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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.
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.
Interact and exchange experiences with others
Showcase your work on the CAPS website and newsletter
Gain privileged access to and participation in The Forum and CAPS events
Participate in the development of CAPS’s publications by being a co-author, data contributor or reviewer
CAPS seeks to strengthen collaborative visioning, planning, design, maintenance and management of public spaces among City authorities; and to enhance the public sector’s capability to engage communities to ensure the inclusion and empowerment of vulnerable people.
CAPS seeks to strengthen the capability of civil society organisations to organize and empower community groups to advocate around public space, to lead processes and to take ownership of public spaces in their communities.
CAPS seeks to centre public space in relevant curricula (e.g., urban studies) and to help to lay the foundation for a renewed prominence of realities and complexities of contemporary urbanisation in Africa. We do this by providing a platform for developing and sharing research insights to shape relevant curricula across African institutions of learning.
CAPS seeks to increase the production, access and use of solutions-oriented, contextualized, and policy-relevant knowledge on public space in African cities. As such, CAPS encourages the creation of hubs across the continent to generate, share and exchange knowledge, and to encourage cross-learning among cities and communities throughout Africa.
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.
