I loved Sithabile Mathe’s comment that we all need to get out of our comfort zones, cross pollinate with other disciplines and new territories.
Thank you to all who attended the Symposium, making it such a dynamic and successful day.
Lucie De Moyencourt
I loved Sithabile Mathe’s comment that we all need to get out of our comfort zones, cross pollinate with other disciplines and new territories.
Thank you to all who attended the Symposium, making it such a dynamic and successful day.
Renee R
Hi Lucie! Im so bummed I missed this. Was on a deadline that turned out to be redundant. client deadlines – can we change that ?
love your comment. We defs need a bigger public participation process, whether be legislative or just fun workshops… x
Rashiq Fataar
I enjoyed the discussion on continuing to value the imagination processes we need to support in our cities in addition to understanding the realities and statistics.
Mr Joe Addo; Money should be spent on the periphery, it is in rural communities that you will see Africa moving forward and not in the city centres.
Mfundo Maqanda
thoughtful DESIGN can change lives, in fact, it should. Thanks for this. The conversations were real and honest, the right questions were asked…challenge the status quo..i loved it!
Andile Langalibalele
Great event. Truly inspirational. I commend the efforts to allow
a fusion of voices from different perspectives (students vs directors of public
sector & private sector firms) the platform to reflect on their
experiences, drawing from the UIA conference in Durban, as a general Cape
community, and more importantly that of an African citizenry. Thanks
Henning van As
Such a great event. Perfect extension of the UIA discussions. Completely agreed with Rashiq’s point that the concept of “Cape Town” needs to be more broad and inclusive. We live in a metropolis and not only the city bowl.
Stephanie Briers
Its great that the profession is embracing the uniqueness of Africa and beginning to look to our Africa for the answer rather than to other continents. I would love to see people becoming more and more in line with a true African architecture.
As we discussed, however, Africa is both exciting and full of potential as well as very sobering- this was what I appreciated about the symposium, the discussions were not romanticised but very real and very exhilarating.
Thanks so much to all the organisers for an inspiring evening, it should becoming an annual event!
Hilton Roberts
Hilton Roberts
I really enjoyed listening to such eloquent speakers, though….
It seems as if in asking the question about solutions to the problems of urbanization we are trying to treat of the symptoms instead of, as any good physician would recommend, is to treat for the causes. If a cure has not yet been found, well the patient will inevitably contract the same illnesses later on or may even die.
I have come to the conclusion and as one of the respected delegates at the symposium suggested Ruralisation, to coin a term, as a reversal to the negative impacts made on the cities… to which I whole heartedly agree.
But as all may ask; How is this achieved in the a real and practical way. As it seems that the snowball has gained such momentum that to stop it seems an insurmountable task; thus as mentioned before we; through not understanding or not having asked enough questions (as another delegate urged everyone to do) we are left with or limited to treating the symptoms.
To understand the problem a bit better, we have travel back in time to where it started in the modern era ( about a hundred or so years ago) and then to the beginning of the CE ( about two thousand years ago) to be able to see the causes and effects that the have been foisted upon us by the captains of society.
The Egyptians and many other cultures of the past, believed in and revered the monads or spirits who rule the different aspects that is our planetary system, from those of the sun, the moon, and other planets down to the seemingly unconscious builders or nature spirits.
The men of science ( and due respect to the new inventions they gave us) were warned that the materialistic science which we sit with today will lead to a
cul de sac, a dead end street; and this is what we are saddled with at the moment, and my question is ? Are we trying solve with architectural solutions, problem which is more spiritual in nature or better put, a question of morality .
Jenni Kruger
I was inspired by Ephim Shluger’s Rio de Janeiro example of how taxes are derived from high rise constructions and used to finance improvements to surrounding favelas. This seems an important lesson for Cape Town if we are to (1) avoid widening the gap between CBD architectural wonders and much needed upgrades in the wider metro; and (2) adequately pay good architects and urban planners to contribute their skills where it is needed.
Beer
I think this was a flash-forward into the kind of scenario which, one day, will be normal: wide-ranging and no-holds-barred talk about our immediate collective future as a city. For now, these things happen annually, if that; but Luyanda and his team have moved us that much closer to a having a regular discussion (which, one day, will perhaps become a continuous discussion, as it should).
It was very energising to be at the symposium and to hear ideas clash. I thought everyone was very polite, but there were guests from abroad; perhaps a more robust debate would have been unseemly. In future, though, I dream of seeing a formal debate between practitioners, the city, NGOs, the public, and other parties. Imagine the sort of truths that might be found through a bit of tussling and a little less congeniality. Just a thought!
I look forward to a similar event next year, if not sooner.
I loved Sithabile Mathe’s comment that we all need to get out of our comfort zones, cross pollinate with other disciplines and new territories.
Thank you to all who attended the Symposium, making it such a dynamic and successful day.
I loved Sithabile Mathe’s comment that we all need to get out of our comfort zones, cross pollinate with other disciplines and new territories.
Thank you to all who attended the Symposium, making it such a dynamic and successful day.
Hi Lucie! Im so bummed I missed this. Was on a deadline that turned out to be redundant. client deadlines – can we change that ?
love your comment. We defs need a bigger public participation process, whether be legislative or just fun workshops… x
I enjoyed the discussion on continuing to value the imagination processes we need to support in our cities in addition to understanding the realities and statistics.
Mr Joe Addo; Money should be spent on the periphery, it is in rural communities that you will see Africa moving forward and not in the city centres.
thoughtful DESIGN can change lives, in fact, it should. Thanks for this. The conversations were real and honest, the right questions were asked…challenge the status quo..i loved it!
Great event. Truly inspirational. I commend the efforts to allow
a fusion of voices from different perspectives (students vs directors of public
sector & private sector firms) the platform to reflect on their
experiences, drawing from the UIA conference in Durban, as a general Cape
community, and more importantly that of an African citizenry. Thanks
Such a great event. Perfect extension of the UIA discussions. Completely agreed with Rashiq’s point that the concept of “Cape Town” needs to be more broad and inclusive. We live in a metropolis and not only the city bowl.
Its great that the profession is embracing the uniqueness of Africa and beginning to look to our Africa for the answer rather than to other continents. I would love to see people becoming more and more in line with a true African architecture.
As we discussed, however, Africa is both exciting and full of potential as well as very sobering- this was what I appreciated about the symposium, the discussions were not romanticised but very real and very exhilarating.
Thanks so much to all the organisers for an inspiring evening, it should becoming an annual event!
Hilton Roberts
I really enjoyed listening to such eloquent speakers, though….
It seems as if in asking the question about solutions to the problems of urbanization we are trying to treat of the symptoms instead of, as any good physician would recommend, is to treat for the causes. If a cure has not yet been found, well the patient will inevitably contract the same illnesses later on or may even die.
I have come to the conclusion and as one of the respected delegates at the symposium suggested Ruralisation, to coin a term, as a reversal to the negative impacts made on the cities… to which I whole heartedly agree.
But as all may ask; How is this achieved in the a real and practical way. As it seems that the snowball has gained such momentum that to stop it seems an insurmountable task; thus as mentioned before we; through not understanding or not having asked enough questions (as another delegate urged everyone to do) we are left with or limited to treating the symptoms.
To understand the problem a bit better, we have travel back in time to where it started in the modern era ( about a hundred or so years ago) and then to the beginning of the CE ( about two thousand years ago) to be able to see the causes and effects that the have been foisted upon us by the captains of society.
The Egyptians and many other cultures of the past, believed in and revered the monads or spirits who rule the different aspects that is our planetary system, from those of the sun, the moon, and other planets down to the seemingly unconscious builders or nature spirits.
The men of science ( and due respect to the new inventions they gave us) were warned that the materialistic science which we sit with today will lead to a
cul de sac, a dead end street; and this is what we are saddled with at the moment, and my question is ? Are we trying solve with architectural solutions, problem which is more spiritual in nature or better put, a question of morality .
I was inspired by Ephim Shluger’s Rio de Janeiro example of how taxes are derived from high rise constructions and used to finance improvements to surrounding favelas. This seems an important lesson for Cape Town if we are to (1) avoid widening the gap between CBD architectural wonders and much needed upgrades in the wider metro; and (2) adequately pay good architects and urban planners to contribute their skills where it is needed.
I think this was a flash-forward into the kind of scenario which, one day, will be normal: wide-ranging and no-holds-barred talk about our immediate collective future as a city. For now, these things happen annually, if that; but Luyanda and his team have moved us that much closer to a having a regular discussion (which, one day, will perhaps become a continuous discussion, as it should).
It was very energising to be at the symposium and to hear ideas clash. I thought everyone was very polite, but there were guests from abroad; perhaps a more robust debate would have been unseemly. In future, though, I dream of seeing a formal debate between practitioners, the city, NGOs, the public, and other parties. Imagine the sort of truths that might be found through a bit of tussling and a little less congeniality. Just a thought!
I look forward to a similar event next year, if not sooner.