Towards developing a Pan African College on Sustainable Cities
The GCI successfully facilitated two workshops to co-develop the Robert Bosch Stiftung grant proposal for the establishment of a Pan African Research College on Sustainable Cities.
The GCI hosted two workshops pertaining to the finalisation of the Robert Bosch Stiftung grant proposal for the establishment of a Pan African Research College on Sustainable Cities. The Pan African College will house faculty, PhD and postdoctoral candidates from a variety of institutions across Africa, working on Sustainable Cities. The participating institutions include University of Cape Town (African Centre for Cities), University of Ghana (Centre for Urban Management Studies), University of Nairobi (Centre for Urban Research and Innovations, School of the Built Environment and Department of Agriculture), United Nations University in Accra (Environmental Policy) and Wits University (Global Change Institute, Human Geography and the Wits Cities Institute). Funding for the workshops and possibly the college was made possible by the Robert Bosch Stiftung.
The first workshop hosted in Ghana (July 2017) focused on generating ideas for the formulation of the Pan African Research College on Sustainable Cities. The second workshop held at Wits Rural Facility (September 2017) focused on fine tuning these ideas from the first workshop, and to develop a governance framework that is compatible with all five institutions.
“Creating a functional research and training network across Africa is a challenging task. However, the participants of the workshop and the results we have produced from these two workshops illustrate that we have a solid team to do this effectively and efficiently. The workshops assisted in providing clarity to network members of their roles, the roles of their institutes, responsibilities, funding, staff requirements and envisioned outcomes,” says Prof Barend Erasmus.
Working groups finalised the following key themes for the College which include:
? Alternative provisioning of basic services: aims to promote research examining the alternative provisioning of basic services. It intends to challenge dichotomies of “formal” and “informal” services, and to seek solutions to African urban challenges based on African urban solutions.
? Typologies of urban sprawl and other land use dynamics: aims to promote research on land use transitions in the urban space. The intention is to seek solutions for building a more equitable city.
? Governance and sustainability in the African urban context: aims to promote research on the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders in the urban space. Research under this theme promotes transformative stakeholder participation in urban sustainability.
? Repositioning the African cities debate: aims to challenge dichotomies in urban thinking across the continent. It intends to promote research that contributes to forming policies and theory on African cities.
“The establishment of a Pan African Research College on Sustainable Cities is an ambitious project that requires a great deal of commitment. The network we are proposing links different knowledge partners which will enable us to learn from each other to develop a shared understanding which in turn, creates the conditions for positive change in our spheres of influence,” comments Erasmus.
To conclude Prof Erasmus says, “As a team we feel confident as we have formulated a solid proposal to submit to the Robert Bosch Stiftung."