Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Big thinking”
Cape Town made international headlines in 2018 when the mayor announced it could soon run out of enough water. That day, “Day Zero” never arrived, but South Africa’s water crisis still paints a bleak future. Gareth Morgan, the City of Cape Town’s Director for Resilience, shared the lessons Cape Town learned from Day Zero, and how they are building a …
Embracing informal settlements and nature are part of the dramatic transformation that could be part of Durban’s development plans.
South Africa’s ‘looming’ water crisis crashed onto international front pages that day when Cape Town announced it might run out of water. However, many would say a major catastrophe has been hiding in clear sight for decades. We are running out of water. Digging into the details, it’s clear the crisis hasn’t been looming for a long time already. South …
Have you noticed that as we built ourselves closer to necessities like roads, we have detached ourselves from water? It’s not uncommon for cities that suffer from water shortages, to also suffer from floods. People might see rain fall outside their windows, but not have enough coming from their taps. Often, people are surrounded by water, but are unable to …
Imagine standing at the edge of a lake. The water is dotted with a rich variety of birds. It’s weekend, and you are enjoying a lazy afternoon with your family, ambling along the paved walkway that runs like a neat pencil-line along the lake. Now imagine that the lake is actually a water treatment plant. Tough to believe? In Singapore, …
A trickling stream runs invitingly over a smooth, brown pebble bed, calling thirsty passers-by in its wake. But to those that can still hear it, the sound is a cruel reminder of better times gone by. It’s been a long time since the water was clean enough to drink. Not far away, there is a tap, connected to a row …
Hygge. It souns something like hoo-gha, and describes a feeling of cozy contentment by enjoying the simple things in life. It’s big here in Denmark, and I understand why. Simple things here are good; better than good even. Take the tap water as example. In Danish capital Copenhagen, the tap water is said to be the best in the world. …
It was a warm and sunny day, perfect for visitors to soak-up the world-renowned wildlife sightings of the Kruger National Park. But not everybody enjoyed what the wilderness put on display. It was a hippopotamus. She was stuck in the mud left behind in the wake of the river’s retreat. Too hot, she lay panting under the brutal sun. Too …
Drought can be catastrophic. For good reason, people refer to times of extreme drought as water crises. Farmers, industries and cities have been brought to their knees by it. But, have you ever asked yourself why does drought happen? Very simply put, drought happens, because it is part of how the planet works. If you live in a city, it’s …
Some cities have to look further than ever before in search of water. They pump it from further away, look for it underground, take it from the sea, or might tow it from Antarctica. However, finding more water is only a part of the solution. “As the saying goes: you can’t build yourself out of a drought,” says Priya Reddy, …
I say Day Zero, you say? Cape Town. But Cape Town is not alone. For South Africans (like me), Day Zero is that day that Cape Town runs out of water. Recently, Capetonians faced each day with 50 liters of water, a crisis ignited by a drought like almost never before. Day Zero would have been triggered when dam levels …
