I would describe myself as a systems thinker - I am intrigued by the different types of relationships that we have with people, nature and infrastructures, and the complex layerings of cause, effect and feedback that drive our systems. I completed an Ecology undergraduate in Stony Brook, New York, a Sustainable Development Masters in Stellenbosch, South Africa and am currently undertaking a PhD in urban metabolism with the urban Modelling and Metabolism Research Team (uMAMA) in Stellenbosch. I currently work for ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, helping local governments across Africa think about and implement sustainability policies and initiatives.
Position: Senior Professional Officer: Urban Systems
Institution: ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability
Degrees: MPhil Sustainable Development.
Paul’s main research interest areas:
- Exploring urban metabolisms of African cities
- Informing governance of the urban food, water, energy nexus
- Developing rapid urban metabolism assessment tools for local government action
- Unpacking social implications and feedbacks in resource flow dynamics
- Contributing to reshaping smart city discourse in African contexts
Paul’s favorite cities and why:
Lagos - the city moves! and doesn't! - you can buy anything on the street (wall atlases, paint brushes, groceries, airtime) Jodhpur - beautiful blue houses around narrow alleyways with citizens on the streets Barcelona - Gaudi owns this town - the impact of beautiful public art and design is evident throughout Johannesburg - something is happening in this CBD - industrial neon chic, bringing together social housing, good design, public space and commercial opportunities to reshape a divided city Antananarivo - if ever there were a city with which to contemplate approaching sustainability in a complex environment! New York - 9 years of walking, buses, subways, and cycles and I can still name every stop on the 1 train - the daily grind and abundant cultural distractions make me miss this city a lot
Paul’s thought on collaboration:
I would be interested in collaborating on projects which:
- creatively express how infrastructure systems support everyday life (as public engagement tools)
- produce images of African urban realities from within African contexts
- contribute to industrial-political-ecology approaches and theory
- explore nexus relationships between resource services
