and inhabitation in ways that defy conventional planning categories.

Building on these dynamics, this design project proposes new programs that serve commuters using the Marlboro Gautrain Station while integrating it with the surrounding community. By accommodating nearby taxis and introducing commercial functions, the station can evolve into a vibrant transport hub that strengthens local connections.