Summit tackles public participation in Cape Town

The third Future Cape Town Summit, entitled The Engaged City, took place on the 29th of July, 2013 and was hosted at the Taj Hotel Cape Town. The meeting was a small gathering of urban planning, design and architecture professionals, city officials, and NGOs with an interest in urban issues.

The aim of this meeting was to create a forum to discuss the issue of how various levels of government, as well as professionals in the built environment, engage with the general public and each other around projects, particularly large-scale ones.

We are pleased to announce that we are publishing the summit proceedings, which highlight the main points discussed and the panel’s board consensus on ways to improve public engagement. This document provides a summary of the issues raised, case studies mentioned as well as a practical suggestions for changes to the status quo which can enhance public participation and engagement processes in Cape Town.

We are grateful to all attendees for the giving of their time and expertise, and hope that the conversation on this topic will continue.

Says Rashiq Fataar, Director of Future Cape Town: “In a time where citizens across the world, including Cape Town do not feel as if they are being engaged meaningfully is a sign that we need take a closer look at public participation processes. It is no longer enough to simply set up participation processes, which do not address our vast inequalities or to disregard engagement processes driven by and from within communities. As several case studies show Cape Town could do far more to ensure that the urban development of the city is inclusive and accessible and to allay fears that decisions that affect our urban future will not become unilateral.”