Melody Mandevere and Tsele Moloi
Resilient Urban Communities (RUC)
The Resilient Urban Communities project is a collaboration that addressed the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals “sustainable cities and communities” and “quality education” through research and dissemination of knowledge related to the subject areas “good governance” and “local government”. Encompassing a research, networking and education component, RUC aimed to improve urban supply systems and infrastructure for vulnerable groups in deprived local communities and enhance the governance of African megacities. The research programme of RUC focused on social enterprises (SEs) and nonprofit organisations (NPOs) as subsidiary social service providers and vehicles for participation and integration that contribute to the resilience of urban communities. CAPSI in partnership with three other universities, started the project in the last quarter of 2022.
| Description | Achievement/s |
| Finalise writing RUC WP8 report (individual case report writing and cross case analysis | Final Work Package 8 report was completed at the end of May 2024 and sent to the funder of the project. |
| Pathway to Success II: Conference/Dissemination Event, PhD Seminar, and Meeting of RUC Partners at the Wits University | The PhD seminar and conference took place in Johannesburg in March 2024. |
| RUC Special issue publication workshop and conference held at Strathmore University | The RUC Special issue publication workshop and conference was held in October 2024 at Strathmore University, Nairobi, Kenya, where two papers from the RUC project were chosen for publication in January in The CAPSI Journal. |
As the project comes to an end, the following activities are underway:
- Finalising the RUC projects’ two manuscripts journal articles for publication on the CAPSI’s International Review of Philanthropy and Social Investment (IRPSI) Journal.
First Manuscript: “Ecosystem parameters and resilience of community-based social enterprises in a South African township: The case of Soweto” authored by Melody Mandevere and Joseph Mati.
Second Manuscript: “How to become a resilient community with the help of SEs and NPOs,” authored by Melody Mandevere, Tsele Moloi, Roselyne Cheruiyout, Nicole Göler von Ravensburg, Lauren Jankelowitz, and Hannah Sophia Krugmann.
Second Project: Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ) & WBS/CAPSI collaboration
The project is a collaboration between Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ) & WBS/CAPSI to identify and unlock resources that will support the expansion and sustainability of urban forests and green spaces across African cities. CAPSI is currently undertaking research to address this critical gap by prominently featuring a cross-cutting theme on resource mobilisation for urban greening in African cities. The study seeks to bring out current trends, challenges, opportunities and stakeholders involved in financing urban forests and green spaces in African cities. This is done as a way of alleviating African cities’ struggle to secure adequate funding for urban forestry and other greening initiatives to achieve multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 15 (Life on Land). The research report will be prepared for presentation at the upcoming African Forum on Urban Forests taking place in Johannesburg in March 2025.
