Email

support@africanpublicspaces.org

Phone

011 712 6600

Visit

40 De Korte St, Braamfontein, Johannesburg

Co-created Human(e) Centred Public Spaces at the Heart of African Cities

CENTRE ON AFRICAN PUBLIC SPACES

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Co-created Human(e)
Centred Public Spaces at the Heart of African Cities

CENTRE ON AFRICAN PUBLIC SPACES

Discover More

Co-created Human(e)
Centred Public Spaces at the Heart of African Cities

CENTRE ON AFRICAN PUBLIC SPACES

Discover More

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The Centre on African Public Spaces

Who We Are

Dedicated to connecting, sharing, and advancing knowledge, and growing expertise related to African public space.

The Centre on African Public Spaces (CAPS) is a home and a resource hub for public space advocates, urban practitioners, community groups, spatial justice activists and scholars dedicated to connecting, sharing, and advancing knowledge, and growing expertise related to African public space. Established by the City of Johannesburg metropolitan municipality in response to the 2018 Africities Summit’s call for a regional knowledge-sharing platform on public spaces, CAPS is the first multidisciplinary initiative formed in collaboration with the UN-Habitat Global Public Space Programme and the GIZ Inclusive Violence and Crime Prevention Programme.

Would you like to contribute to CAPS' Activities?

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WELCOME TO CAPS

What We Do

Sharing content related to public spaces.

CAPS is a central platform for sharing content related to public space, thus enabling and giving impulse for cities in Africa to learn from each other. This includes the desire to understand, develop and re-imagine definitions, meanings, purposes and approaches to public space across the multiple contexts throughout the continent. Central to this ideal is advocating for progressive policies, planning frameworks and facilitating related research, education, skills and practices to fill identified gaps.

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Vision

Co-created human(e) centred public spaces at the heart of African cities.

Human(e) centred urban spaces are context-sensitive and address the needs and desires of people using these spaces. Rooted in principles of compassion, dignity and respect, they contribute to individual well-being, social cohesion and environmental sustainability. They are, by definition, safe, accessible, inclusive and vibrant.

Mission

To serve as a home for a network of urban practitioners, policy makers, public space activists and advocates, placemakers, community groups, private sector and scholars who share the vision for co-created, sustainable, human(e) centred African public spaces.





WE ARE CAPS

Reasons To Collaborate With Us

  • Share Your Experiences

    Interact and exchange experiences with others

  • Showcase Your Work

    Showcase your work on the CAPS website and newsletter

  • Gain access to experts

    Gain privileged access to and participation in The Forum and CAPS events

  • Participate in publications

    Participate in the development of CAPS’s publications by being a co-author, data contributor or reviewer

RESOURCES

Featured Case Study

Transforming Public Parks into Safe and Inclusive Community Spaces.

Lessons on collaboration and participation from the City of Joburg.
Download Case Study
we are caps

Our four workstreams

Strengthened Public Sector Capacity

Enable city authorities to work with stakeholders to co-develop inclusive public spaces.

This workstream includes all efforts that contribute to enabling city authorities to collaboratively envision, plan, design, maintain and manage public spaces in an inclusive manner.

Workstream goals: Enhance local authority capacity to co-create public spaces with city inhabitants: Strategic collaborative visioning for planning, management, monitoring and evaluation of public space. Promote piloting and implementation of multi-sectoral, community driven initiatives. Foster a nuanced understanding of public space within the African context. Incorporate a decolonised perspective in policy development, planning and implementation Influence policies and by-laws that account for informal economies and support marginalised communities

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Engaged and Active Communities

Support civil society to lead, advocate for and take ownership of co-created public spaces

This workstream focuses on all initiatives that support active civil society organisations and communities to lead, advocate for and take ownership of public spaces.

Workstream goals: Promote intercontinental and international solidarity under the globally recognised concept, Placemaking. Leverage the ‘Placemaking Africa’ network to connect role-players involved in improving public spaces. Partner with social movements to advocate for embedding public space across agendas. Co-mobilise funds to catalyse existing and potential public space initiatives. Provide tools and other resources to community groups, placemakers, public space advocates and activists to enhance their ability to advocate for and manage public spaces effectively.

Collaborative Research and Teaching

Champion and facilitate cross-sectoral, transdisciplinary, context-based research and teaching

The key objective of this workstream is to create accessible cross-sectoral, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research and teaching on African public spaces.

Workstream goals: Support African universities to co-produce cross-sectoral research with city councils and communities. Facilitate the expansion of public space education beyond traditional fields such as Built Environment and Urban Planning to include diverse disciplines such as Anthropology, Sociology, and Climate Change. Promote innovative teaching methodologies that are deeply embedded in community engagement and participatory learning. Advance and support diverse forms of knowledge production including public space design competitions, photo-journalism projects, and exhibitions that highlight alternative perspectives. Use CAPS to widely distribute research findings and insights, making them accessible to a broader audience and enhancing their impact.

Multi-stakeholder Knowledge Exchange

Facilitate knowledge sharing based on hands-on experience of formal and informal role-players

This workstream aims to facilitate a multi-stakeholder knowledge exchange that focuses on the experience, home-grown solutions, and lessons from formal and informal public space role-players and knowledge sources.

Workstream goals: Co-produce and share home-grown knowledge rooted in community participation, local practices, and the experiences of urban practitioners Host public space dialogues and events to generate and share insights widely. Produce and distribute inspiring practices, to support effective public space development. Use CAPS platform to host theme-based Communities of Practice aimed at interrogating and producing knowledge rooted in real-world experience and practice.

Our Partners

CAPS works jointly with a wide array of partners across a range of institutions and networks, both within and beyond the continent, as well as with specialised thematic knowledge and content producers.

Stronger Together

CAPS works jointly with a wide array of partners across & beyond the continent.

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Get Involved

Would you like to contribute to CAPS activities?

There are many ways you can get involved in the CAPS Community: attend our events to network and expand the public space dialogue; participate in the development of CAPS’ publications by being a data contributor, co-author, or reviewer; write a blog post, a story, a reflection piece, a viewpoint or an opinion essay; co-host a workshop with us; or use CAPS knowledge products to develop and support your work.

"Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much."

REGISTER
BECOME A CAPS MEMBER

Who Can Register

Are you a municipal or city authority?

Share your City’s experience with public spaces: including successes and challenges you have had; participate in multidisciplinary training and capacity- building or collaborate in research and good practice pilots and innovations.

Are you part of a community group or civil society organization?

Connect with other like-minded people, organisations and groups within the CAPS network and be inspired to start a neighbourhood multi-stakeholder platform or a placemaking network to co-produce and manage public spaces with local authorities in your city.

Are you an urban professional?

Identify ways in which other urban professionals are collaborating with community actors, academia, and local authorities in their cities e.g. formation of multidisciplinary urban labs; or help under-resourced local authorities by giving advice on how to improve the way public spaces are planned, designed, activated and sustained in their cities.

Are you an academic, scholar, or student?

Identify ways in which other urban professionals are collaborating with community actors, academia, and local authorities in their cities e.g. formation of multidisciplinary urban labs; or help under-resourced local authorities by giving advice on how to improve the way public spaces are planned, designed, activated and sustained in their cities.

Are you an artist or creative?

Propose innovative and creative ways to drive CAPS’ mission to inspire communities and help raise consciousness around public spaces on the continent; or submit visual images about public life or stories that take place in public space.

Are you a philanthropist or part of the private sector?

Share your City’s experience with public spaces: including successes and challenges you have had; participate in multidisciplinary training and capacity- building or collaborate in research and good practice pilots and innovations.

Are you an international agency?

Mobilise resources to support CAPS activities; collaborate around documenting inspiring practices from the African continent and beyond; or co-host relevant conferences, seminars, and other events related to public spaces.

Our Events

CONTACT US

Still Have A Question?