CONSUS is a transdisciplinary action research project that aims to facilitate sustainable transformation in South African urban landscapes. Our researchers, based in Tshwane, South Africa, and in Aarhus, Denmark, use a collaborative learning approach to drive context-specific nature-based designs and ecological rehabilitation initiatives.

How we work

With methodologies and perspectives from various disciplines and stakeholders, our four year project undertakes the following:
  • Ecological and social science data collection (incl. surveys, focus groups, interviews)
  • Community engagement in ecological rehabilitation activities
  • Prototyping and co-creating micro-scale nature-based design initiatives
  • Arts-based research and actions ​(incl. visioning activities and collaborative mural installations)

Nature-based Solutions

“Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are actions to protect, sustainably manage and restore natural and modified ecosystems in ways that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, to provide both human well-being and biodiversity benefits” ​(IUCN, 2016)

While used in our project title, we remain critical and reflexive about the term “Nature-based Solutions”, since it can appear apolitical and place responsibility on nature to ‘solve’ human-induced problems. Instead, we wish to facilitate action-minded, collaborative, and inclusive nature-based approaches in nature-based design and community-centered ecological rehabilitation.  

Our values

​We follow a jointly developed code of conduct for all of our work based on the following values: 
  • Inter- and transdisciplinarity
  • Inclusion 
  • Social responsiblity
  • Consideration for the local context
  • Protecting biodiversity
  • Action-based research

Collaboration
This project builds on previous collaborative research efforts with local communities, city officials, and private partners.

Our community-centered approach incorporates local residents throughout the planning, design, and implementation of landscape designs and ecological rehabilitation activities in the Mabopane River Corridor. These activities make use of collaborative and creative workshops, co-learning with university students, and network-building activities. The ultimate aim is to support long-term community empowerment– in which both people and nature thrive. 

CONSUS is a knowledge partner in the city-to-city Strategic Sector Cooperation Program “Water Resilient Cities” between the cities of Tshwane and Aarhus. Representatives from each city are involved in CONSUS activities and actively participate in data collection strategies, knowledge exchange, data sharing, and the co-creation of context-specific sustainability initiatives. Check out Wonders of Water, a collaborative initiative by CONSUS and the city-to-city partnership. 
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Private partners from Tshwane (S Kusel) and Aarhus (SLA architects) strengthen the CONSUS team with expertise in water management, community engagement, nature-based design prototype construction, and spatial framework development. 

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Funding

CONSUS is funded by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the Danida Fellowship Centre (grant no. 23-M02-AU).