Zahira Asmal

Zahira Asmal is an urbanist and director of The City, a research, publishing and place-making agency, which she founded in 2010. In her projects, Zahira seeks to enhance the making of public places and spaces in South African cities through engagement and collaboration with governments, cultural institutions, designers, artists, academia, and the public. Presented worldwide, her books examine socio-political, economic, and cultural environments, which are shaping South African big cities. Zahira has worked with Sir David Adjaye on his book and exhibition on African Metropolitan Architecture, and more recently on a placemaking project at Johannesburg's Park Station. Zahira's current project, See, explores contested urban histories, equal representation in the memorialisation of history and the construction of resilient postcolonial urban identities. Zahira served as an advisor to the Africa Architecture Awards in 2017, African Crossroads in 2018 and is currently serving on the Board of Advisors for the International Archive of Women in Architecture.