Paper short abstract:

The paper investigates the intentions behind the establishment of so-called Temporary Relocation Areas in the City of Cape Town and how they are being perceived and contested by the residents forcedly removed there by the authorities.

Paper long abstract:

The Temporary Relocation Areas (TRA's), informally known as "blikkiesdorps" ("tin can towns" in Afrikaans) were firstly established in 2007 by the City of Cape Town as a temporary accommodation for the residents evicted from various informal settlements ahead of the soccer World Cup in 2010.

The urban phenomenon resembled the apartheid practices of forced removals and is criticized for its extremely poor housing and living conditions, as well as high crime rates despite the constant police presence. The domination of the right angle in the outline of these areas represents the orderly fashion the state aims at maintaining these spaces in, but the climate inside the settlements often proves otherwise.

In our analysis based on the field research conducted in the TRA in Delft, Cape Town in 2011 and 2013 we argue that this phenomenon of South African urban planning presents what James Scott rightly called an "inadequate simplification" which may turn to a state-maintained disaster.

Based on the methods of participant observation, interviews with the officials and in-depth interviews with the TRA's residents, we would like to analyze what lies behind the institutionalized vision of urban planning and how it is being contested from below by the poor urban communities that provide very heterogeneous views and ideas on how the desired city would look like. The special focus will be given to the Symphony Way Pavement Dwellers community, which was forcibly removed into the TRA after two years of successful campaigning for the right to the city.