Resilient Urbanism: The intersection of shared data and inclusive public engagement

This policy brief by GreenCape explores 'resilient urbanism' through a 'data and domain' approach, which combines community-led enumeration (shared data) with asset-based community participation (participatory co-design). Using a case study of the Alternative Service Delivery Unit (ASDU) in Cape Town's informal settlements, the document demonstrates how this dual approach can identify community priorities and implement sustainable, alternative service delivery models, specifically in the energy sector.

• Resilient urbanism is achieved at the intersection of measurable shared data, gathered through enumeration, and asset-based community participation. This combined approach allows for urban development that improves existing conditions incrementally and builds resilience from within the community.
• Asset-based community development (ABCD) empowers local communities to identify their own problems and design solutions using available local assets. While beneficial for building trust and buy-in, purely participatory processes can be hindered by 'gate keepers' or stakeholders who misuse the process for the benefit of a minority.
• Enumeration is a community-led census process that interviews 100% of households in an area to collect socio-economic and demographic data, including tenure, migration, services, employment, and local skills. This creates a 'rich picture' of the community to better plan interventions, though it risks losing nuance or being manipulated by respondents to secure social grants.
• The 'data and domain' approach uses shared data as a 'net' to help stakeholders navigate the participatory co-design space. This ensures that decisions are backed by real-world data, preventing the process from being pulled off course by individual participants while maintaining the impact of co-design.
• In Cape Town, informal settlements are characterized by a lack of formal tenure, inadequate municipal services, and high social vulnerability. Between 1.1 and 1.4 million households (approximately 2.9 to 3.6 million people) live in informal settlements across South Africa, with at least 204 such settlements in Cape Town.
• A case study of the Freedom Farm and Malawi Camp settlements, which house over 3,000 people, revealed severe service gaps: over 90% of residents use bush and bucket toilets, there is no formal electricity infrastructure, and the unemployment rate is nearly 45%.
• The ASDU's co-design process for Freedom Farm and Malawi Camp resulted in the selection of a solar PV micro-utility solution. The community prioritized home-level electricity, connectivity, and safe cooking, with a maximum acceptable monthly payment of R150. The chosen solution includes solar home systems (costing R50/month for basic or R200/month for an upgraded version with a TV) and a community fund derived from TV payments.

APA

GreenCape (n.d.). Resilient Urbanism: The intersection of shared data and inclusive public engagement. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/RESILIENT_URBANISM_REPORT_6_7-v2-3.pdf

Chicago

GreenCape. Resilient Urbanism: The intersection of shared data and inclusive public engagement. n.d. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/RESILIENT_URBANISM_REPORT_6_7-v2-3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=GreenCape |title=Resilient Urbanism: The intersection of shared data and inclusive public engagement |url=https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/RESILIENT_URBANISM_REPORT_6_7-v2-3.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greencapendresilient, author = {{GreenCape}}, title = {{Resilient Urbanism: The intersection of shared data and inclusive public engagement}}, institution = {GreenCape}, url = {https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/RESILIENT_URBANISM_REPORT_6_7-v2-3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }