Urban and Regional Dynamics
Our work focuses primarily on research, development and innovation that provides evidence to inform policy, investment and planning decisions, to drive development in urban and rural settlements.
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Areas of specialisation
We specialise in analysing socioeconomic development patterns across cities, towns, villages and regions. By modelling growth trajectories and intervention scenarios, we provide insights into potential outcomes and support decision-makers to achieve developmental goals through targeted, data-driven strategies.
Our multi-disciplinary team includes:
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Geo-informatics specialists
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Engineers
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Data scientists
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Town and regional planners
Our capabilities
Strategic and integrated development planning
Urban management and planning
Geo-spatial analysis and modelling
Risk, vulnerability and adaptation for settlements
Regional development planning
Spatial planning norms and standards
Accessibility and urban morphological analyses
Work with us
Our key initiatives include:
CityPlan for scenario planning support to cities using modelling and simulation. A city is a complex system with numerous interlinkages and resultant feedback loops that unfold over space and time. This system is too complex for humans to keep all these interactions in mind when planning interventions within one or more elements of it. A modelling and simulation environment can help to negotiate these complex decisions more effectively and is used to support land use, services and facility planning processes in our metros. A Gauteng-wide urban simulation platform has also been established to model city growth scenarios and analyse shifts in supply and demand as they relate to transport infrastructure.
Green Book for planning support to cities on climate adaptation. The goal is to develop the capability to support local government in evaluating risks to and vulnerabilities of human settlements given climate change and to adapt planning practices to be more climate resilient. Current projects focus on the rollout and training of the Green Book to district municipalities to ensure adequate uptake of the approach and use of the planning evidence. Absa has also used Green Book information to assess the exposure of its asset loan books to climate change-related risks.
InvestMap for supporting all spheres of government with a regional approach to planning. Coordinated and integrated planning between the sectors and spheres of government remains an inadequately addressed issue. This is especially important in a country like South Africa, where the government must work judiciously with limited budgets and extensive backlogs (e.g., housing and basic service delivery) and is also required to strategically invest to stimulate economic growth and development. Planning strategic investments at a regional level is needed to allow for prioritisation and coordination between the spheres of government.
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The Green Book: Adapting South Africa's settlements for the future
Launched in March 2019, the Green Book is a free online tool that helps South African municipalities plan for climate-resilient, hazard-resistant development using scientific data and resources. It provides quantitative evidence on the likely impacts of climate change and urbanisation on cities and towns and offers adaptation actions that local governments can implement to support climate-resilient development.
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