Welcome to the OneCity blog series on data, spatial planning, and public and private sector investment for sustainable urban development. The series explores how data has been used to drive strategic spatial planning, integrated development planning and investment. We also track developments in open data, and how the private sector and civil society in Africa have leveraged urban data. Lastly, the blog explores the emerging research and investment opportunities created by applying data and technology for strategic spatial planning and investment resources for urban development.

With thanks to Miriam Maina and Peter Magni This is the final blog in our series on data, spatial planning, and public and private sector investment in the City of Johannesburg. Towards a Third Wave of Open Data In tracking the evolution of the ‘open data’ movement, sector experts at…

By Peter Magni, with thanks to Miriam Maina We live in an era of abundant data, but inequities and asymmetries in accessing this data have considerably stunted the collective capability to apply and re-use it for positive change. …

By Peter Magni, with thanks to Miriam Maina How the City generates and manages data Managing a large city such as Johannesburg requires a significant volume of data and subsequent analysis of this data, for the coordination and management of land use, and the provision and operation of public infrastructure…

With thanks to Peter Magni and Miriam Maina Fixing Cities Rapid urbanisation is acknowledged as a cause and manifestation of the world’s current environmental challenges. Creating a more sustainable global future will require creating, transforming, or retrofitting existing urban systems to achieve social, environmental, and economic sustainability. This blog uses…

Dr. Miriam M. Maina The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) has been lauded for its potential to accelerate global social and economic transformation, raise income levels, and improve the quality of life. The 4IR is distinguished from previous industrial revolutions by increased fusion of technologies and the blurring of lines across…