Platforms of Equitable Urban Governance

PLATFORM 100 is an initiative to accelerate change and dialogue about the strategic role of the built environment in the socio-economic and cultural fabric of South Africa and Africa. Through public thought leadership, civic engagement, and creative research in the built environment, PLATFORM 100 aims to facilitate the implementation of innovation in the Built Environment through partnerships and accelerate progressive policy evolution toward livable and loveable cities. Africa and her cities stand on an unprecedented cusp of spatial and social change, driven by demographics but also by the ripples of the fourth industrial revolution, climate, pandemics and changing economic practices and imperatives. Through design and partnerships with stakeholders and shareholders, PLATFORM 100 is a convening instrument for the qualitative and quantitative improvement of the built and natural environment. Platform 100 recognises that urbanisation and cities thrive best in a multilateral context, of economy, ecology, climate change and multinational cooperation. Platform 100 uses South Africa as a springboard for a broader, continent-wide conversation for ecosystem actors in the built and natural environment. We also intend to take this conversation globally by establishing a dialogue with other cities, on other continents and sharing lessons – recognising both our uniqueness and our similarities. This platform also creates bridges between disciplines – premised on a firm belief that innovation happens at the interface between different disciplines. By establishing dialogue across disciplines, by crossing physical, spatial, digital, national, global divides and by intellectual, disciplinary, and civic engagement across multiple geographies and communities, we believe that PLATFORM 100 will change the conversation on cities, space, and spatial transformation. Platform 100 will create bridges and a platform for urban narratives to be revealed. Platform 100 is a supporter of the 2030 SDG’s and in particular SDG 11, 14, and 17 .In this event we plan to engage with our partners focused on spatial transformation in developing countries. The intention would be to focus on issues of past and current conditions of city planning and spatial mechanisms employed by private sector and public actors to maintain segregated city policies. The city and its built form are scrutinized to critique current developing urban policies that perpetuate divisive and segregated cities. The dialogue will highlight the perspective of the ‘other’ in the city.This discussion will bring forward on current agendas of city regulation and retrofitting past historical city fabric structures which continue to place a large number of developing countries such as South Africa in a regressive state and regressive state perpetuating lack of healthy and sustainable human settlement agendas out of adequate access to opportunity.