Paper short abstract:

This paper disrupts notions of citizenship constructed from a nationalistic perspective by arguing that citizenship is an unstable and porous concept that is open for expansion and appropriation for different purposes when cast in the everyday (re)production of urban space.

Paper long abstract:

The idea of a city as a space of citizenship production has a long history dating from the ancient Greek city-state or polis, ancient Roman cities and medieval European cities. The concept of urban citizenship is an innovative concept that is useful to think through contestation in urban spaces and the redistribution of public goods. Yet, the concept is also useful in thinking through citizenship beyond national borders as it offers a space to re-think urban citizenship in relation to the everyday (re)production of space and questions of belonging. In doing the work of exploring the urban space, we believe that cities become a privileged space for exploring ways in which the historical, the present, and the future are embodied, imagined, and re-imagined through everyday interactions of urban residents. Drawing from experiences of South African townships, this paper disrupts notions of citizenship constructed from a nationalistic perspective. Employing ethnographic mapping East London – a South African city, we unpack meanings of urban citizenship grounded in urban geographies of the making and unmaking of citizenship. We draw attention to specific localised ways of identity construction, imaginations of belonging and the (re)constitution of communities. We argue that a reading of these constructions distabilises the traditional concept of citizenship, rendering it porous and making it open for expansion and appropriation for different purposes in the everyday (re)production of urban space.

Paper long abstract:

Reported urban conflict, observable physical expansion with clear changes in the social content of the spatial organization of the city of Jos is a quandary requiring research interrogation. The study examines the pattern of urban conflict and the emerging spatial reorganisation, promoting inclusive urban growth and development. Data for the study was obtained using Focused Group Discussion (FGD), Key Informant Interview (KII) and Geo-Spatial methods. Data analysis involved spatial dimension of land use/ cover change. The pattern of urban expansion was interrogated within the frame of ethno-religious composition generating the changing scenario of various neigbourhoods.. Some of the new expansion areas are informal and laggard in infrastructure. Deep-rooted animosity and suspicion are behavioral outcomes fueling internal migration and the spatial reorganisation of the city. Consequently, the city is now characterized with a number of ethno-religion homogenous enclaves, failing in the traditional character of urban areas. The emerging spatial arrangement in itself is a stimulus for further suspicion and distrust. This has implications on the city as a driver of economic growth in the region and the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goal number 11 that hope to make ‘cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable’. The need to embrace urban planning for enhanced access to facilities, intensive advocacy for peace building and the integration of spatial content in the security architecture of the city are among the study recommendations critical to a more peaceful and prosperous future urban Africa.

Keywords: Conflicts, migration, reorganisation, spatial and urban expansion

Paper short abstract:

In Cape Town, which is known as a ‘city of exclusion’, PoC still struggle for a ‘right to the city’ or, in other words, for citizenship. Citizenship is a practice rather than (only) a formal status. This paper discusses how forms of citizenship are constructed and challenged in Cape Town.

Paper long abstract:

Almost three decades have passed since the official end of Apartheid, and South Africa remains a country with racial segregation as the norm rather than the exception. Cape Town is amongst the South African cities with the most pronounced racial segregation and is known for its extensive Whitened spaces where PoC are made to feel unwelcome. PoC describe Cape Town as a ‘city of exclusion’ and of White domination. Thus, the fight of Black people for a ‘right to the city’ – the right to live and work in Cape Town –, which started in the 1970s, is still ongoing.

This fight for a right to the city can be equated with a fight for a right to citizenship and/or its exercise. Scholars like Engin Isin consider citizenship not merely as a (legal) status but as a practice and something that is brought into being through its exercise. Acts of citizenship are performative and constitute a struggle by citizens and non-citizens for their rights, for inclusion, participation, and recognition.

This paper explores the following questions: How are forms of citizenship constructed, perpetuated, challenged, and sustained in Cape Town? How are Black subjectivities de/constructed through the (non-)exercise of citizenship? How do Acts of Citizenship by PoC, e.g., in disrupting Whitened spaces, relate to or challenge the construction of citizenship of White people in Cape Town?

Paper short abstract:

This research unpacks the state-citizen relationship in South Africa by examining how and when residents of a low-income settlement want to be involved for local development. It exposes “conflicting rationalities” between the people’s perspective of participation and existing approaches.

Paper long abstract:

This paper unpacks the state-citizen relationship in South Africa, by examining how and when people want to be involved in local infrastructure and housing provision. The research follows a mixed-methods approach, combining a survey and group interviews with residents of Bramfischerville, a low-income residential area in Johannesburg.

Preliminary results indicate that people show overall strong support for (state-led) participation in local infrastructure and housing provision. Yet, findings also show that residents of Bramfischerville largely feel disillusioned and neglected by the state, as they face many economic, social and infrastructural challenges. The research furthermore exposes “conflicting rationalities” (Watson, 2003) between the people’s understanding of participation in local development and existing approaches. Rather than being involved in planning, people express a preference for contributing to local development through physical – and paid – labour. Thereby opportunities for local employment and skills development are also portrayed as a way of feeling ‘seen’ by the state, and as a way of making an active contribution to the improvement of their areas. Unpacking the link between local (infrastructural) development, economic opportunities and the citizen-state relationship further, this research argues that in a context of high levels of unemployment and economic deprivation, opportunities for paid labour and skills development should be considered as a link between public participation and local infrastructure and housing provision. It should furthermore be recognised as a key element that shapes people’s relationship with the state on the ground and as an approach that can contribute to more sustainable and just urban futures.

Paper short abstract:

Drawing on a global study of SDG 11 and urban targets and indicators in other SDGs, as well as the NUA, this paper assesses the current situation with respect to Africa. Diverse evidence is assessed, including localisation and knowledge co-production initiatives to promote urban equity and justice.

Paper long abstract:

Drawing on a major global study of the formulation and reception of, and engagement with, SDG 11 and urban targets and indicators in other SDGs, as well as the NUA, this paper assesses the current situation with respect to Africa. The range of available evidence includes participation in a pilot test of draft targets and indicators; primary and secondary data on subsequent diverse efforts to implement the SDGs; the effectiveness of multi-level governance in different African contexts, and the inclusion of urban components within Nationally Determined Contributions to Paris Agreement emissions reduction targets. City size biases in favour of large(r) cities are evident, as are widely different degrees of commitment and active engagement. Interesting examples of localisation highlight that such global agendas can be put to work in promoting urban justice through improved living conditions, environmental quality and governance in African cities. On current trends, there is little prospect of most SDG targets and indicators, and especially SDG 11, and the NUA being achieved but they are probably making a positive difference despite the derailing effects of the COVID pandemic and current energy and food price crises.