Cities as contested sites: A conversation navigating urban land use

Could radical densification and a shift toward multipurpose land use address how the most vulnerable in society are disproportionately impacted by climate change? How might bridging the gap between theoretical research and practical policy improve life in a city like Cape Town that is defined by extreme wealth inequality?

These among other key questions shaped the fourth instalment of the Collective Conversations: On Science for Society, a dialogue series hosted by the University of Cape Town (UCT). Launched in April 2025, this series aims to bring together voices from multiple sectors and leading thinkers from across disciplines to engage with pressing societal challenges – particularly those pertinent to the African continent.

Themed “Urban land use: justice, ecology and climate”, this conversation was held on 27 May 2026 and hosted by Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Internationalisation, Professor Thokozani Majozi. Expert speakers representing academia, civil society and local government debated how a move toward relational decision-making – and recognising informal food systems and housing as essential social infrastructure rather than regulatory nuisances – might support inclusive and sustainable urban futures.

They also explored the urgent complexities of land management decisions in a climate of increasing environmental volatility and persistent social inequality. Another critical discussion point considered how fostering co-production and interaction between institutions and communities might ensure equitable access to nutrition, safety and dignity for all residents.

A call for interdisciplinary action

In his welcome, Professor Majozi framed the evening’s discussion through the lens of the "quadruple helix" – a model of cooperation between academia, policymakers, industry and society. He noted however, that “if you look at the issues of land justice – or land injustice – and climate vulnerability, poverty and inequality… the three sectors represented today are those most affected.”

He also shared that he’d been challenged before attending the event as to who he thought would be most impacted by the discussion. “My answer to that is very simple,” he stated. “Everyone alive today... As long as you are part of this planet, you should be part of finding a solution… and all of us have something to contribute.”

Striving for a conceptual shift: A relational over structural approach

Associate Professor Pippin Anderson, head of the Department of Environmental and Geographical Science at UCT, delivered the opening provocation: "What does a just, inclusive and climate-compatible urban land use framework look like when land is sparse, inequalities abound and agricultural assets are under pressure?"

It is against this background that Associate Professor Anderson proposed four fundamental conceptual shifts required for equitable land use: relational rather than purely structural decision making, a values-driven approach, the active co-production of land use decisions and the city making project, and the prioritisation of climate redundancy and genetic diversity to allow for a resilient system.

She argued that land-use decisions should prioritise interactions and human relationships over physical infrastructure when designing our urban form. For instance, rather than simply fencing off a protected or conservation area, urban planners should focus on properly engaging the surrounding neighbourhood.

Anderson concluded with a warning against "green grabbing", gentrification and tech-driven solutions that could possibly further fracture society. “We need every land parcel to include a client component,” she said. “We must plan for land that can cool, feed, offer recreation, or be a regenerative farm… designed to perform multiple functions to build resilience against an unknowable climate future.”

People as infrastructure: The food systems perspective

The second speaker, Rirhandzu Marivate, shifted the focus to the agency of marginalised communities. A regenerative food systems practitioner and programmes manager for the South African Urban Food and Farming Trust, Marivate argued that traditional, technocratic planning tools often view land merely as a commodity or a set of zones, failing to recognise that in African cities, people are the infrastructure.

“We see particularly African cities as dynamic hubs defined by informality, and complex environments where every day is a negotiation,” she said. “The need is always for survival. We must look at urban centres as complex spaces offering new models of global life.”

Marivate highlighted the work of over 1 600 farmers in Langa, Khayelitsha, Mitchell's Plain and Gugulethu, who regenerate degraded soil and build social infrastructure, despite historically being dismissed by traditional planners. “A just land-use framework should recognise these spaces not as temporary placeholders for real development but as strategic mechanisms for strengthening community resilience,” she said.

She also posed that the "right to the city" is synonymous with the "right to food". Advocating for the protection of informal food traders, whom she described as the most essential and resilient distribution networks in the city, Marivate noted that a truly just framework would recognise these actors not as nuisances to be cleared from sidewalks, but as vital service providers who facilitate community well-being and local agency.

“We don't need more master plans and more policies,” she said. “We need to develop relational frameworks that actually support and empower [the] social ecosystems that are already keeping our cities alive.”

Governance and “conflicting rationalities”

The third guest speaker, Rob McGaffin, executive director for Spatial Planning and Environment at the City of Cape Town, offered a pragmatic counter-perspective to the conversation. While agreeing that the environment must be viewed as an integrated asset rather than a separate entity, McGaffin expressed scepticism regarding the feasibility of a purely values-driven approach.

“I really like the idea,” he said. “I just don't know if it exists to be honest.” He suggested that people’s values and actions often depend on the immediate socioeconomic position they’re in.

McGaffin also detailed the immense fiscal constraints facing local government, citing the need to cross-subsidise public transport systems from the same pot of money that could otherwise be allocated to housing, or food security or early childhood centres.

He emphasised that governance is a series of difficult trade-offs with the city operating in a space governed by over 150 pieces of legislation. A positive example of shifting policy however is the support for Small Scale Rental Units (SSRUs) in townships. By supporting informal innovation, illegal backyard dwellings can be transformed into recognised, income-generating assets.

Reflecting on the research-policy gap

The ensuing panel discussion highlighted the tension between the "radical shifts" called for by academia and the "pragmatic realities" of governance. While the questions and answers portion of the programme addressed several issues: the impact of extreme heat in informal settlements; what immediate, scalable solutions are being researched; and the "financialisation" of housing in areas like Langa.

The event concluded with a consensus that while there are no easy answers, it is imperative that sophisticated research be translated into lasting policy changes. An invitation to continue engaging in these difficult conversations moving toward a co-produced model of urban life that values justice and ecology as much as economic viability.