#5: Reimagining African Urbanism

with Paul Currie, ICLEI Africa
Cape Town, South Africa

This episode of Cities Reimagined takes us to South Africa to speak to Paul Currie, Director of the urban systems unit at ICLEI Africa.

In October 2023, Johannes had the chance to swing by ICLEI Africa’s offices in Cape Town for this conversation on reimagining African urbanism which turned out extremely rich and exciting.

Africa is a continent of astounding diversity and rapid urbanization. With a population projected to double by 2050, Africa is at the forefront of the global urbanization trend. This remarkable growth, however, presents both tremendous opportunities and formidable challenges for the continent's cities. From the sprawling megacities like Lagos and Cairo to the picturesque coastal gem of Cape Town, African cities embody a kaleidoscope of cultures, traditions, and urban landscapes.

Tune in to find out….

🇪🇹…how a bus ride in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia built the basis for this conversation

🗽…how living in NYC as a teenager shaped Paul’s obsession with cities

🛵 …what the problems of formalising informal systems and infrastructures are and why a different vocabulary is needed

🔓…why the focus on challenges and problems prevents creativity and reimagining desirable future(s)

🌇…why the celebration of ‘resilience’ is problematic

If you like what you are hearing, subscribe to Cities Reimagined, leave a comment or a rating, follow us on Instagram for background stories or, even better, send an email to johannes@anthropocene.city .

Paul on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-currie-a198869b/

Rise Africa [ICLEI]: https://riseafrica.iclei.org

START Initiative: https://start.org

This episode of Cities Reimagined was published in October 2023.