Abstracts

Focus: Exploring how digital tools are reshaping planning theory, practice, and governance

Rationale:
The digital era is redefining how cities and regions are understood, planned, and managed. In Africa, including South Africa, where rapid urbanisation meets resource constraints, digital technologies hold significant potential to improve efficiency, transparency, and inclusivity in planning processes. However, this transition also introduces new complexities, from unequal access to technology and data, to questions of ethics, ownership, and local relevance. As planning systems modernise, there is a pressing need to critically reflect on how digital transformation can support people-centred development rather than deepen divides. The goal is not to pursue “smart cities” for their own sake, but to enable “smart enough” solutions that align with local realities, enhance decision-making, and contribute to sustainable and inclusive futures.

Focus: Examining who controls data, how it can be used, and its implications for equity and transparency in planning.

Rationale:
As cities and regions become increasingly digitised, data has emerged as one of the most powerful assets shaping urban decision-making. From land-use planning and service delivery to infrastructure management, data informs the way planners understand and respond to complex spatial challenges. Yet, the growing reliance on digital information brings critical ethical and governance questions to the fore. Issues of data ownership, access, representation, and security determine whose voices are heard and whose needs are prioritised. In many African contexts, data ecosystems remain fragmented, under-regulated, or externally controlled, raising concerns about sovereignty, privacy, and inclusion. Strengthening ethical frameworks and governance mechanisms around data is therefore essential to ensure that digital transformation promotes transparency, accountability, and social justice, rather than reinforcing existing inequalities.

Focus: Revisiting what “sustainable futures” mean in African contexts of inequality, informality, and rapid urbanisation.

Rationale:
Sustainability has become a global aspiration, yet its meaning and application often emerge from contexts vastly different from those of African cities and regions. Across the continent, urbanisation is occurring at unprecedented rates, frequently characterised by informality, spatial inequality, and limited infrastructure. These realities challenge traditional interpretations of sustainability and call for locally grounded approaches that recognise Africa’s unique social, cultural, and economic conditions. Rethinking sustainability in this context means moving beyond imported models to embrace context-specific priorities such as poverty alleviation, spatial justice, inclusivity, and environmental stewardship. It also means valuing indigenous knowledge systems and community practices that have long sustained livelihoods and ecosystems. By defining sustainability on its own terms, Africa can chart pathways toward urban and regional futures that are both globally connected and authentically local.

Focus: Creating cities that are inclusive, liveable, and supportive of human development.

Rationale:
Africa’s urban future is deeply intertwined with its people, particularly its youth and women, who together represent the majority of the continent’s population and hold the greatest potential for transformative change. Yet, urban planning and governance systems have often failed to adequately respond to their needs, aspirations, and vulnerabilities. Many young people face barriers to employment, housing, and participation in decision-making, while women continue to experience exclusion from spatial and economic opportunities, as well as disproportionate exposure to urban insecurity and violence.

Inclusive urban futures demand planning approaches that are intentionally people-centred, gender-responsive, and youth-driven. This means designing cities that promote equitable access to housing, public spaces, mobility, and services; strengthening social and economic infrastructure that supports livelihoods; and creating platforms that amplify youth and women’s voices in shaping development agendas. By prioritising inclusivity, planners can help build cities that foster dignity, opportunity, and shared prosperity, ensuring that Africa’s demographic dividend becomes a driving force for sustainable urban transformation.

Focus: Exploring the role of spatial planning, design, and governance in building cities that are safe, inclusive, and resilient.

Rationale:
Safety is a cornerstone of sustainable urban futures. High levels of crime and violence undermine social cohesion, economic opportunity, and community wellbeing. Through intentional planning and design, cities can reduce vulnerabilities, strengthen social fabric, and promote safer environments for all residents.