Research
An architectural journal of African urbanism.
Published research is available without charge. Positions are stated so that they can be examined and challenged.
- White PaperMarch 2026 · 14 min
Urban Regeneration
Density Without Displacement
Inner-city regeneration in African cities routinely raises land value faster than it raises household income. This paper examines the mechanisms that decouple the two.
- Urban ReportFebruary 2026 · 11 min
Affordable Housing
The Cost of the Plot
A structural analysis of what actually determines affordability in South African housing delivery — and why finishes are the least of it.
- EssayJanuary 2026 · 9 min
Climate Resilience
Water as Structure
Planning settlements around hydrology rather than around road geometry produces a different city. It is also, increasingly, the only city that can be built.
- Case StudyDecember 2025 · 10 min
Township Development
Corridor Economies
What an illustrative study of a 16 kilometre township arterial reveals about the relationship between movement, trade and public infrastructure.
- White PaperNovember 2025 · 13 min
Master Planning
The Forty-Year Block
Buildings change use every fifteen years. Block structure lasts centuries. This paper argues for designing the structure and coding the rest.
- Urban ReportOctober 2025 · 16 min
Future African Cities
The Next Four Hundred Million
Africa's urban population is projected to grow faster than any planning system currently in place can absorb. The question is what form that growth takes.
Collaboration
Commission or co-author research.
We work with universities, municipalities and development finance institutions on applied urban research.