About the project

Funded by Royal Society Newton Advanced Fellowship, £111,000, 2016–2024.

This award offered the opportunity for a long-lasting training programme for the development of a well-trained research community at the Housing Programme, School of Built Environment and Development Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). The UKZN community led by Dr Claudia Loggia sought to receive training to increase economic benefits and lead to change in the wellbeing and quality of life of vulnerable low-income and informal settlements in South Africa.

Four training events and two dissemination workshops were delivered during the course of this grant which allowed for a two-way knowledge exchange between the UK and South Africa. The training material covered the areas of: project and construction management, digital innovation, building materials and procurement strategies for low cost / low carbon housing upgrading. While covering construction-related aspects, the UK team found it particularly useful to share approaches, skills and techniques for multidisciplinary research in the context of urban regeneration across UK and South Africa. These sessions were also very valuable for ISULabaNtu's ongoing collaboration between Westminster, UKZN and University College London.

Investigators

Dr Maria Christina Georgiadou (University of Westminster, Award holder)
Dr Claudia Loggia (Royal Society Fellow, University of KwaZulu-Natal, School of Built Environment and Development Studies)

Contact

For further information, email Dr Maria Christina Georgiadou at [email protected].

Outputs

  • Georgiadou, M. C., and Loggia, C. (2017) Project Management and Skills Enhancement in Informal Settlements Upgrading in Durban, South Africa. AMPS Proceedings Series, 10, 596-603
  • Georgiadou, M. C., and Loggia, C. (2016) Community-led upgrading for self-reliance in informal settlements in South Africa: a review. RICS COBRA 2016
  • Georgiadou, M. C., and Loggia, C. (2021) Beyond self-help: learning from communities in informal settlements in Durban, South Africa. African Cities and Collaborative Futures: Urban Platforms and Metropolitan Logistics, 73-95
  • Loggia, C., and Georgiadou, M. C. (2016) 'Normal' Informal living spaces in low-income human settlements in South Africa. In 52nd International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP) Congress. ISOCARP
  • Georgiadou, M. C., Loggia, C., Nunez Ferrera, I., and Fagan-Watson, B. (2016) An overview of top-down vs. bottom-up models for informal settlement upgrading in South Africa. In 52nd International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP) Congress. ISOCARP (The Hague)

  • Dr Maria Christina Georgiadou took part in the 2022 Newton Fund and Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) Lessons Earned campaign, in which researchers and innovators produced posters that shared advice on personal values, ways to run successful projects and on collaboration with fellow researchers worldwide
  • Training and capacity building workshops in Durban, funded by a Royal Society Newton Advanced Fellowship between Dr Claudia Loggia and Dr Maria Christina Georgiadou