Capetown, 16-17 November 2008

An interactive workshop held under the auspices of the Alliance of Global Sustainability and hosted by Cape Peninsula University of Technology

Cities, properly managed, can be transformative arenas in which natural resources are used efficiently and economically to provide a high quality of life for everyone. And by doing so, cities offer our best hope of reducing human impacts upon the environment and achieving global sustainability. It can be argued that there is no one model for urban futures because of the underlying history and cultural diversity of our urban areas. However, the challenge of urban futures is clear – we have exceeded 50% by 2030. The resultant pressure on infrastructure, services, safety and security, political stability and social services is immense.

Selected experts have been invited to present and discuss their views on African Urban Futures, thereby raising regional-level awareness and providing an important contribution to the global research agenda

Facilitator:
Peter Willis, University of Cambridge Programme for Industry, South Africa

Keynote address:
“Putting people first in urban development” by Mamphela Ramphele, Circle Capital Ventures, South Africa.

Presentations:

• “African urban innovation” by Edgar Pieterse, University of Cape Town, South Africa.
• “An overview of some of the challenges facing the city of Johannesburg” by Lael Betlehem, Johannesburg Development Agency, South Africa.
• “Future urban transport challenges in selected African cities” by Roger Behrens, University of Cape Town, South Africa.
• “Sustainable urban design” by Mokena Makeka, Makeka Design Lab, South Africa.
• “Social dimension of urban development” by Alan Mabin, University of Witwatetsrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
• “Finance and governance models for urban development” by David Savage, Independant Consultant, South Africa.
• “The Lake Victoria higher education initiative”, by Stephen Agong, Maseno University, Kenya.
• “Toward sustainable water use in cities” by Rolfe Eberhard, Palmer Development Group, South Africa.
• “Renewable energy for sustainable urban development” by Harro von Blottnitz, University of Cape Town, South Africa.
• “Capacity building for sustainable urban development” by Björn Malbert, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden.
• Innovation exercise – “Looking at wants and aspirations, strategies to achieve these and interventions by key sectors”
• Best posters presentation

Executive committee:

• Dr. Sebastien Rauch, Chalmers
• Prof. Olalekan Fatoki, Cape Peninsula University of Technology
• Prof. Jim Petrie, University of Cape Town
• Dr. Yvonne Hansen, University of Cape Town

Contact:

Dr. Sebastien Rauch
Water Environment Technology, Chalmers
sebastien.rauch@chalmers.se