Image credit: Jason Briscoe
This year the UK’s Global Future Cities Programme celebrates its one-year anniversary. Through its work the programme has promoted sustainable and inclusive economic growth with transformative projects in three municipalities, City of Cape Town, eThekwini Municipality (Durban), and City of Johannesburg, on transportation and mobility, urban planning, resilience and data innovation in South Africa.
In April 2020 the Programme expanded and adapted in response to the COVID-19 crisis in cities. Through this bolstered support, eThekwini Municipality was able to manage the shocks induced by COVID-19 on economy and informal settlements with assistance focused on ensuring effective delivery of basic services in informal settlements and policy development for sustainable economic recovery.