Abstract

This project proposes the transformation of the disused Willows Quarry and its adjacent processing plant, situated on the northern slopes of the ecologically sensitive Bronberg Ridge in Pretoria, into a multifunctional landscape for ecological restoration, nature-based education, and recreation. Celebrating the Ridge Landscape of Pretoria, the intervention explores how reconstructed ridge systems can be transformed into living infrastructures that foster environmental awareness and human–nature connection.

Located on the City of Tshwane’s eastern urban fringe and within a Critical Biodiversity Area (CBA 1) within the Juliana’s Golden Mole habitat, the site provides a unique opportunity to rehabilitate a degraded landscape while enhancing community access to nature.

Primary stakeholders include Raumix (site owner and rehabilitation right-holder), the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, and local communities of Shere, Silver Lakes, Zwavelpoort and Olympus. Secondary partners include schools, universities, NGOs, and research institutions engaged in biodiversity education and restoration. The project targets diverse user groups, including school children, students from nearby new Akademia University, adults, elders, fitness and extreme sports enthusiasts, researchers across disciplines, volunteers, clubs, and people with disabilities, ensuring inclusive accessibility.

With the extinction of nature experiences becoming a new global phenomenon, urban residents of Pretoria have potential but limited access to meaningful nature experiences, especially along protected ridge systems. The project responds to this disconnect by creating accessible spaces for experiential ecological engagement, sensory filled learning, and recreation that rebuild appreciation and care for nature.

The Living Layers design concept interprets the geological, ecological, and experiential strata of the Ridges of Pretoria as a framework for rehabilitation and reconnection. The site’s unique geology features, fractured slopes, and barren platforms become opportunities to rebuild living landscape systems that both stabilise and re-animate the ridge ecology.

The design is structured around three experiential trails:

• a Productive Trail, where users participate in indigenous plant propagation for ecological restoration;

• a Sensory Trail, designed for immersive and emotional encounters with ridge ecologies; and

• an Educational Trail, providing guided interpretation, citizen science, and outdoor classrooms.

These trails are supported by complementary activities such as hiking, cycling, rock climbing and scuba diving in the quarry pit, hospitality spaces, and socio-cultural and socio-ecological activities such as markets, musical concerts, educational talks and workshops that reinforce ongoing stewardship.

Guided by a regenerative landscape design approach, the intervention aims to restore ecological function through phased soil and vegetation rehabilitation, hydrological renewal, and habitat design sensitive to threatened species such as Juliana’s golden mole. In line with recent research, the project positions nature experiences and education as central to cultivating appreciation and care for local ecosystems.

Ultimately, the design reimagines the site as living landscape where people can experience, learn from, and contribute to the processes of socio-ecological renewal. By offering opportunities for discovery, participation, and stewardship, the project aims to rebuild relationships between urban residents, the ridges that define Pretoria’s identity, and the life systems they sustain.

Keywords: Bronberg Ridge / Rewilding / Nature Connectedness / Ecological Infrastructure / Restorative Landscape