Urban observatories and the governance of city-regions

The imperative for enhanced research and evaluation capabilities to inform the governance of city-regions is well acknowledged. Furthermore, a continuing intention lies in strengthening the relationship between academic research and the functions of city government. However, securing this collaboration effectively has proved elusive, not least because of the divergent purposes, cultures and rhythms of these institutions, and significant structural constraints that contribute to continuing insulations between them. Urban observatories can play critical roles in decision-making, providing research and analysis relevant to the successful implementation of many global commitments, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the New Urban Agenda. The role of urban observatories has been specifically highlighted because of the need for reliable, high resolution urban datasets, specific to cities and the immediate city-regions within which they operate and effective knowledge exchange. While urban observatories are relatively well catalogued through activities such as the UN-Habitat Global Urban Observatory (GUO), there is a paucity of detailed information globally regarding the way in which these observatories operate, specifically: how they employ and manage partnerships, and which methodologies they use in creating, processing and disseminating their knowledge. This session aims to showcase, explore and promote discussion around the functions of existing institutions involved in the generation and analysis of data to support urban decision-making. The session will present both a global perspective on urban observatories, and focus in on a case study profiling the Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO), a research agency that exists as a partnership between two local universities, the Gauteng Provincial Government, and local municipalities in Gauteng, South Africa. The session is designed to strengthen the existing network of shared interest in evidence-based governance, and deepen effective practices within this space. In particular it builds on the UN Habitat III Urban Future event (October 2016, Quito), which was facilitated by STEaPP, GCRO and the Gauteng Provincial Government

Urban agriculture in the Gauteng City-Region’s green infrastructure network

As cities in developing countries contend with the challenges of urbanisation, they need to rethink the traditional modes of urban planning and development. Part of this logic is the need to cater for growing populations without compromising urban environments or social development. A green infrastructure approach can help meet infrastructure and service needs while ensuring the proper functioning of natural ecological systems. As part of the green infrastructure network, urban agriculture can create multifunctional green assets in the form of urban farms and food gardens. When planned accordingly, urban agriculture can contribute to addressing a range of issues in the Gauteng City-Region (GCR). The aim of this occasional paper is to gain a better understanding of urban agriculture within the green infrastructure network in the City of Johannesburg and to identify the range of ecosystem services that could be delivered when maintaining and investing in these assets. The analysis in this paper adopts a multi-method approach to (1) identify the interlinkages between urban agriculture and social, economic and environmental systems in the City of Johannesburg; (2) validate these critical interlinkages with stakeholder input and ground-level experience of urban agriculture; and (3) visualise these interlinkages through a spatial analysis of food gardens in the City of Johannesburg. This paper builds the argument that urban agriculture is a multifunctional element of the green infrastructure network in the GCR. It is worth maintaining and investing in food gardens because they contribute to a number of development imperatives in Gauteng. Food gardens may enhance food security by broadening the range of locally produced food sources that improve the potential to help the poor to access fresh food. Productive food gardens may provide economic opportunities, particularly in areas with minimal access to retail outlets and where unemployment is high. Lastly, as a component of a green infrastructure network, food gardens also help strengthen the provision of a range of key ecosystem services. Inter alia they help address climate change and build disaster resilience through flood management and carbon capture. Of course, urban agriculture will not deal with any of these challenges in their entirety, but within a wider green infrastructure approach, it has the potential to contribute significantly if it can be mainstreamed into municipal development processes. Realising the benefits of green infrastructure hinges on integrating this approach into municipal planning in a way that aims to improve the productivity of ecosystem service delivery. The paper concludes with recommendations for strengthening policy, management, planning and operational support for food gardens in the GCR

Climate change and urban development in southern Africa : the case of Ekurhuleni Municipality (EMM) in South Africa

In this paper, outcomes from an investigation of plausible climate futures over the next century, and the potential impacts on water services including water resource management and disaster risk reduction, such as flash flooding in Ekurhuleni (EMM), are presented. Four key aspects are examined: (i) the extent to which the frequency of extreme rainfall events may change in South Africa as a result of climate change; (ii) the identification of some of the implications of extreme rainfall events for local government (iii) the identification of some of the challenges communities most at risk of flooding as a result of extreme rainfall events face, finally, (iv) the opportunities for future co-production of design methods and approaches to reduce current and future climate risks in EMM and elsewhere. Climate modelling conducted for this research indicates that it is plausible for an increase in the number of extreme rainfall events to occur over central and eastern South Africa over the next century. Over EMM, for example, an increase in extreme rainfall events is likely to be accompanied by flash flooding and a range of deleterious impacts, if planning and maintenance of the water services infrastructure is not improved – a result that is likely to be valid for all large metropolitan municipalities in the country. The paper provides some lessons learnt when trying to include a climate risk reduction approach into the planning of urban development.The Water Research Commissionhttp://www.wrc.org.zaam201

Silicon isotopic systematics of deep-sea sponge grounds in the North Atlantic

© 2019 Elsevier Ltd Reconstruction of silica cycling in the oceans is key to a thorough understanding of past climates because of the inherent links between the biogeochemistry of silicifiers and sequestration of organic carbon. Diatoms are one of the most important phytoplankton groups in determining export production from surface waters, and rely largely on upwelling deeper waters as a source of dissolved silicon, an essential nutrient for their growth. Quantification of changes in deep water dissolved silicon concentrations in the past allows a more robust understanding of changes in surface nutrient supply and whole-ocean silicon cycling, but cannot be achieved using surface-derived geochemical archives. In the last few years, there has been increasing focus on the use of geochemical archives in siliceous skeletal elements, or spicules, from seafloor-dwelling sponges to fill this gap. The stable silicon isotopic composition of spicules has been shown to be a function of ambient dissolved silicon, providing a potential archive for past changes in bottom water nutrients. However, biomineralisation processes impact silicon isotope fractionation and silica formed by atypical processes (derived from carnivorous sponges, hypersilicified spicules, and giant basal spicules) result in anomalous geochemical signatures. Furthermore, there is considerable scatter in the calibration between spicule silicon isotopes and dissolved silicon in seawater, even when the atypical groups have been removed. Here, we explore this variability further, by examining aggregation and assemblage-level differences in isotopic fractionation, using silicon isotopic measurements of specimens from two monospecific sponge groups (Pheronema carpenteri and Vazella pourtalesi), and one mixed-species population (genus Geodia) from the North Atlantic. Our new data reveal that variability within the monospecific aggregations is less than mixed-species assemblage, pointing towards a genetic control in isotopic fractionation. However, there is still variability within the monospecific aggregations, which cannot be explained by macroscale environmental differences: such variability is likely a reflection of the physiological health of the individuals, or highly localised heterogeneities in sponge habitats. Other challenges remain in the interpretation of spicule silicon isotopes as proxies for dissolved silicon changes through time, especially when investigating periods of Earth history that extend back considerably further than the residence time of dissolved silicon in the oceans. Despite all the questions still surrounding the use of sponge silicon isotopes in palaeoceanographic applications, they are still the only known archive of bottom water dissolved silicon. Continued efforts to understanding sponge biomineralisation and to incorporate silicon isotopes into oceanic models will help to improve further the reliability of the archive

Boundaries and Bridges: the influence of James Cooksey Culwick on the development of the teaching and learning of music in nineteenth century Ireland

James Cooksey Culwick (1845-1907) was born in England. Trained as chorister and organist in Lichfield Cathedral, he moved to Ireland at twenty- one and remained until his death in 1907. Although his reputation as scholar, musician and teacher was acknowledged widely during his lifetime - he received an honorary doctorate from University of Dublin (1893) - little is known about the contribution he made to music education. This paper addresses this gap in the literature and argues that it was Culwick's singular achievement to pay attention to music pedagogy at secondary level, by recognizing that music could be seen as a serious career option for girls, and by providing resources for teachers which emphasised the development of an 'art-feeling' in pupils of all abilities. In addition, he considered Irish music as an art which had significance as music first, and Irish music second, and advocated a 'laudable tolerance' for opposing views on matters of cultural identity to Ireland at the end of the nineteenth century

A Green Infrastructure CityLab for London

London is globally recognised as a city with strong sustainability aspirations; in part due to its proactive and progressive plans for urban green space. The ‘Green Infrastructure CityLab for London’ project aims to provide an opportunity for engaged discussion and debate between diverse actors involved in green space (green infrastructure) in the city. It is working to create an ongoing platform for strengthening connections and knowledge sharing, with implications for practice and potentially valuable insights for decision-making. Many groups contribute to the day-to-day creation, preservation and management of urban green spaces, but they rarely have an opportunity to come together to share successes or concerns, think creatively and collaboratively about what is/isn’t feasible and find opportunities to shift thinking/practice. The Green Infrastructure CityLab recognises that while there is an increasing body of knowledge and experience around the effective planning, development and management of urban green spaces, this is not always usefully available or accessible. There is a great potential for practice to be enriched by the sharing of knowledge and experiences, positive and negative. Starting these conversations is the first step in a bigger dialogue informing effective approaches and developing mutual insights and support. The activity sought to bring together a range of specialists and professionals in research, practice and policy and leveraged the skills and expertise of global partners from the Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO) in Johannesburg in the design and delivery. The CityLab model is a tested method for bringing together people from a range of backgrounds to develop a collective understanding and co-produce ideas and actions on a topic. It has been used successfully by GCRO to engage urban stakeholders around green infrastructure, resulting in technical reports, policy outputs and ongoing engagement. This contribution reflects on the process of scoping, designing and delivering the first CityLab as well as thoughts for future engagements. It reflects on the challenges and opportunities around creating a functional space for the open sharing of experiences to provide tangible benefits to practice, planning and implementation and to inform decision-making

Mobilising knowledge for urban governance: the case of the Gauteng City-region observatory

The capacity to derive, analyse and communicate urban knowledge is increasingly essential for decision-makers managing the complex pressures of rapidly expanding cities. This paper examines the importance of transdisciplinary boundary organisations in generating and mobilising this knowledge. It introduces ‘urban observatories’ as an example of institutions catalysing information that can shape urban governance, considering in detail the experience of the Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO) in South Africa. Insights drawn from GCRO’s recent work illustrate key operational considerations for these types of boundary institutions, highlighting opportunities and challenges in shaping the knowledge systems that underpin contemporary policymaking in and for cities

CityLab reflections and evolutions: nurturing knowledge and learning for urban sustainability through co-production experimentation

Applied research has evolved to play an important role in understanding and reorienting relationships between different knowledge partnerships in urban sustainability. This paper reflects on experiences from the global South on knowledge co-production experiments through ‘CityLabs’, which are forums for bringing together different knowledge brokers (particularly government and academia) to co-produce policy-relevant urban knowledge. Each CityLab experimented with different configurations to generate knowledge relevant for addressing urban sustainability challenges. This paper reflects on these experiences and identifies emerging common principles. These include: deliberate formulation of safe spaces, in which to engage, willingness for flexibility around the direction, focus and outputs, and carefully fostering trust and mutual understanding among participants. Urban experimentation, and CityLabs in particular, provide real opportunities for facilitating learning, reframing issues and shifting practices around urban sustainability between government and the academy

Climate change and urban development in southern Africa: The case of Ekurhuleni Municipality (EMM) in South Africa

In this paper, outcomes from an investigation of plausible climate futures over the next century, and the potential impacts on water services including water resource management and disaster risk reduction, such as flash flooding in Ekurhuleni (EMM), are presented. Four key aspects are examined: (i) the extent to which the frequency of extreme rainfall events may change in South Africa as a result of climate change; (ii) the identification of some of the implications of extreme rainfall events for local government (iii) the identification of some of the challenges communities most at risk of flooding as a result of extreme rainfall events face, finally, (iv) the opportunities for future co-production of design methods and approaches to reduce current and future climate risks in EMM and elsewhere. Climate modelling conducted for this research indicates that it is plausible for an increase in the number of extreme rainfall events to occur over central and eastern South Africa over the next century. Over EMM, for example, an increase in extreme rainfall events is likely to be accompanied by flash flooding and a range of deleterious impacts, if planning and maintenance of the water services infrastructure is not improved – a result that is likely to be valid for all large metropolitan municipalities in the country. The paper provides some lessons learnt when trying to include a climate risk reduction approach into the planning of urban development.The Water Research Commissionhttp://www.wrc.org.zaam201