This is an ongoing project. Information and pictures are constantly being updated.
Reimagining informal minibus taxi tops through top-down and bottom-up design.
Informal taxi stops are the locations where minibus taxis pick up and drop off passengers, specifically those informal stops that have grown into gathering spaces, where commuters wait, vendors sometimes operate, and the daily rhythm of the route plays out, serving as gathering spaces that have emerged through use rather than through municipal planning or investment.
However, this use of 'informal' does not imply illegitimacy, disorganisation, or absence in official systems. Informal paratransit gathering spaces are integrated in the operational logic of the minibus taxi industry, commonly recognised by drivers, marshals, and regular passengers as established locations, and function as durable elements of urban mobility infrastructure despite their absence from formal planning frameworks.
The 'informal' designation describes the relationship of the space to municipal planning processes; it does not describe the space's social, economic, or operational reality.
These informal stops are used by taxi drivers to pick up and drop off passengers and to wait for them. Passengers also use these spaces to wait for minibus taxis. More than 80% of South Africa's population uses these spaces in some way. Some stops are also used by informal businesses for trading.
These spaces are often open to the elements, have no seating or shade, no greenery, and can be unsafe, especially at night.
The aim is to transform these informal spaces into vibrant, green, sustainable, healthy, and safe public spaces. These spaces can also be used to showcase local art and create socialisation spaces for users. By creating designs with community input, it is hoped that these spaces will become a source of local and national pride.
The study takes place in the City of Tshwane in Gauteng. This is the starting point. The hope is that, in the future, the study could expand to include the other eight provinces in South Africa and, maybe, other countries in Africa.
The expected output is a community-designed informal taxi stop, with input from experts, that is safe, sustainable, and beneficial to the users of these spaces. This will also provide climate-mitigation and adaptation benefits to address the predicted effects of climate change, such as heat.
This study explores a specific issue: how informal gathering spaces with sufficient space can be transformed into socio-ecological public areas through participatory methods rather than being upgraded to traditional formal infrastructure.
Three key points inform this rationale. Firstly, informal stops are important components of urban life for millions of South Africans but are largely overlooked in urban-design research, which typically focuses on formal infrastructure.
Secondly, traditional upgrading methods, such as concrete and steel facilities, suffer from issues like theft, vandalism, poor maintenance, climate inappropriateness, and a disconnect from the practical operations of the paratransit industry.
Thirdly, urban-ecological and nature-based design strategies, which are increasingly important in global discussions on sustainable urbanism, have not been deeply explored in the context of paratransit spaces in southern Africa.
This project integrates these three insights, advancing scholarship on paratransit infrastructure, urban ecology for underserved public spaces, and participatory design methods in the Global South.
The research is structured in five phases:
Phase 1: Spatial and contextual mapping (literature, GIS, desktop)
Preparation for fieldwork, literature review and preliminary mapping is done during this stage.
Phase 2: Scouting and site identification (2026)
Sites for observation will be identified.
Phase 3: Intensive site engagement (2026 - 2027)
The researcher will conduct observations at specific sites, and participants will receive questionnaires.
The study will engage at least five participant groups: (i) regular passengers; (ii) drivers; (iii) vendors and informal businesses operating at or near study sites; (iv) residents of communities and the general public; and (v) secondary school learners who use paratransit, engaged through school-based questionnaire administration with parental consent. Students from South African universities will be a separate sixth group, engaged through the design competition phase.
Phase 4: Participatory design competition (2027-2028)
A design competition with students from South African universities will translate community input gathered from the questionnaires into concrete redesign proposals. Judges will include, among others, community members and representatives of the taxi industry.
Phase 5: Framework synthesis and dissemination (2028-2029)
Final results, dissertation writing and article publishing will take place during this phase.
The researcher was born in Tshwane and raised in Limpopo. Since she was small, she had an interest in all things natural. As she grew up and began her academic journey, she came to see the importance of not just the natural environment but also the humans who are part of it. South Africa and its people are very dear to her, and she wants to contribute in ways that help South Africa become a greener, healthier, and more prosperous country, as well as help the people of South Africa to become happier members of their communities.
The researcher is currently based in Germany for the duration of the PhD, but will be visiting South Africa regularly. The researcher is under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Henrike Rau.
The researcher is a PhD student in the International Doctoral Program, 'Umweltdenken', a partnership between Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), Germany, and the University of Augsburg (UniA), Germany. This program is sponsored by the Elite Network of Bavaria (ENB).
The researcher hopes to collaborate with other institutions such as the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), the University of Pretoria (UP), the Department of Transport, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), the Department of Pubic Works and Infrastructure (DPWI), the City of Tshwane, and the South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO).
The list is still under review.
Ethical approval will be obtained from LMU and a South African ethics body before fieldwork begins. When ethical approval is obtained, more information will be placed here.
Data gathered in the study is completely based on voluntary contributions and participation.