Hello Miriam

This might be of help:

Southworth, B. (2005). City Squares in Cape Town's Townships-Public Space as an Instrument of Urban Transformation: The Origins, Objectives and Implementation of the City of Cape Town's Dignified Places Programme.

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Barbara_Southworth/publication/242689030_City_Squares_in_Cape_Town's_Townships_-_Public_Space_as_an_Instrument_of_Urban_Transformation_The_Origins_Obiectives_and_lmplementation_of_the_City_of_Cape_Town's_Dignified_Places_Programme/links/54b3b0510cf2318f0f955ae1.pdf

Minty, Z. (2006). Post-apartheid public art in Cape Town: Symbolic reparations and public space. Urban Studies, 43(2), 421-440.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/248974148_Post-apartheid_Public_Art_in_Cape_Town_Symbolic_Reparations_and_Public_Space

OR: http://usj.sagepub.com/content/43/2/421.abstract

I have not accessed the full text of this paper, so I'm not sure of how relevant it is to your question.

Have you seen these websites?

treasury.gov.za/divisions/bo/ndp/TTRI/TTRI%20Oct%202007/Day%202%20-%2030%20Oct%202007/7.10%20Reading%20Public%20Spaces%20CoCT.PDF

http://www.designingsouthafrica.com/cities-report/public-spaces/

http://www.capetownpartnership.co.za/old-programmes/public-space-for-public-life/

http://www.saferspaces.org.za/understand/entry/public-spaces?utm_campaign=understand-promo&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_content=public-spaces

http://businesstech.co.za/news/government/91702/how-to-name-a-public-space-in-south-africa/

Very best wishes with your PhD studies

Mary

Article City Squares in Cape Town's Townships - Public Space as an I...

Article Post-apartheid Public Art in Cape Town: Symbolic Reparations...

This will for sure help!

Thanks a lot.

you  might to check this out

http://africanurbanism.net/2014/07/25/re-imagining-accra-public-spaces/

Dear Miriam

You might be interested in this article by Claire Bénit and Philippe Gervais-Lambony:

http://www.persee.fr/doc/geo_0003-4010_2003_num_112_634_983

Best regards

d.

Hi Miriam,

Desides the link suggested by Denis, among french writen articles, you might be interested by the work of Julien Migozzi (on Rugby and Public Space in South Africa), of  Eric Dédiey (on affirmative action in South Africa), of Samadia Sadouni (on islamic NGO in South Africa), of Christopher Joon-Hai Lee et al. (on Street and museumsin South Africa) and of Marie Plancq (on urban precarity in S-A). You've got the files below.

You could also read the works of Pauline Guinard (links below) on art and public space in South Africa.

At least, you could have a look on their bibliographies, that could give you some ideas of readings.

Hope it can be useful,

Best regards,

Christophe Gibout

http://echogeo.revues.org/11855

http://www.geographie.ens.fr/Seance-du-5-janvier.html

I also  wrote a paper on Public Space. Hope this will help. Some of my  references are members  of  Researchgate.

 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/278968264_Public_Space_as_Contested_Space_The_Battle_over_the_Use_Meaning_and_Function_of_Public_Space

Article Public Space as Contested Space: The Battle over the Use, Me...

You can also read (if you read French language):

Emmanuelle Bonerandi, Myriam Houssay-Holzschuch, Vivre ensemble: le public au croisement espace:politique/société" in Raymonde Séchet & Vincent Veschambre, Penser et faire la géographie sociale, Presses universitaires de Rennes, 2006,  p.73-88. 

Miriam,

Here is an article you may find helpful:  Public spaces: More than 'just space' http://www.saferspaces.org.za/understand/entry/public-spaces?utm_campaign=understand-promo&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_content=public-space

Useful Links

UN-Habitat: Global Toolkit for Public Space

www.urbangateway.org/publicspace

Project for Public Spaces

http://www.pps.org/

Open Streets Cape Town

http://openstreets.co.za/

Thanks for all the comments!

Miriam