The Association of African Planning Schools (AAPS) and Shack/Slum Dwellers International (SDI) recently held a small function to celebrate the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two institutions. The function was attended by representatives of AAPS, SDI, Community Organisation Resource Centre (CORC), University of Cape Town, as well as the African Centre for Cities.
The following extract from the Memorandum document outlines the purpose of the agreement:
To promote the collaboration of SDI and SDI country-based affiliates with members of the AAPS in order to promote initiatives, plans and policies which encourage pro-poor and inclusive cities and towns in Africa. The Partnership recognizes that planners play an important role in either facilitating or hindering the inclusion and improvement of informal settlements and slums, and that the education of planners has a fundamental impact on both their values and understanding, responses and practices, in relation to urban informality. The Partnership recognizes that one of the most effective ways to change the mind-sets of student planners is to offer them direct experiential exposure to, and interaction with, the conditions and residents of informal settlements and slums.
As part of the agreement, the AAPS has undertaken to encourage its member schools to establish collaborative relationships with SDI affiliates in their respective countries. Such relationships could potentially include the arrangement of student internships with SDI affiliates; inviting SDI staff to give input and lectures to students, as well as the conduction of research and/or teaching projects (particularly in informal settlements) in partnership with SDI affiliates.
For more information about the AAPS-SDI partnership, please take a look at the Memorandum of Understanding document (downloadable here in pdf format), or feel free to contact Nancy Odendaal orJames Duminy of AAPS.
