Constraints to public sphere activity in Joubert Park, Johannesburg

Abstract

The link between public sphere and public space has long been established within the literature. Using three aspects of public sphere — plurality, public space and deliberate talk — I argue that the management choices that the City of Johannesburg made in Joubert Park led to a lack of public spheres developing inside the park. I explore this dearth of public sphere activities by looking at the municipality’s formal by-laws and their application in the park, the punitive manner in which “informal” rules were enforced within the park and the perception that Johannesburgers and City Parks had of the space and its users. The findings indicate that the City of Johannesburg chose to manage the park in a manner that enhanced its goal of becoming an African World Class City at the cost of strengthening democracy within the park.