From 20 to 21 March 2013, the African Centre for Cities (ACC) and Cities Alliance co-hosted the inaugural meeting of the African Urban Research Initiative (AURI) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The workshop enabled various African urban research institutions and Cities Alliance partners to meet and develop a shared strategy for future urban research and advocacy on the continent. In total, sixteen research centres (from Francophone, Anglophone and Lusophone Sub-Saharan countries) and over thirty international development agencies and national government ministries were represented.

Africa will experience a profound set of urban and resource-based transitions in the foreseeable future, and the current development path has to undergo a shift to avoid a major urban ‘polycrisis’. Shifting these transitions onto a sustainable and equitable path requires that a wide variety of actors work collectively to promote a common strategic vision of urban futures on the continent. The discussions in Addis Ababa provided an important impetus to reinvigorate the African urban research agenda, and drive progress towards a sustainable urban future.

Download the workshop report below for more information…

Report On Auri Workshop Final Draft