FIX YOUR SPACE

“Because place has such power to shape, we must be mindful of how we shape our places.” These words by Doug Sikkema emphasise the importance of creating and maintaining physical environments that contribute to our physical, mental, emotional, as well as social well-being.

As an urban planning enterprise, Ranyaka is passionate about implementing place-making projects that give communities a sense of place where they can celebrate local culture. Rapid repair projects or tactical urbanism, as these interventions are known, are all about creating safe and inclusive physical spaces where people can prosper – in every sense of the word.

These projects could include anything from cleaning a park, painting a feature wall, putting up a new fence, creating a community sidewalk garden or placing creative seating in a communal area where residents can gather. Fix Your Space projects build community pride, encourage social cohesion and a sense of local ownership and can even reduce crime. Because clean, safe spaces change the investment sentiment around an area, these projects could also create opportunities for investment by or contributions from local businesses.

Unlocking opportunities for urban food systems

Unlocking opportunities for urban food systems

“More than with any other of our biological needs, the choices we make around food affect the shape, style, pulse, smell, look, feel, health, economy, street life and infrastructure of the city” 1 The Umlazi Food Network is an inspirational community-led project that...

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After the storm – Proud of my Town supports KZN

After the storm – Proud of my Town supports KZN

Hope amidst the havoc – Proud of my Town responds to the KwaZulu-Natal flooding crisisThe devastating floods that ravaged KwaZulu-Natal in April 2022 will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the greatest natural disasters to ever hit the province. Entire...

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Together, Beke le Beke – rebuilding South Africa

Together, Beke le Beke – rebuilding South Africa

We are living in tumultuous times. The COVID19 pandemic has disrupted the day-to-day lives of many South Africans, resulting in unprecedented job losses and business closures. In addition, the recent unrest that erupted across the country destroyed businesses and...

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Join online – build on the ground

Join online – build on the ground

Introducing the Proud of our Towns Facebook Groups “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress and working together is success.”The world of social media did not yet exist when Henry Ford spoke these wise words. But many decades later, they still...

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Let us bring restoration

Let us bring restoration

“We all need a healthy Earth to support our jobs, livelihoods, health & survival, and happiness. A healthy planet is not an option — it is a necessity.” – Earthday.Org Every year, 22 April is observed as Earth Day across the globe. This year, Earthday.Org’s theme...

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The story of the little vegetable factories

The story of the little vegetable factories

An old tyre, a few discarded plastic shopping bags, a two-liter plastic cooldrink bottle and enough soil to fill the tyre to create a little vegetable garden – this is what you need to create what Steven Barnard from NuNet calls the “Garden of Life”, because with...

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