About
A civic programme that treats South African city practice as public work, not a closed seminar.
Urban Festival gathers planners, civic technologists, municipal officials, artists, and residents around the everyday mechanics of South African cities: streets, data, housing, safety, and the stories people tell about place.
The first edition ran online from 1 to 31 October 2020. Partners included South African Cities Network, Civic Tech Innovation Network, the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Open Cities Lab, WITS Journalism and Media Lab, Our Future Cities, and ICLEI. Seventy-eight virtual events reached about 3,700 attendees.
The archive on this site keeps the galleries, the 2020 timetable notes, and session write-ups so later city desks can still read the arguments. Newer circuit sessions sit with the original October material on Past Events.
Hosts and collaborators
- South African Cities Network
- Civic Tech Innovation Network
- Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
- Open Cities Lab
- WITS Journalism and Media Lab
- Our Future Cities
- ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability
Questions from the civic desk
Who convened Urban Festival?
The first edition was hosted by South African Cities Network, Civic Tech Innovation Network, COGTA, Open Cities Lab, WITS Journalism and Media Lab, Our Future Cities, ICLEI, and further civic partners.
What does Empowering the Civic mean here?
The theme asked for inclusive, accessible, digitally inventive ways for residents, officials, and designers to work on South African city questions together.