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Research Themes
GCRO has arranged its project work into a number of thematic focus areas. There are seven themes that organize our applied research. Each theme is made up of a number of current and completed research projects. While a specific project is always located within one theme it may also connect across to the issues and concerns of other thematic focus areas. An eighth area is called ‘Government support’ and covers the work we do in response to requests from local, provincial or national government. Work in this area entails either larger policy support projects or forms of ad hoc assistance for data or analysis.
Click on any of the themes to see more detail and a list of the current projects associated with it. Click on a project to be taken directly to its page.
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Analytics & Visualisation
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Primary data collection, as well as data analytics and visualisation, are key focus areas for GCRO. Projects in this theme encompass the biennial Quality of Life Survey and a range of open-data initiatives aimed at making information on the city-region more publicly available. This theme also includes research that deepens the analysis of the available data. There are currently 5 projects in this thematic area.
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Changing Social Fabric
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In this thematic area GCRO leads a number of projects that look at the changing composition of neighbourhoods and society, as well as how the social fabric is torn by dynamics such as inequality, racism or xenophobia. We also consider what government is doing or should be doing about these challenges. There are currently 9 projects in this thematic area.
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Government & Governance
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Research in this thematic area looks at governments in the GCR – in particular their policy objectives, institutional arrangements and ‘ways of thinking’ about delivery and development – as well as the changing relations between government and society. There are currently 6 projects in this theme.
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Histories & Futures
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Research in this theme considers the history of the region now known as the GCR, and its potential futures. This historical research and futures modelling is supported by – and in turn it supports – comparative analysis of emerging trends and dynamics in other city-regions elsewhere, as well as deeper theorising of what is means to be a city-region. There are currently 2 projects in this thematic area.
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Landscapes in Transition
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The Gauteng City-Region is undergoing remarkable spatial change, both at the macro-level of overall spatial structure and at the micro-level of the spatial fabric of neighbourhoods and streets. Research in this theme takes a ‘landscape view’ – considering the political, economic, social, environmental and other drivers and consequences of these spatial changes. There are currently 8 projects in this thematic area.
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New Regional Economies
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Research in this theme examines the changing economy of the Gauteng City-Region. While there are many relevant concerns and questions here, our research focuses mainly on the region’s economic geography, and how local economies connect to emerging opportunities in other parts of the world. There are currently 4 projects in this thematic area.
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Sustainability Transitions
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In this theme GCRO researches key factors likely to affect the environmental sustainability of the city-region, as well as path-breaking new approaches such as green infrastructure and the green economy that may drive a transition to greater sustainability. There are currently 7 projects in this thematic area.
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Government Support
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As an institution focused on applied research GCRO hopes that all of its efforts will be useful and relevant to government in some way, supporting processes of decision-making and policy implementation with much needed data and analysis. However, in addition to this generic role, GCRO also works directly for and with government on request, either on an ad hoc basis, or on larger and longer policy support projects.
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The GCRO sends out regular news to update subscribers on our research and events.