Edgar Pieterse-Director, The African Centre for Cities, UCT Voices from SA

Edgar Pieterse is the director of the African Centre for Cities (ACC)  based at the University of Cape Town. He is an urbanist trying to make sense of the sociology, politics, geography and economics of the modern African city.

We discussed the often difficult relationship between city governments and national governments,  and the ongoing struggle for policy and financial control o the trajectory of cities across sub Saharan Africa. 

Edgar feels it is necessary for  the social, political and economic debate at all levels to be re-imagined if cities are to fulfill their true potential as hubs of national  economic growth and social transformation.  




The bulk of our discussion focused  on the Integration Syndicate project hosted by the ACC in Cape Town. The project was an attempt to encourage a different kind of thinking about the issues of urbanisation in Cape Town  and  which "explores the obstacles and solutions to social-spatial integration in the Cape Town metropolitan region."  The five provocations that came out of the sessions, and which we touch on, are relevant to many large cities on the continent.

Download The Integration Syndicate book here.

Edgar also had some fascinating and imaginative things to say about the South African taxi industry and how the foundations for an integrated transport infrastructure already exist. 

At the heart of our discussion was the shadow the generational impact of apartheid planning casts over our cities at so many levels and that require an imaginative and multidimensional response, beyond a simple residential mix, to resolve.