The Minister of Planning and the Premier of Gauteng jointly announced the establishment of a Centre for Urban Innovation at the Metropolis Annual Meeting held in Sandton on 17 July 2013.
The primary goal of the proposed Centre would be the active promotion of innovative responses to the urbanization challenge. It will promote awareness and knowledge of urban innovations in South Africa and across the various regions of the world and support for targeted international exchanges and collaborations that facilitate the diffusion of innovative urban practices.
It will also provide direct support and incentive to municipalities, communities and other key agents who are involved in innovative urban practices. The National Planning Commission and the Gauteng Provincial Government share a common concern for developing innovative solutions to the urbanization challenge, and are committed to working collaboratively to find new approaches to urban policy in Gauteng and across South Africa.
Gauteng houses three of South Africa’s metropolitan cities, including Johannesburg – South Africa and indeed Africa’s commercial city - and is thus mostly affected by urbanisation challenges.
This establishment of the Centre for Urban Innovation is to give meaning to the proposals embodied in Chapter Eight of the National Development Plan which provides a framework for addressing challenges related to the transformation of human settlement and the national space economy. These issues are also addressed in detail in Gauteng Vision 2055 and Johannesburg Vision 2030.
Over the next few months, detailed modalities of how the Centre will function will be worked out by the Government of Gauteng and the National Planning Commission.
Some of the areas that will be the focus of the Centre include: public service delivery and management; use of technology to solve complex urban problems; development of infrastructure for new economies; transportation and mobility; the development of vibrant, socially cohesive communities and neighbourhoods; approaches to expanding capabilities for spatial governance; developing youth and child-friendly cities; supporting the efficient use of environmental resources; the design of space for spatial transformation; the development of planning and financing tools for spatial transformation; and developing learning networks for innovation.
The Centre will be located within the Gauteng Provincial Government and will draw on the expertise of other partners.
For more information contact:
Marlini Naicker
Communications director of Gauteng Planning Commission
Cell: 082 728 5943
Zamandlovu Ndlovu
Communications specialist of the National Planning Commission
Tel: 012 308 1639
