Positioning Bus Rapid Transit as a Catalyst for Accessible Urban Commons: Case of Pretoria

Tabane, Isaac Tsholofelo and Gumbo, Trynos (2026) Positioning Bus Rapid Transit as a Catalyst for Accessible Urban Commons: Case of Pretoria. EVERYBODY PLANS ... SOMETIMES. Cherish Heritage, Plan Now, Create a Better Future! Proceedings of REAL CORP 2026, 31st International Conference on Urban Development, Regional Planning and Information Society. pp. 713-718. ISSN 2521-3938

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Abstract

The notion of urban commons has gained less attention in the planning and development of bus rapid transit systems across the world, meanwhile the city may be conceived as a shared studio for everyone. Preparing urban spaces to serve everyone requires extensive effort of considering what a city might look like if every individual has ease transfer, high speed and effective access to urban commons which are offered in terms of urban subcultures, governance, digital resources, civic infrastructure and street furniture. Theoretically, bus rapid transits in most cities are directed towards addressing issues of job-housing mismatch meanwhile sidelining direct connectivity to common tangible and intangible resources of urban spaces. Thus, practically bus rapid transit networks do not far reach the depth of cities commons, calling for multimodal transfer of commuters. This study adopts a pragmatic research approach to develop an understanding of how best can BRT systems be positioned as catalysts to bridge the gap between communities and urban commons. Moreover, this study builds on Howard’s theory of urban value and relationality which provides centralised understanding of what constitutes the urban commons. The aim is to establish effective mechanisms that can be adopted during the planning and implementation of BRT systems to better bridge the gap between urban commons and public transport networks. The study findings particularly outlines that urban commons are more than just a right to access urban common resources rather individual right to enjoy, benefit and reach all resources offered by the urban built environment.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Urban commons, bus rapid transit, accessibility, communities, built environment
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GF Human ecology. Anthropogeography H Social Sciences > HE Transportation and Communications
Depositing User:	The CORP Team
Date Deposited:	08 Apr 2026 17:22
Last Modified:	08 Apr 2026 17:22
URI:	http://repository.corp.at/id/eprint/1346

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