Open Lecture with Alan Mabin on Southern Theory

Alan Mabin, urban researcher and Professor of Urbanism in the School of Architecture and Planning at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg is interested in the fundamental question of urban theory: “What difference does the city make to society? Are there distinct sets of cities, to which particular ways of thinking apply? What lessons can be gleaned, in particular, from ‘southern theory” in relation to cities in the south as well as the north of the world?

Alan Mabin is Emeritus Professor of Wits City Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa and member of the South African Planning Institute. He has worked in development for over 25 years in places like Brazil, France, Tanzania and most notably in South Africa, where he participated in the transformation of local government in Johannesburg and helped to establish Planact in 1985, an NGO working with communities to “make cities work for people.” His research is focused on cities and urban development theories, and his most recent articles include Suburbs in Africa?, Grounding Southern City Theory in Time and Place, and South African Capital Cities.