South Africa

Spotlight on: Cities built4climate

A School with a Soul: Eco-Friendly and Community-Driven Building in Cape Town

By |2022-11-03T11:47:56+01:00November 3rd 2022|Basic Infrastructure & Housing, Energy & Waste, , , , , |

Sustainable building approaches are not only more environmentally friendly than conventional building methods – but they may also teach people how to avoid waste. Peter McIntosh, the founder of the Natural Building Collective, highlights the advantages through the example of Ulwazi Educare in Cape Town.

SPOTLIGHT ON: LIVEABLE CITIES

Empowerment Through Blocking-Out In Cape Town’s Informal Settlements

By |2022-05-23T12:00:47+02:00May 5th 2022|Basic Infrastructure & Housing, Housing & Informality, , , , |

How can architectural solutions contribute to increase liveability in informal settlements? Alfredo Brillembourg portrays how the process of blocking-out facilitated the empowerment and upgrading in the informal settlement of Khayelitsha.

SPOTLIGHT ON: URBAN LABS AND INNOVATION

Building A Home For Bicycles In Langa

By |2022-04-26T10:13:22+02:00April 26th 2022|Governance & Finance, Urban Mobility, , , , |

The bicycle hub in Cape Town's township of Langa started as a small community initiative that delivered medicine to bedridden people in the neighbourhood. Within just two years, it developed into a local enterprise that shapes mobility patterns in Langa. Founder Mzikhona Mgedle shares a story of success.

How the Pandemic Can Teach Us to Leave No Child Behind

By |2022-01-13T12:22:59+01:00January 13th 2022|Smart & Digital Development, Youth & Gender, , , , |

While online learning may not be the panacea for problems caused and amplified by COVID-19, it’s certainly a great place to start, writes Lindiwe Matlali, Founder and CEO of Africa Teen Geeks.

Can Access to Budget Information Empower Citizens and Enhance Urban Governance? A Perspective from South Africa

By |2021-08-31T10:18:06+02:00August 31st 2021|Governance & Finance, , , |

Fiscal transparency and public participation play a vital role in building more democratic spaces and fostering trust between people and their government. However, this requires the fostering of genuine multi-stakeholder collaboration, argues Zukiswa Kota.

Which Governance Factors Drive Urban Zero-Carbon Transformation?

By |2021-07-01T08:16:14+02:00July 1st 2021|Governance & Finance, Multi Stakeholder Partnerships, Municipal & Climate Finance, , , |

Urban climate action is essential for global carbon neutrality. A study by the German Development Institute has assessed the importance of stakeholder involvement, financing, and impact assessment for urban zero-carbon transformation.

Categorising South Africa’s Resilient Urbanisms

By |2021-11-05T11:43:27+01:00June 11th 2020|Basic Infrastructure & Housing, Urban & Metropolitan Governance, , , |

Urban planning during the apartheid regime specifically designed cities to displace and separate. Ngaka Mosiane, Mamokete Matjomane, and Avhatakali Sithagu argue for a concept of spatial culture that captures this particularity of South Africa's resilient urban history.

Integrated Urban Development – Global Partnerships, Local Benefits

By |2021-09-24T13:26:02+02:00June 4th 2020|Global Urban Debates, Multi Stakeholder Partnerships, Urban Health, , , |

Why tackle challenges alone, when there is so much to be gained from working together? How global peer learning strengthens cities in their role as leading actors of urban change. By the South African – German City Peer Learning Network.

Encouraging Greater Walking and Cycling in Tshwane

By |2020-06-02T13:24:16+02:00May 26th 2020|Green & Smart Development, Urban Mobility, , , |

Tshwane, South Africa, wants to encourage walking and cycling among its residents. Michael Kihato from C40 Cities Finance Facility outlines challenges and solutions in one of the country's three capitals.

Infographics: Urbanisation and Urban Development in South Africa

By |2022-07-18T12:36:59+02:00May 5th 2020|Global Urban Debates, , , , , , , |

URBANET's latest infographic series takes our readers to South Africa, offering interesting facts and figures about urbanisation in a country with a turbulent history.

Circular Economies – Benefits for an Urban Setting

By |2020-04-09T13:16:41+02:00April 9th 2020|Energy & Waste, Water & Sanitation, , , , , , |

The waste produced by cities does not need to be dumped – but instead can become the starting point of a new production cycle, argues Nick Jeffries from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

In the Face of an Urban Climate Emergency, Collaborate!

By |2020-03-31T07:57:17+02:00March 31st 2020|Climate Change & Resilience, Energy & Waste, Governance & Finance, , |

If urbanisation drives climate change, then mitigating the dangerous effects of global warming must address how we plan, build, and live in cities. Implementing bold national plans requires active cross-sector coordination and collaboration between the local, regional, and national governments.

Real World Civic Tech Implications of South Africa’s Grassroot Platform

By |2019-06-25T09:34:25+02:00June 25th 2019|Basic Infrastructure & Housing, Municipal & Climate Finance, , , , , , |

Enabling participatory democracy is the goal of South Africa's online platform Grassroot, where community members get together to change their municipalities for the better – with considerable success, as Katlego Mohlabane, outreach and campaigns coordinator at Grassroot, illustrates with examples from Mnandini and Mzondi.

Infrastructure and SDGs in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

By |2019-04-30T08:44:32+02:00April 30th 2019|Basic Infrastructure & Housing, Governance & Finance, , , , , , , |

Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, commits to implementation of the SDGs. To this end, the city focusses on sustainable construction, always ensuring to align the SDGs with national policies.

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