Funded by the European Union, through the SA-EU Dialogue Facility Project, this dialogue brought together a variety of South African and European practitioners, academics and experts to explore the role of culture in urban development. The dialogue series created a platform to share case studies and best practices about the role of cultural mapping, planning and impact assessment in promoting sustainable and just cities. The SA-EU Dialogue built on existing relationships between government and the African Centre for Cities through the Mistra Urban Futures’ Cultural Heritage and Just Cities project.
This series of 4 toolkits and policy orientated action briefs is based on the South Africa–European Union Dialogue on Cultural mapping, planning and impact assessment for Sustainable and Just Urban Development.
Global policy imperatives are increasingly recognising the role of culture as key in creating liveable cities. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), The African Union’s Agenda 2063, Habitat’s New Urban Agenda (NUA), and the United Cities and Local Governments’ (UCLG) Agenda 21 for Culture share a commitment to sustainability that encompasses environmental, economic, social, cultural and political dimensions. To understand how these commitments address the role of culture in urban development in Africa, the SA-EU Dialogue Facility brought together a variety of South African and European practitioners, academics and experts.
This brief provides good practice case studies from Europe and Africa that demonstrate the use of cultural mapping, planning and impact assessment in engaging with communities and creating dialogue to ultimately inform urban and cultural policy development for sustainable and just cities.