Winning team: Subaltern Planning

Team members: Noèmie Mornal, Hèlene Beaugrand, Joseph Siebenaler, François Poujaud, Shawn Lee, Carolina Garcìa Herrera, Thomas White | SciencesPo & London School of Economics (LSE)

The LSE and Sciences Po team developed a proposal to strengthen inclusive, community-driven urban development in Kliptown, Johannesburg. Their "Subaltern Planning" strategy combines small, multi-faceted interventions such as community art clay tiles and street lighting with universal Wi-Fi, designed to empower residents and enhance local infrastructure.

The project leverages local skills, resources, and community voices, supported by government funding, to create practical, scalable solutions that address social and environmental challenges. By prioritising participation, equity, and innovation, the team demonstrates how youth-led approaches can generate meaningful impact in underrepresented communities. Their design exemplifies the potential of locally-informed, community-centred urban transformation to foster resilient, inclusive, and sustainable neighbourhoods in Johannesburg and beyond.

"Winning this competition expresses the innovation we can achieve when we look beyond traditional binaries of global north - global south.”

Congratulations to all teams that participated! Check out the documentation tab to view the winning team's proposal. 

Special mention, Second Place | URBANTU, University College London (ULC)

Team members: Soyeon Chae, Seoyeon Moon, Raniya Patel, Bin Kang

Advisor: Professor Pascale Hofmann, University College London (ULC)

Presentation of the site

Kliptown is renowned for its significant role in the anti-apartheid struggle, as it was where the Freedom Charter was adopted in 1955. Some of the notable landmarks in Kliptown include the Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication and the Kliptown Museum which commemorate such pivotal moments in the history of the South African democracy.

The area is now a vibrant community with a mix of formal and informal settlements. It is also home to various socio-economic initiatives aimed at improving living conditions and empowering residents. Despite several development challenges, Kliptown presents significant opportunities, such as being well-connected via rail and the BRT networks and hosting a vibrant informal trade market that could be upscaled to provide a more formal economic sector. 

The broader vision for Kliptown focuses on developing the area as “…a mixed-use, transit-oriented development with an integrated lively, dynamic and vibrant environment with quality public spaces and infrastructure where residents can prosper and enjoy sustainable livelihoods within an integrated community network” – Kliptown Urban Development Framework. 

Approx. site area:

• Walter Sisulu Square - 4.34 hectares. 
• Square & Surroundings - 104 hectares 

Key Information

The site comprises different suburbs, including Kliptown, Winnie Camp, Freedom Charter Square, and Pimville Zones 4 and 8 with a population of 28,850 people. There are about 7,292 households, with an average household size of 3.96.

Priority areas & main expectations:

Proposals should revitalise Kliptown and its surrounding areas into a green transit-oriented development (TOD) that integrates Clean Air Zone policies. Students should concentrate on formalising housing, promoting local economic development, strengthening assets like Walter Sisulu Memorial Square, developing an efficient movement system, and air-quality improvement strategies.