Recently Rehana was asked to to comment on  What makes a Liveable City?

Below is my piece, and a scan of the article

WHAT MAKES A LIVEABLE CITY?

“Post-democracy, we have been building our cities based on fear. We need to create public spaces available to all … What we can’t do for every South African in the private realm, we certainly can do in the public realm.

“Liveable cities are cities where people are happy, there is cultural diversity and time for people to realise their potential. It’s about redesigning space and how we measure what cities are about. Cities can’t just be about a one-dimensional ‘what’s your contribution to
GDP of the country?’ There’s so much more that happens in cities … Everyone needs voice and agency.

Liveable cities create that agency of the people who shape those cities.

“Roads are the biggest shared space we have in our urban centres. Mobility says a lot about who and what is valued – consider quality at the airport versus a taxi rank. The transport discussion remains very much about power relations and justice.”

Download the full magazine here