We believe that a new, more collaborative and human urbanism is possible and has the power to create more equitable, playful and sustainable cities everywhere. We are a collective of urbanists—researchers, designers, writers, activists, scientists, technologists, strategists, citizens and enthusiasts—who have come together to reimagine urban life through curious, open, and experimental practice.
Our work spans research (LAB), live experiments (STUDIO), exhibitions, and publishing (PUBLICS) focused on the unique challenges and opportunities facing cities everywhere, from a Global South perspective. We aim to foster a deeper understanding of the dynamic urban contexts of the South while also catalysing creative solutions tailored to local realities.
Our approach is rooted in our belief that on-the-ground interventions, whether small or incremental, are essential. We believe lasting change comes from accumulating modest but meaningful improvements in how people inhabit and move through urban spaces. Our public-facing tools and programmes empower experts and everyday citizens to become active shapers of their environments.
Ultimately, our goal is to seed inspiring new visions of more just, resilient, and dynamic urban futures across the Global South and beyond by cultivating spaces for people to collectively rethink not just physical urban forms but the very systems and mindsets that produce them. Our work is a cultural act of proposition.
The urbanism we strive for is not just about buildings and infrastructure. It is about embracing difference, celebrating culture, learning together openly, enabling more equitable access to resources, economic opportunity, mobility, and unhindered participation in decision-making processes at all levels. It is about nurturing local talent and ingenuity and re-making a global urban system badly in need of a fundamental reboot. We are excited to take this collaborative approach to creating cities that work better for all.
Join us as we experiment with, learn from, and work to improve the diverse urban landscapes across the Global South. The possibilities are boundless when we build together.
We are CS.
Our team
Tau Tavengwa
Amateur mixologist Tau Tavengwa is a designer, editor and curator with a professional background that spans architecture, experience and exhibition design, co-running an art/design gallery, and art and architecture publishing. He is the founder of Cityscapes Magazine, a 2018 Harvard University Loeb Fellow, a 2020-22 Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics’ LSE Cities, a 2022 curator of the Lisbon Architecture Triennale, and a 2023 Aspen Global Leadership Fellow. He was a jury member for the Venice Architecture Biennale 2023.
Edgar Pieterse
Dilettante, Edgar Pieterse is a professor in urban innovation and a writer and policy expert who, since 2007, has been the founding director of the African Centre for Cities – an urban research centre based at the University of Cape Town. He has been one of the key proponents of African urbanism, a topic he has extensively written and expounded extensively through multiple books, academic papers, popular media, public debates, and lectures. He held the South African Chair in Urban Policy from 2008 to 2022, and before that, was a co-founder of Isandla Institute and special policy advisor for the Premier of South Africa’s Western Cape province. Edgar regularly provides advisory services to international development agencies such as UN-Habitat, the African Development Bank, the Development Bank of South Africa, the SA National Planning Commission, OECD urban division and UNEP. He sits on multiple boards globally and is Provost of the Norman Foster Institute.
