Transforming Settlements Through Design
The 2019 Roelof S. Uytenbogaardt Urban Design Institute of South Africa (UDISA) Memorial Lecture was presented by Piet Louw and David Dewar. The lecture and exhibition ‘Transforming Settlements Through Design’ was initially held at the Cape Institute for Architecture (CIFA) before being presented at SoAP.
We would like to express our gratitude to those for their sponsorship and generosity towards the fourth Roelof S. Uytenbogaardt UDISA Memorial Lecture. The sponsorships are much appreciated. The contribution enabled us to make it possible to celebrate the event, in our terms, in a dignified way and to attempt to illustrate the need for and significance of urban design awareness, interest, knowledge, thinking and practice in the creation and transformation of environments, settlements, cities and regions. (Piet Louw)
It is a great privilege for both Piet and me to give the prestigious annual Uytenbogaardt Memorial Lecture, particularly since Roelof was an influential teacher to, and mentor of both of us. In my case, Roelof was an important pillar in my life: I taught with him, undertook research with him and practiced with him for some 25 years until his untimely death in 1998 at the age of 65. He was also a close personal and family friend. It was also through Roelof that I really got to know Piet, firstly before he went to University, when we were working in Roelof’s office in Sea Street, then as a student in the Master of City Planning and Urban Design programme at UCT, and finally as a teaching colleague. When Roelof was dying, he and I had a number of unfinished projects and Roelof approached Piet to help complete them. Piet and I have worked together relatively seamlessly since then for the last 20 years. (David Dewar)
Louw and Dewar have been working in association for over twenty years. They have worked on a diverse range of issues, across southern and eastern Africa, relating to urban, rural and regional development, and their work has received numerous international and national awards. A strong aspect of their practice is that they bring a consistency of approach and a wide range of skills, across scales, to bear on planning and urban design challenges.
Piet Louw has degrees in architecture, city planning and urban design from the University of Cape Town, and is a principal in his own practice. He has been a visiting lecturer and external examiner at a number of universities in South Africa.
David Dewar is emeritus professor and senior research scholar in the School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics at the University of Cape Town. He is a Fellow of the University and is a member of the Academy of Sciences of South Africa. He is author or co-author of nine books and over two hundred and fifty monographs and articles on issues relating to urban and regional planning.
The exhibition ran from the 29th of May until the 7th of June 2019 in the John Moffat Foyer.
