Our cities are in a constant process of being designed. Whether directly, by professionals or government or indirectly by communities, the decisions citizens make and even cultural events. With cities facing rapid urbanisation, design and design thinking has a leading role to play if we are to understand how we can design our cities to not only accommodate more people, but to do so in a sustainable way. A way which supports the economy, and leverages this opportunity, rather than collapsing under its burden and challenges.
With Cape Town as World Design Capital 2014, the central theme and challenge can be captured by simply asking: “How can design transform life?”. “The vision of the World Design Capital project is to promote and encourage the use of design to further the social, economic and cultural development of the world’s cities.”
Given the city’s legacy of apartheid spatial planning – itself a major design process to separate and exclude people from spaces and opportunities based on race – the major challenge ahead is a process to design our cities in a more democratic manner. How this needs to happen and who should be included in this process is often contentious. How can citizens meaningfully influence urban design to improve their daily lives, and how are we opening up the spatial design process of our cities to more people?
WHEN: Wednesday, 21 August 2013, 7PM BST/8PM CEST & SAST/2PM EDT
WHERE: On Twitter. Follow #CityTalk or click here to join
WHO: Join Future Cape Town and This Big City.
Photo: La Citta Vita
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