ABOUT DESIGNING SOUTH AFRICA
In 2010 South Africa hosted the FIFA World Cup. Significant strategic, economic, and creative skill went into realising a remarkably successful event. Designing South Africa was created as a platform to salute the energy that created the 2010 FIFA World Cup. South Africa and the host cities owned the games and today, the spirit of the games continues as a celebration of contemporary South African positivity and renewed creativity far beyond the final whistle. South Africa performed under intense international scrutiny, and now has the chance to present the successful games as a future inspiration to other nations.
During the World Cup, the South African nation inadvertently worked together with a common goal- the hosting of successful games. This large national event can thus be used by Designing South Africa as a case study for national cooperation, dedication and identity - a tool to engage and connect governments, cities, key designers, architects and the public. Various forums such as the hosting of panel discussions, media tours, a website, exhibitions and the publication of a book create a space for open dialogue about sustainable and integrated urban futures, design and social environments.
Information has to be shared as urban centres expand, our global population increases, and the gap between rich and poor continues to widen. Achievements need to be celebrated, lines of exchanges, communication and collaboration opened, while lessons for urban environments need to be explored and mandated. Designing South Africa fulfills this role, and constantly looks to the world for simple solutions and friends.
Brazil, the next nation to host the FIFA World Cup - which also shares similar developmental conditions with South Africa - is seen as an important partner in the project. The process of bridging the project to Brazil, so as to create an open passage for the flow of creative thought, innovation and experience long into shared futures, is currently underway. The collaborative and multinational prospects of Designing South Africa are bright.
Designing South Africa is directed by Zahira Asmal and supported by South African Tourism (http://www.southafrica.net) and Brand South Africa (http://www.brandsouthafrica.com)
FOUNDER & DIRECTOR
Zahira Asmal is the Founder and Director of Designing South Africa and Designing Brazil, two leading urban research projects focused on understanding and sharing the process and outcomes of mega events, particularly related to their impact on the cities that host them, and how this relates to urban identity, culture and design.
As Managing Director of The City Research & Media Agency based in Johannesburg, Zahira works with architects, designers, government and specifically Brand South Africa and South African Tourism to explore development, architecture and society within an urban context.
In these roles Zahira has facilitated many key successes, including being awarded a spot on Design Week’s annual Hot 50 list for 2011 and inclusion in Wallpaper* Magazine’s Annual Top 20 Nation Listing. Further to this, Zahira has presented widely at key events including FestArch, together with Stefano Boeri and Peter Eisenman, in June 2011 in Perugia, Italy on Football and Architecture, at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange on World Cup legacies and at the Brazilian Trade Mission to South Africa organised by the national Department of Trade and Industry.
In the run up to the World Cup, Zahira invited illustrious global publications to report on South Africa’s progress and ingenuity in producing the event – so as to share and celebrate the nation’s creative successes with the world. This lead to Cape Town being featured on the cover of Wallpaper* Magazine, and Johannesburg ranked the world’s third best design city, together with a number of other articles and media coverage on South African cities.
Before launching the Designing South Africa and Brazil initiatives Zahira had worked with locally and globally celebrated designers and architects such as David Adjaye in London, where she contributed to his book on African Metropolitan Architecture and his exhibition, Urban Africa. She was also instrumental in the development of design institutions such as the Design Indaba in Cape Town and the ExperimentaDesign Biennale in Lisbon. Her writings have also been published in numerous publications in the UK, Spain, Australia, South Africa, Portugal, Japan and Italy.
Today, Zahira is in the process of editing and publishing a book, "Reflections & Opportunities" an English and Portuguese publication on the legacy of the World Cup in South Africa, which also explores opportunities to engage with Brazil, particularly with regards to lessons learned, urban development, design and business around mega events. Also, she is actively producing a multimedia World Cup & Cities Report, a massive undertaking - a comprehensive report on the World Cup in South Africa accessible to global audiences.
Through a commitment to an exchange in urban thought and events experience, Zahira is convinced that a new international dialogue and practice around the better creation of urban environments particularly in the run up to, and in the aftermath of mega events can be fostered. The success of Designing South Africa, and the new Designing Brazil initiative are both symbolic of the opportunities present in the sharing of experience, minds and design solutions.
Zahira holds a Bachelor of Business Science Degree from the University of Cape Town.