South African education is in crisis, which also presents an opportunity for innovation and experimentation. This paper describes and analyses one such pedagogical experiment with a combined class of Architecture and Applied Theatre students from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa. Students were taken through a critical pedagogical process that culminated in a 'spatial event' entitled "Masihambisane" [Let's walk!] that was responsive to the inner-city site and its peripatetic occupants. The article takes the position that a critical and socially responsible pedagogy can mitigate against the damage of past injustice and the alluring alienation of the capitalist agenda.