MOROKO PARK PRECINCT

The Moroka Park Precinct is a series of three parks, Thokoza Park, Moroka Dam Park and Regina Mundi Park of Remembrance, which demonstrate, how in striving for sustainable urban   parks, we need to effectively interweave human needs and natural processes into an integrated whole. 

In 2002, the project was identified as a ‘Showcase Project’ for the World Summit on Sustainable  Development. The aim was to create a catalyst for community development and enhancement, so   that these parks could become an essential component in transforming and enriching the Moroka area of Soweto.  In 2003 it was completed.

The starting point - a principle not deviated from - was to involve the community from the outset and  to ensure that they stayed involved throughout the process. The community’s mandate to the  designers was; ‘We want our dam back with clean water, a safe park and we want jobs out of the  project’.  During the implementation phase, fifteen unskilled women were trained in the art mosaic  through which they used to tell their stories.  210 people from the local community were also employed on the project.

The design not only focused on the creation of a quality physical end product but also purposefully strove to ensure the effective rehabilitation and integration of the dam and wetlands.  The parks are  significant as their stated objectives have largely been met and they have become a benchmark for  park development.  The park precinct served as a reference point for an approach which clearly  demonstrates that success can be achieved when sustainable design principles are rigorously applied  throughout the planning, design and implementation process.