Creativity needed to find affordable energy solutions

Rory Williams|Published

Without partnerships between business, government, academics and civil society, the international accord reached at December's climate negotiations in Paris will ...

Having different groups provides chance for oppression

Rory Williams|Published

An anthropologist could provide a more robust definition, but I think of my culture as the sum of what I believe, the technologies I use and what I do.

Enable communities to get involved in change

Rory Williams|Published

Environmental historian Dr Farieda Khan wrote in the Weekend Argus of February 6 about how connected the residents of District Six were with the mountain.

Rid city of its illusions: let’s write our own script

Rory Williams|Published

When I first moved to Cape Town, I was in high school. And, in the teenaged anxiety of arriving at a new place, the thing that determined how I felt about the city ...

Curious case of billboard’s strong reaction

Rory Williams|Published

What fascinates me about the debate over the short-lived “Zuma Must Fall” billboard at the top of Long Street is not the message, but the significance attached to ...

Trust each other to grow something new and create value

Rory Williams|Published

Robert believes in conventions and the honour of keeping one’s word.

Rather contribute than comment on City’s work

Rory Williams|Published

In this space on December 29, David Lipschitz wrote about what he sees as the City’s deliberate neglect of Cape Town’s car drivers.

Critical questioning absent on China

Rory Williams|Published

When Sting sang, “I hope the Russians love their children too”, he was singing about the human drive for preservation during the Cold War in the 1980s.

Reliance on oil, coal and gas harms SA’s credibility

Rory Williams|Published

This year’s COP gathering begins today in Paris and I’m feeling inclined to continue avoiding daily reports about it.

Getting solutions to address broader issues at the same time

Rory Williams|Published

What is the Big Challenge for the city's transport system? Is it congestion? Safety? Affordability? More bicycles? Fewer cars? It’s all of these, and none of them. ...

Society angrier as we erect more elaborate barriers

Rory Williams|Published

Waking up on Saturday morning to news of another round of bomb blasts, ...

Narratives key to influencing design of a ‘living’ city

Rory Williams|Published

If someone asked you what you'd like to eat with your tea, you wouldn't say “flour, salt, sugar, butter, eggs and strawberries”, but “toast and jam, please”.

Students stronger for resisting political interference

Rory Williams|Published

If you think last week’s student protests constitute a crisis, you’re looking at the wrong thing.

Positives in getting commuters to try alternatives

Rory Williams|Published

In a radio interview four weeks ago, the chief executive of Toyota SA said that while Japan was a democracy and had a free-market economy, the Japanese have a fairly ...

SABC falling woefully short on mandate to educate, develop

Rory Williams|Published

The BBC Micro was a computer launched at the beginning of the 1980s as part of the British public broadcaster's Computer Literacy Programme.

Making inclusion a natural outcome

Rory Williams|Published

Greater diversity is an objective in many areas of life because it adds to the richness of experience, makes people feel wanted and gives them the opportunity to ...

Create more evolving, adaptable city ecosystems

Rory Williams|Published

It’s the end of the day on a Friday and I’m soaking in the vibe on Greenmarket Square.

Charge tolls according to level of service in covering costs

Rory Williams|Published

For a government agency, introducing a direct fee on something we have always had for free – or paid for indirectly – is never popular.

Reimagine public spaces to bring residents together

Rory Williams|Published

A community, at its most basic, is a group of people who share something they value.

More ‘playful zones’ needed to help create new worlds

Rory Williams|Published

Great design invites us to try new things by making us aware of “playful zones” or by making it clear what kinds of things are permitted – or not.

In so many words, technology ain’t the boon it appears to be

Rory Williams|Published

“Words are things. You must be careful. Careful about calling people out of their names, using racial pejoratives and sexual pejoratives and all that ignorance. ...

Lack of climate certainty no reason to do nothing

Rory Williams|Published

We are told by scientists working in climate-related fields that our individual lifestyle choices need to be aligned with responsible stewardship of Earth’s resources, ...

Value for money means making full use of spaces

Rory Williams|Published

E-tolls – any tolls, really – are a clumsy version of what will eventually become a bigger part of our lives, and this is already starting to happen around us.

Man about Town

Rory Williams|Published

Muizenberg beachfront is one of those rare places in Cape Town that attracts people of all ages and backgrounds from across the city.