Looting Resilience:
Subtitle subversive ownership tactics for the anti-fragile mall
This design proposal addresses the impact of looting in communities through subversive spatial programming, drawing from incidents like the 2021 July unrest in Gauteng and KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. The objective is to understand the factors that led to certain malls within specific communities being less affected during the unrest.
Looting is typically a response to issues such as unemployment, homelessness, hunger, and displacement that have gone unresolved for long periods. Thus, looting is an unavoidable event and cannot always be prevented. This project does not condone looting, but we cannot overlook it as a form of citizenry demonstration and protest. Thus, the proposal advocates for spatial strategies that limit and minimize the impact of looting. This approach aims to actively engage residents in safeguarding shared spaces, recognizing the potency of subversive spatial programming as a tool for cultivating custodianship and diminishing the impact of looting. This is expanded to utilizing the concept of adaptive reuse to create more resilient and secure communities.
Ultimately, this project emphasizes the significance of spatial design that empowers communities, promoting social cohesion and mitigating the disruptive effects of looting on daily life and economic activities. Through this comprehensive approach, the proposal strives to establish a coherent and integrated strategy for addressing the intricate dynamics of looting within urban settings.
