The Urban Festival took place on 26−28 October 2022 in Johannesburg, South Africa. It was convened by the South African Cities Network (SACN) in partnership with the Department of Cooperative Governance (DCOG), the South Africa Local Government Association (SALGA) and the Gauteng Partnership Fund (GPF).

Under the theme of “Transforming cities through research and practice,” the 2022 Urban Festival sought to ignite conversation and action around the desired future state of South Africa’s cities, showcase the SACN’s contribution to the country’s urban development agenda, profile and celebrate the role of cities in the country’s transformation journey, and acknowledge and celebrate partners and collaborators over the years.

Today, more people than ever live in cities. In South Africa, two-thirds of the population lives in urban areas. Cities are spaces where people come together to share experiences and ideas and to shape new systems; they are places of social, economic and political opportunities and intense social interactions. Cities are also central to development and at the forefront of the country’s economic, social, environmental and cultural life.

Since 2002, the SACN has been the custodian of South Africa’s urban story and at the heart of urban research and practice through its flagship publications and urban conferences and events. The Urban Festival 2022 was an opportunity to celebrate the SACN’s 20-year anniversary by telling the story of the past two decades. It was also an occasion to reflect on the future and how to achieve the vision of the Integrated Urban Development Framework (IUDF) of “liveable, safe, resource-efficient cities and towns that are socially integrated, economically inclusive and globally competitive, where residents actively participate in urban life”.

The 2022 Urban Festival took place in the spirit of partnership, collaboration and dialogue, discussing what is needed to tackle complex urban challenges. It brought together diverse voices, from whole-of-government and all-of-society, and covered issues ranging from city governance, finance and economies to sustainability and resilience, and inclusion and innovation. The programme was structured around the recommendations that emerged from the SACN’s fifth State of Cities Report (SOCR 2021) under the thematic areas of well-governed cities, inclusive cities, sustainable & resilient cities, productive cities and innovative cities, as well as communications. [1] The conversations took the form of panel discussions (collaborative action-oriented sessions) and masterclasses (speakers sharing real-world experiences)