Housing

Friday we learned all about settlement patterns in Cape Town. Dave gave us a presentation about the socio-cultural history of Cape Town and how housing reflects settlement patterns and what is happening in society. We went to the natural history museum to look at Khoisan (bushman) history and then we went to the District 6 museum. Elaine gave her report on Apartheid and we drove around the city finding examples of Dutch and British rule as well as apartheid. We saw high income areas, low areas, the townships, the shanty towns that host millions with no running water toilets and very little space. We saw spatially how people were relocated depending on their classification – white, colored or black and how the physical barriers of large roads were used to keep people apart. We also saw the governments housing buildings and the areas that effort is being made to integrate. The kids have now spent some time in District 6 and at the museum – it is a pretty powerful place and I think they will think more about neighborhoods when we return home.