Circular Future Cities

Studio leader: Dr Calayde Davey

We care about the future of our cities and what we need to do to get there. How do we unlock projects that effectively address the ever-increasing complexity of our societies? How do we bring lasting value through spatial projects to build better cities and healthier urban communities? This studio explores big-picture spatial thinking, applying principles of fundamental urban design theory, systems thinking, and visualisation to produce an urban strategy for an alternative future for a city. In this studio, we learn how to ask essential questions about the future of cities and how to deliver a spatial strategy that systemically changes the future state of a city.

This studio's interdisciplinary approach blends urban design theory, systems thinking, and critical dialectic visualisation, offering students a comprehensive understanding of the local complexities of a city. The studio provides a unique learning experience, combining theoretical knowledge with multi-stakeholder engagement and practical skills development. The studio asks students to develop their critical and analytical skills while exploring essential questions about our current and future urban habitats in Africa. Studio conversations often revolve around hyper-density, urban feedback loops, circular economics and society, and urban culture and technology interplays. This studio helps students to develop strategic leadership skills in shaping the future of African cities. It provides a foundation for strategic thinking, visualising systemic and spatial change outcomes, and practice in cultivating innovative problem-solving skills. Students will have the opportunity to develop a deep understanding of African cities' challenges and opportunities. The studio outcomes require students to create spatial strategy solutions that are innovative, transformative, and regenerative at larger scales. The outcome of the studio is a visual urban strategy - a roadmap for a brighter, healthier, and more sustainable urban future.

In 2022, the studio focused on food systems and futures in the Hatfield area of Pretoria. This year the focus shifts to the vital role of urban waste systems in driving spatial and resource development of cities. Understanding and improving urban waste systems can help cities not only reduce physical waste, but also promote resource recovery, generate green energy, improve urban form and quality of life, and contribute to a more sustainable future. By rethinking waste as a valuable physical, spatial, and energy resource, African cities can reduce their environmental impact towards a regenerative future. Our 2023 driving question is: How can we reconfigure our urban waste systems to become spatial drivers for regenerative development in future African cities?