African Centre for Cities

African Centre for Cities
Name	African Centre for Cities
Established	1998
Type	Research centre
Location	Cape Town, South Africa
Parent	University of Cape Town
Director	Notable directors have included Urban Studies scholars
Website	n/a

African Centre for Cities

The African Centre for Cities is a multidisciplinary research centre based at the University of Cape Town that focuses on urban studies across Africa, engaging with cities such as Cape Town, Johannesburg, Nairobi, Lagos, and Accra. It convenes scholars, policy-makers and practitioners linked to institutions like the Development Bank of Southern Africa, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, the World Bank, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Ford Foundation to address urban transformations, informal settlements, and urban infrastructure. The centre publishes work that intersects with debates involving the International Monetary Fund, the African Union, the South African National Treasury, the City of Cape Town, and global research networks such as the Global Research Network and the International Institute for Environment and Development.

History

Founded in 1998 within the University of Cape Town during a period of post-apartheid urban reform and municipal transformation, the centre emerged from collaborations among scholars at the School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics and the Department of Sociology. Early influences included engagements with figures and institutions like Abahlali baseMjondolo, the South African Cities Network, the National Research Foundation (South Africa), and international partnerships with the London School of Economics and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Over successive decades it has worked alongside municipal administrations such as the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality and research programmes at the University of the Witwatersrand, Stellenbosch University, and Makerere University. Its archives and outputs document urban responses to events including the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (South Africa), the expansion of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa, and continent-wide initiatives led by the African Union Commission.

Mission and Research Focus

The centre’s mission emphasizes evidence-based urban scholarship that engages with policy arenas like the South African Local Government Association, the United Nations, and the African Development Bank. Research themes connect to the study of informal settlements such as Kibera, Khayelitsha, Soweto, and Dharavi in comparative work; infrastructure projects like the Gautrain and water initiatives in Cape Town; and urban resilience in the context of crises referenced by entities such as the World Health Organization and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. Interdisciplinary approaches draw on collaborations with scholars associated with the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, the Royal Geographical Society, and disciplinary units at the University of Oxford and Harvard University.

Academic Programs and Education

The centre supports postgraduate programmes within the University of Cape Town framework, engaging students enrolled in the Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment, the Faculty of Social Science, and the School of Architecture. It supervises masters and doctoral research that places students in fieldwork contexts across cities including Dar es Salaam, Kampala, Addis Ababa, Casablanca, and Kigali. Pedagogical collaborations have included visiting professorships from scholars affiliated with the London School of Economics, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Toronto, and coursework bridging with professional bodies such as the South African Council for Planners and the Royal Town Planning Institute.

Projects and Initiatives

Notable initiatives have included comparative studies on informal housing, partnerships on climate adaptation with the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, and participatory planning projects with communities represented by Slum Dwellers International and Habitat for Humanity. Research programmes have examined transport corridors associated with the N1 and N2 highways, spatial legacies of apartheid, and governance experiments involving municipal policies tested in Cape Town and Durban. The centre has led collaborative projects supported by the European Union, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, producing policy briefs used by entities such as the South African Presidency and the National Treasury.

Partnerships and Collaborations

The centre maintains formal and informal partnerships with universities across Africa and internationally, including the University of Nairobi, University of Lagos, Makerere University, University of Johannesburg, University of the Witwatersrand, University of Cape Coast, Université Cheikh Anta Diop, University College London, Columbia University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It engages multilateral agencies such as the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, the African Development Bank, and donor institutions including the Rockefeller Foundation and the Ford Foundation. Collaborative outputs have informed municipal strategies developed by administrations like the City of Johannesburg and regional policy platforms such as the South African Cities Network.

Facilities and Location

Located within the University of Cape Town campus precinct near the Cape Town City Bowl and proximate to research libraries and collections at the Jagger Library and the UCT Libraries, the centre occupies seminar rooms and lab spaces used for mapping, GIS, and participatory action research. Field offices and partnerships extend to municipal hubs in Cape Town, research nodes in Durban and Johannesburg, and affiliated centres at institutions such as the Human Sciences Research Council.

Impact and Recognition

The centre’s scholarship has influenced policy documents produced by the City of Cape Town, the National Department of Human Settlements (South Africa), and international guidelines from the United Nations Human Settlements Programme. Staff and alumni have contributed to academic journals associated with the Royal Geographical Society, the International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, and the Journal of Southern African Studies, and have been recognized through awards and fellowships from the National Research Foundation (South Africa), the Wellcome Trust, and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Its work is cited in reports by the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the African Union.

Category:Research institutes in South Africa Category:Urban studies institutions