Urban matriarch-itecture : an urban intervention for the marginalized informal trader women in the Bloemfontein CBD

Abstract

The proposed project takes the form of a Women’s Empowerment Centre in the Bloemfontein CBD, situated in Harvey Road. The aim of this project is to establish a space with a sense of belonging for women in the masculine inner city. A space in which women’s (informal traders and urban dwellers) basic needs are catered for, while they conduct their trade and day-to-day activities. My interest in this typology arose from observing the marginalised groups within the urban framework of the Bloemfontein CBD and contemplating the reason behind this marginalisation. Cities are places for opportunity, a receptacle for new social, cultural as well as economic strata. Women journey daily from the rural to the urban area for better socio-economic opportunities, in terms of their trade, and in order to provide for their families. However, women are more challenged in negotiating their place in the urban workplace purely because of their gender. This can be associated with the social identity of being male and female and the implications of superiority and inferiority relationships that exist between males and females in the South African urban context. Consequently, the research in this document focuses on gender and the city as well as thresholds in the city. Addressing these social and spatial theories will inform the proposed contribution to better urban place making. The delimitation of the study is linked to the topology. To avoid being “another safe space” or women’s shelter but instead a space that celebrates the strength of these women, the proposal is aimed at improving the existing spaces where the women conduct their trade, providing a space of safety for their children while they work and a space in which the essence of being a woman is uplifted and encouraged.