In this episode of Inclusive Urban Futures, we had the honour to interview Professor Amira Osman, a Sudanese/South African Professor of Architecture at the Tshwane University of Technology and the 70th President of The South African Institute of Architects (SAIA).

What is the most inspiring about Professor Osman’s work is her unshakable commitment to building inclusion in some of the most challenging places in the world where in her words, 'separation in the built environment was engineered through hundreds of Apartheid laws'. While the laws are cancelled, their physical manifestation still shapes the way the people live today.

As the South African Research Chair in Spatial Transformation, Professor Osman believes in positive change in the built environment and the architectural profession's critical role in achieving more inclusive and equitable cities. She believes in architecture as a path to offer people a better chance in life, improving livelihoods and connecting communities. ‘Every project and site level intervention has the potential to be transformational’ she says.

We were inspired by her words, leadership, unwavering optimism and crystal-clear vision to transform the South African urban landscape in service of inclusive urban futures. We hope you will be too.

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More about Professor Amira Osman

Amira Omer Siddig Osman is a Sudanese/South African Professor of Architecture at the Tshwane University of Technology. In 2023 The South African Institute of Architects (SAIA) inaugurated Amira Osman as its 70th President. Professor Osman holds the position of SARChI: DST/NRF/SACN Research Chair in Spatial Transformation (Positive Change in the Built Environment) and is the Joint Coordinator of the international group CIB W104 Open Building Implementation. She is also the Chair of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the 9th International Conference on Appropriate Technology (ICAT), Pretoria, November 2020. Amira obtained a B.Sc. in 1988 and an M.Sc. in 1996 both from the University of Khartoum in Sudan. She has a diploma from the Institute for Housing Studies in Rotterdam (IHS) in 1992 and PhD in Architecture from the University of Pretoria in 2004. Amira hosted and convened the World Congress on Housing in 2005 at the University of Pretoria and the Sustainable Human(e) Settlements: the urban challenge in 2012 at the University of Johannesburg. She served as UIA 2014 Durban General Reporter and head of the Scientific Committee for the International Union of Architects (UIA) and the South African Institute of Architects (SAIA).

Discover more about Professor Amira Osman: https://amiraosman.co.za/

Find our Host and Executive Producer, Dr Orna Rosenfeld at: https://www.ornarosenfeld.com/

Understanding the dimensions, ramifications and dynamics of systematic exclusion and discrimination is fundamental to raising awareness about it, educating about it, changing culture, and most importantly, addressing it. As painful as exclusion is, understanding it and deconstructing it is a fundamental first step if we are to move towards inclusive futures.

Inclusive Urban Future was honoured to interview NGO Monitor Vice President Olga Deutsch. A leader in her own right Olga Deutsch is a household name in international media from Israel to Australia. Olga brings a critical analysis of exclusion through the lens of contemporary antisemitism, empowering perspective to understand the dynamics of exclusion and lessons on how to ensure our common global futures are inclusive for all.

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Discover more about Olga Deutsch

Olga Deutsch is the vice president of NGO Monitor, a watchdog group that promotes greater transparency among foreign-funded nongovernmental organizations operating in Israel. Olga graduated from the University of Belgrade and the University of Munich with degrees in banking, insurance, and finance. She was awarded a Fellowship with the Ford Motor Company, graduating as a Community Leader at the School of International and Public Affairs of Columbia University in New York. Before making Aliya in 2009, she served as the Chairperson of the European Union of Jewish Students, an umbrella organization for 34 national unions. In 2008, she received the International Leadership Prize from the American Jewish Committee. Over the past 12 years, Olga has held senior positions in the private sector in Europe and Israel. Olga is fluent in Serbian, English, Hebrew, and German.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olga-israel-deutsch-55b0882/

Discover NGO Monitor: https://www.ngo-monitor.org/expert/olga/

Host and Executive Producer, Dr Orna Rosenfeld at: https://www.ornarosenfeld.com/

Our collective ideas and aspirations touch the ground and are cast in stone through urban design, planning and real estate development. The question of whether we are building inclusive urban futures or not is answered then and there and decided for generations. This question is critical in peacetime but even more so in the aftermath of an armed conflict.

The Inclusive Urban Future was delighted to interview Dr Haris Piplas, Senior Consultant, Co-Directing Urban Design and Planning Initiatives at Drees & Sommer, Switzerland.

‘We all know that the cities are the biggest human invention,’ Dr Haris noted for Architecture & Design. ‘When people started moving to the cities [he continues], the human civilisation started blooming because different people, opinions, skills, knowledge, political power and culture, densified. And this is where humankind started growing and developing further. But in this century, when we look at our society today: climate change, social and economic crisis, the cities are also our biggest catalyst and challenge. But how do we deal with it?’

Tune into this exciting interview and discover how. Explore what inclusive urban futures mean in the context of urban design, planning and development. How can inclusive urban futures be engineered in peace and in post #conflict environments and after #war. But most importantly, what can people of #Ukranine today learn from experiences from the Former #Yugoslavia.

Discover more about Dr Haris Piplas

Co-Directing Urban Design and Planning Initiatives at Drees & Sommer | Switzerland

Haris Piplas is a city designer. Having lived in Berlin, Sarajevo, Milan, Vienna, and Zürich, he is imbued with a city radical spirit, which he brings to his urban development and infrastructure planning plans. Knowledge and diverse visions are at the heart of Haris’ work, with research, stakeholder participation, and activism all influencing how he conceptualises practical solutions. His approach is to fully understand the city he aims to change. As such, Haris develops tools, methodologies, and mechanisms that combine interests, opinions, and expertise to create an inclusive city structure. His work stretches as far and wide as the Mediterranean, Switzerland, Germany, Eastern Europe, the Balkans, China, and Latin America.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harispiplas/

Discover more about Drees & Sommer, Switzerland

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dreessommerch/

Website: https://www.dreso.com/ch/

Find our Host and Executive Producer, Dr Orna Rosenfeld https://www.ornarosenfeld.com/