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The Housing Dialogue: Session 2: Inner City Regeneration

Panel Discussion

October 8, 2026

Start: 15:00:00

End: 16:30:00

Venue: online

THE HOUSING DIALOGUE: INNER CITY REGENERATION

South Africa’s inner cities hold a contradiction. They are well located, served by existing infrastructure and public transport, and close to jobs, yet they are marked by vacant and “hijacked” buildings, overcrowding, and decades of disinvestment. At the same time, thousands of households live in informalaccommodation on the urban periphery, far from economic opportunity. Inner-city regeneration offers one of the clearest opportunities to address both problems together.

This dialogue asks what regeneration should mean, and for whom. How can derelict and underused buildings be brought back into use as affordable, dignified housing? What role can adaptive reuse, social housing institutions, and incremental approaches play alongside large-scale redevelopment? And how can regeneration avoid displacing the communities, traders, and informal economies that already keep the inner city alive?

Bringing together architects, planners, housing practitioners, policymakers, and researchers, the session will look at local and international precedents, the regulatory and financial barriers to inner-city housing, and the design strategies that can support dense, mixed, and inclusive urban neighbourhoods. The aim is not only to rebuild the fabric of the city, but to reclaim its centre as a place where people of all incomes can live.

Our panellists include:

Thabiso Joyisa : Problem Buildings Division
Georg Van Gass: Gass Architecture Studios
Trish Emmett: Emmett and Emmett Architects

A special thank you to Safal Steel for making this session possible.

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Members: Free

Non-Members Cost: Attendance is Free, R150 admin fee payable on request of CPD certificate

CPD Value: CAT 1- 0,2 credits

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Glenwood
Durban
South Africa
4001

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