Rethinking Public Spaces in Africa: The Necessity for the Centre on African Public Spaces

Abstract

The struggles for land and spatial justice feature very strongly in the modern history of the African continent, which has not only deeply shaped the continent’s history, but continues to shape its present and unfold in its future. In such contexts, geographic space as well as public space is layered with physical, symbolic and political meanings. Who has access to the benefits and resources of the city and who does not, who is able to flourish and who cannot, are therefore part of much larger historical and societal questions, reflecting the beliefs and values we hold and pursue as communities, governments, nations, and perhaps also as Africans.
The centrality of public spaces in Africa informed the formation of the Centre on African Public Spaces (CAPS). Initially established by the City of Johannesburg metropolitan municipality in response to the 2018 Africities Summit’s call for a regional knowledge-sharing platform on public spaces, CAPS is the first multidisciplinary initiative formed through international collaborations with the ‘UN-Habitat Global Public Space Programme’ and the ‘GIZ Inclusive Violence and Crime Prevention Programme’. CAPS also brings together municipalities and provincial governments across the continent, universities and civil society organisations.