**Urban Appetite (Johannesburg, 2005)**

Photo: Katharina Rohde. Site-drawing: Sian Fisher.

The Urban Design studio—Urban Fabrics—looked at the agency of street traders: in finding space within a dense and highly competitive inner city context; in inventing businesses as a mode of survival; in creating social networks of support. Working together with the studio, the aim was to propose possible solutions that could be incorporated into the future development of the area.

Urban Appetite brought together immigrant street cooks and organized a street restaurant that would respond to the different conditions and needs in the course of a day. During peak business hours, the restaurant's set up allowed for the fluid accessibility of the pavement, and 'Food on the Move' was invented for business—wo/men on their way. While during off-peak, the restaurant extended its space for customers to enjoy a relaxing meal.

This pop-up street restaurant was a collaboration with street traders from different African countries seeking refuge in Johannesburg. Students and invited customers were largely new to this downtown area as it was—and partly still is—perceived as a no-go zone. The restaurant, therefore, triggered discussions around under-explored parts of the city and its makers—who are, to a great extent, displaced people from countries such as Malawi, Zimbabwe, The Democratic Republic of Congo.

A series of actions evolved during the course of an urban design studio held at The School of Architecture and Urban Planning of the University of the Witwatersrand in 2005. Urban Fabrics was set up in the context of ongoing urban regeneration of the fashion district, in downtown Johannesburg, and the threat of street traders being displaced.

(Note: this is the subtext for above project)

Collaborators: Hannah Le Roux, The JDA (Johannesburg Development Agency)
