The latest Talking Transformation Podcast takes me back in time to a period when children and youth were at the forefront of planning innovation in the City of Johannesburg.

Initial excitement and methodologies that were developed regrettably never took seed or became embedded within the planning processes in the metro at that point.

Within a few months of posting about this initiative on LinkedIn Professor Philip Harrison who commissioned the initial CoJ work had pulled together a collaboration of professionals to pull together the basis of

The practice note was published a year ago and today's episode looks at not only the genesis of the CoJ thinking but also the background and recommendations relating to that practice note.

Joining us as a third town planner and advocate of integrating children into planning processes is Lekgolo Mayatula. Lekgolo's practical experience with children and passion for the subject makes for compelling listening.

Public participation is a tricky exercise at the best of times however sometimes there are obvious opportunities and lenses that we should be considering which get left behind or drowned out in the noise: the voice of the youth is one such lens.

This episode at least advocates for practical approaches to rethink the way that we do our plans and processes.

Recorded 28th June 2023

After a lengthy break, the TTPod returns with an in-depth discussion with members of DAGs Contactors and Developers Academy (CDA).

I've always enjoyed conversations with guests and colleagues when they've published books and material that build the understanding of our cities in an accessible and visual way. This year, I was excited to learn of the collaboration between Tanya Zack and Mark Lewis. Tanya and I have known each other for many years from my extended working period in Johannesburg. Mark I hadn't met before but I'd been struck by his vivid black and white portraits, accessible via the web, in preparing for this conversation.

Their collaboration over a four-year period - as wordsmith and photographer respectively has been packaged into a striking new book, Wake Up, This is Joburg. It's a visual and storytelling treat showcasing ten diverse spatial locations in the heart of Johannesburg and numerous characters and circumstances. The book reminds us of the vibrancy and essential role Johannesburg plays and how that manifests in contestations and collisions of culture. The book addresses transformation of people, places and spaces through vivid images and fascinating stories. Some will shock, others inspire and some will lead, inevitably to questioning contemporary urban governance polices. What is appropriate and to whom? What is government’s role and how can it do better – these aren’t the questions that were being addressed – Tanya is quick to point out it the project not about framing a policy response. But these are the questions I was left with.

The conversation, recorded two weeks ago on a Saturday afternoon passed in a flash and was one of the most enjoyable and intriguing I can remember. The personal journeys and affinity to Joburg of both Tanya and Mark, the people they engaged with and the stories and places each shared. I hope you'll enjoy the episode as much as I did recording it.

https://www.dukeupress.edu/wake-up-this-is-joburg

https://www.takealot.com/wake-up-this-is-joburg/PLID90090852

Recorded 11th February 2023

The TTPod has visited the issue of land - or rather access to land in South Africa - on several occasions. 

It’s well understood the one of apartheid’s primary weapons was the denial of access and ownership to property in urban centres around South Africa. For non-white groups. The inter-generational impact of that perverse legal arrangement compounds year on year and the issue of land remains one of the most pivotal of the many South African socio-economic challenges. 

Access to finance via the major banks remains a challenge for most households and the gap between those who have the benefit of inter-generational, inherited property and wealth and those who have “nothing” compounds the challenge further. 

Nigel Adriaanse has been thinking about and addressing challenges to access and capacity building in the property field for over a decade. Having worked in several industries as a business development and BBBEE consultant he embarked on a successful career in property the Western Cape and Gauteng. Nigel's take on the problems and practical solutions to solving the challenges are refreshing and he puts the ball squarely in the court of the individual and a change in mindset and approach of the property sector.

I wanted to understand from him, what he believes are the common challenges and how he suggests we relook at these problems through capacity building initiatives and the objectives of his Enterprise Development Property Fund (EDPF).

Nigel has a very clear vision and refreshing take on many of these issues and I’m looking forward to testing his thinking and understanding his views in this episode.

Recorded 7th October 2022

For this latest episode of the Talking Transformation Podcast we’ve extended the scope of our most recent conversation with Drakenstein's Executive Director: Planning & Development, Jacqui Samson discussing the collaboration the Drakenstein municipality has with Neumarkt in Germany and the themes and projects that underpin that partnership.

We learn of these approaches and the projects being implemented with Jacqui and Ralf Mützel, who coordinates the activities of the Fairtrade city of Neumarkt in the Office for Sustainability Promotion. I caught up with them both in Neumarkt, within the Bavaria region of Germany where action plans that shape and direct the partnership and infrastructure programmes were being revisited.

The partnership has been running since 2014 and despite the interruption of Covid has delivered on several climate adaption infrastructure and integration initiatives.

One of the themes we discussed in our conversation from August was the contestations and competing priorities within municipalities. Basic service delivery needs such as housing, water, sewerage services outcompete the needs of the environment when funds have to be allocated to projects from a limited budget as they are not necessarily a priority to the public. Yet municipalities are increasingly at the sharp end of the climate change agenda. This episode highlights a number of nature-based solutions and projects that have direct benefits for the communities of Drakenstein and the broader region. It also looks at what can be learnt and implemented to support Fair Trade practices and businesses.

It's clear that the partnership is yielding rewards and supporting innovative approaches and I hope you’ll find something of value and inspiration from this conversation with two of the programme's main players.

Recorded: Friday 16th September 2022

This 75th published episode of the Talking Transformation Podcast explores a theme I am wanting to emphasise and develop in coming episodes: the importance of “leadership with integrity” as a foundation for South Africa’s transformation journey. In this episode we look at one of the young leaders in a position of executive authority within a rapidly growing municipality here in the Western Cape.

Jacqui Samson recently celebrated a year as the Executive Director of Planning and Development within the Drakenstein municipality. I’ve been wanting to interview Jacqui since we met when she was working within the Western Cape Government: Department of Human Settlements. She would head up that department prior to taking up the municipal challenge across in Paarl.

I wanted to understand how that first year has been, what the challenges have been in an election year and what the future holds for spatial planning and economic development in Drakenstein. It’ll also be interesting to see how the transition from Provincial government into municipal government has been – for the first time in almost 30 years! 

She talks passionately about the processes and institutional frameworks that have supported her including:

Jacqui’s journey is an inspiring one and I hope you’ll enjoy her insights and reflections. There’s something for everybody in this episode and I hope you'll find some inspiration and lessons in search of that leadership with integrity mantra going forward.

Recorded August 3rd 2022