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Future Cities Africa podcastAuthor: Dan @ Future Cities Africa
Future Cities Africa hosts discussions with thought leaders and experts at the forefront of major trends, projects, innovations, challenges and opportunities impacting the future of African Cities. Major drivers such as rapid urbanisation, health crisis, climate change, inadequate infrastructure, technology advancement and more are creating an urgent need for African Cities to become sustainable, livable and workable. New ways of thinking about governance, funding, mobility, urban planning and design, construction and implementation of projects coupled with major advancements in technology like 5G, blockchain, artificial intelligence, the internet of things, data science, machine learning, renewable energy and more give promise of an uncertain but exciting future. To learn and stay at the forefront of trends, projects, innovations, challenges and opportunities impacting what future African Cities will look likesSubscribe to stay informed. Language: en Genres: Business, Management, Technology Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Our Future Cities: Framework for Place-Led Development
Episode 16
Tuesday, 27 May, 2025
Welcome to another insightful episode on Future Cities Africa. In this episode we’ll explore Our Future Cities’s Framework for Great Places, shaping vibrant, equitable African cities through place-led development. We cover its core components, real-world applications, community co-creation, policy influence, global insights, and a bold vision for Africa’s urban future. Rashiq Fataar, CEO of Our Future Cities, discusses the organisation's framework for creating vibrant, equitable African cities through place-led development. The framework consists of four core components: Place of Mind (functional spaces like transport hubs), Place of Heart (emotionally significant places), Design and Function (practical elements like seating and Wi-Fi), and People and Stewardship (active community involvement and management). These elements must work together, underpinned by an understanding of societal context, to create meaningful urban spaces. Rashiq shares real-world applications, such as the Regent Road project in Sea Point, where the framework revealed a need to enhance the "place of heart" despite strong design and function. He also highlights the role of informality as a strength in African cities, citing examples like vibrant informal markets and a drug harm reduction center in Durban that naturally became a placemaking hub. The framework informs policy advocacy by demonstrating practical solutions, such as pedestrian crossing art in Cape Town to improve safety, though Rashiq notes South Africa still lacks place-led thinking at a national level. Global insights from cities like Torino and New York have shaped the framework, emphasising the importance of density and quality public spaces, but it remains tailored to African contexts by starting with local societal conditions. Looking ahead, Rashiq envisions African cities evolving through inclusive placemaking, urging stakeholders to make placemaking "everyone’s work" and foster unusual collaborations to empower communities. The episode underscores the need for a holistic, community-driven approach to urban development in Africa.
