2007

The Cape Town Project Centre began in 2007, when we worked on six projects that addressed important community needs and provided the Project Centre an introduction to critical issues impacting informal settlement upgrading, including in the areas of community engagement, housing, the informal economy, transportation, recreation and youth programming, flood management and other disaster risks, city governance, and the local cultural and political milieu. Our students had an exceptional educational experience and sponsors received tangible and intangible benefits (e.g., reports, presentations, small construction projects, new programs and ideas, videos, collective learning, and new partnerships) on projects focused on sustainable housing practices, flood risk management, informal trading, transportation, and recreational facilities for youth. This work also confirmed both the interest of many city professionals in improving conditions in settlements and the difficulty they experience trying to collaborate with communities and others to do so.