African Centre for Cities is delighted to invite you to the launch of Disrupted Urbanism: Situated Smart Initiatives in African Cities by Prof Nancy Odendaal, Head of Department, School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics, University of Cape Town (UCT).
PLEASE NOTE: The venue for this launch has changed to the Baxter Theatre, Main Road, Rondebosch, Cape Town.
The ‘smart city’ is often promoted as a technology-driven solution to complex urban issues. While commentators are increasingly critical of techno-optimistic narratives, the political imagination is dominated by claims that technical solutions can be uniformly applied to intractable problems. Disrupted Urbanism: Situated Smart Initiatives in African Cities by Prof Nancy Odendaal provides a much-needed alternative view, exploring how ‘homegrown’ digital disruption, driven and initiated by local actors, upends the mainstream corporate narrative. Drawing on original research conducted in a range of urban African settings, Odendaal shows how these initiatives can lead to meaningful change. This is a valuable resource for scholars working at the intersection of science and technology studies, urban and economic geography and sociology.
ACC Senior Research Liza Rose Cirolia. will be the discussant and ACC Deputy Director Assoc Prof Andrew Tucker will chair the session.
WHEN | Wednesday, 22 Feb 2023
TIME | 15:30-17:00 SAST
WHERE | Studio Rehearsal Room, Baxter Theatre, Main Road, Rondebosch, Cape Town. (Please note the updated venue)
Refreshments served after the launch.
Disrupted Urbanism: Situated Smart Initiatives in African Cities is published by Bristol University Press.