Within the programme of work of the African Centre for Cities the local scale, that of Cape Town, dominates. The umbrella for the collaborative research programme of the ACC that is focused on our own city is known as the CityLab. Individual researchers at UCT of course conduct their own research programmes outside of the remit of the CityLab, but we are heartened that many academics choose to bring their work either directly or indirectly into the joint activities of the lab.
The work of the CityLab is characterised by:
• A focus on empirical research on the greater Cape Town city region
• Bringing together researchers and practitioners from different disciplines and professions
• Learning from practice and dissemination knowledge that will build sustainable human settlements.
Even though the CityLab is only one of the scales of our activity, the substantive focus on greater Cape Town not only provides the intellectual legitimacy for our work, it also defines the manner of our knowledge production and engagement with stakeholders within and beyond the university. The hallmark of the CityLab research is that we draw from expertise across the university and seek to facilitate an engagement with academics and urbanists in the region. Aside from ACC bursaries and fund raising opportunities, the meetings of the CityLab working groups, the Cape Urban Observatory and the ACC Academic Seminar provide the main interface between the ACC as a small centre and the wider community. The CityLab is thus especially important as a portal though which UCT staff and students can engage, giving practical expression to our Signature Theme status. Making the Cape Town scale of the work of the ACC robust and innovative is key to the success of the centre.
The CityLab rests on an applied relationship with the public sector. The Memorandum of Understanding setting out the parameters of that relationship between the ACC the City of Cape Town and the Provincial Government of the Western Cape were approved and formalised. The MOUs have proved to be important not just for formalising a working relationship between large organisations, but also in raising further research funds that require a demonstrated commitment to partnerships that expend beyond the university. The Citylab is directed by Professor Susan Parnell
