As cities across the globe grapple with rapid urbanisation, climate pressures and widening inequality, Professor Edgar Pieterse has established himself as one of Africa’s foremost thinkers on the future of cities. As the founding Director of the African Centre for Cities (ACC) at the University of Cape Town (UCT), he has spent more than two decades exploring how cities can become more equitable, resilient and innovative while responding to the unique realities of the Global South.

His expertise will be in the spotlight at the Times Higher Education World Academic Summit, where he will join a four-member panel for the session, “Putting Innovation in Place: How Global Universities Shape Their Global Cities”, on 30 September. The discussion will examine how higher education institutions can harness research, teaching and strategic partnerships to strengthen the cities they call home.

The session is grounded in the understanding that universities are powerful drivers of urban transformation. They contribute significantly to local economies, urban regeneration and the international profile of their home cities. Increasingly, leading universities are embedding place-based innovation into their institutional strategies to create long-term social, economic and environmental resilience.

Building on the mayoral fireside chat that opens the summit, the panel will explore how higher education leaders can expand their role as catalysts for inclusive and sustainable urban innovation.

Professor Pieterse holds a PhD in Urban Planning and Geography (via Social Policy) from the London School of Economics and Political Science, a master’s degree in development studies from Erasmus University in the Netherlands, and a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from the University of the Western Cape.

His work centres African cities in global debates on urban development, challenging conventional planning models and arguing that the continent’s rapidly growing urban centres offer valuable lessons for the rest of the world. Rather than viewing African urbanisation through the lens of crisis, Professor Pieterse encourages policymakers, researchers and city leaders to recognise its complexity, creativity and transformative potential.

His influence extends well beyond academia. He serves as co-chair of the African Mayoral Leadership Initiative, helping to strengthen urban governance across the continent; is Provost of the Norman Foster Institute; and serves on the board of the Development Bank of Southern Africa. Throughout his career, he has worked closely with governments, development finance institutions and international organisations, including UN-Habitat and Cities Alliance, contributing to policy frameworks that promote more inclusive and sustainable urban development.

Professor Pieterse’s research spans urban policy, African urbanism, regional development, strategic planning and the relationship between culture and city-making. At the heart of his work is a commitment to understanding how cities function in everyday life, particularly through the experiences of communities that are often overlooked in traditional planning processes. He argues that meaningful urban transformation requires not only technical solutions but also new ways of thinking about knowledge, participation and social justice.

The discussion will consider questions including:

• How can higher education leaders harness the innovation capacity of their universities to make a lasting difference to the cities they serve?
• In what ways can new university campuses, precincts and buildings foster innovation and urban transformation?
• What strategies can universities adopt to strengthen links between education, research and industry while expanding their footprint?
• How can place-based innovation remain inclusive and meaningfully engage both communities and students?