This seminar is a panel discussion of City-level Case Studies that examine transformative urban change in selected cities of the global South. The Case Studies are a part of the World Resources Report: Towards a More Equal City. Authors of city-level cases present on the transformative change in their case study city, explain why these changes are "transformative", and describe the most important enablers that have helped sustain this transformative change. Case Study cities include Ahmedabad and Pune in India; Belo Horizonte and Porto Alegre in Brazil; Guadalajara, Mexico; Johannesburg, South Africa; Kampala, Uganda; and Surabaya, Indonesia. The broader discussion focuses on connections, comparability and patterns of change across cities by answering the following questions:

  • Are there common triggers for the progressive initiatives and transformative change across these cities?
  • Are there any common enabling and inhibiting conditions?
  • Are there common patterns in the way actors came together to form coalitions for change?
  • Have the circumstances that stalled these cities in their efforts towards transformative change been similar or different?
  • Are there similarities in the way positive changes have been institutionalized in these cities?
  • What are some suggestions we could consider providing urban change agents in these or other cities to unleash a positive cycle of transformative change?

Speakers: Ashok Das, Carolina Sarmiento, Rebecca Abers, Edgar Pieterse, Lalitha Kamath, Shuaib Lwasa, Darshini Mahadevia.