Sheffield-Wits Link

Sarah Charlton and Paula Meth in the Peak District, 2005

What the link involves:

We have a well established connection between the planning programmes at the University of Sheffield and the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. Both institutions are well regarded internationally and have planning programmes with staff who have a deep intellectual and practical concern with planning and spatial policy, and with finding ways of thinking that will lead to more just and effective spatial policies. Both institutions have researchers focusing on policy and governance, and researchers focusing on everyday life. Over the past three years, there has been a movement of individuals between these two institutions (see 'staff exchanges' below). There is a strong basis for collaboration and an evident intellectual synergy. The link provides a catalyst for a productive North-South engagement, both between the universities and also extending out to leading academics and practitioners in both countries. This connection has now been formalized, with the drawing up of a formal Memorandum of Agreement between the two universities, based on the link.

Staff involved in the link:

At Sheffield:

At Wits:

Staff exchanges:

The link is maintained by regular exchange visits of staff from both institutions. The visiting staff member participates by delivering departmental seminars, teaching to graduate students and working on existing and future research papers.

Prof. Heather Campbell visited Wits, Sept / Oct 2002
Garth Klein visited Sheffield, March 2003
Dr Tim Richardson visited Wits, SA August 2003
Prof. Philip Harrison funded by Leverhulme acted as a visiting professor to the Sheffield Dept 2004
Ms Caroline Kihato visited Sheffield, UK March 2004 (Caroline is based at the Development Bank of Southern Africa, and associated with the Wits School of Architecture and Planning).
Dr Steve Connelly visited Wits, SA August 2004
Dr Zarina Patel (Department of Geography, Wits) also visited Sheffield August 2004
Ms Sarah Charlton visited Sheffield, UK February / March 2005
Dr Malcolm Tait visited Wits, August 2005
Dr Tanja Winkler visited Sheffield, March 2006
Dr Craig Watkins visited Wits, August 2006

Projects and joint events:

PhD Workshop, University of Cape Town
September 2006: Heather Campbell and Steve Connelly jointly led a PhD workshop with Oren Yiftachel of Ben Gurion University, Israel, and organised by Vanessa Watson of UCT and Phil Harrison from Wits. Planning students from all four universities - and eight countries - participated, in what we believe was the first planning PhD workshop in Africa.
The Johannesburg Colloquium
September 2005: Sheffield staff (Heather Campbell, Tim Richardson, Paula Meth, Steve Connelly, Malcolm Tait and PhD Student David Vanderhoven) visited Wits to attend a 3 day Colloquium in Johannesburg. A draft programme is now available. This was followed by a 3 day retreat to discuss future research plans and outputs.
Everyday life and spatial governance
June 2005: a Sheffield-based inter-departmental workshop entitled Everyday life and spatial governance: a North-South dialogue. This workshop generated research ideas which will be taken forward at the planned September meeting in S Africa. Sheffield colleagues secured funding for the June workshop from the University's Social Sciences Division Devolved Fund and worked with Dr Chasca Twyman and Dr Lindsay Stringer from the Sheffield Geography Department to finalise this event.
A programme of the event and list of participants is available.
A paper detailing the discussions help at the event will be available shortly.

The Sheffield department was awarded a fully funded PhD studentship by the University to examine community representation in urban regeneration projects, comparing Johannesburg with South Yorkshire. The award has been given to David Vanderhoven. Click here to view an outline of David's research