About

The author, Tamsin Faragher is a built environment specialist (landscape architect) with experience both locally (Cape Town) and internationally (London, Dubai and Abu Dhabi). She has worked across disciplines both as a designer, planner and policy strategist in the private and public sector (provincial and local government) within the planning, built environment, infrastructure planning, environment, water and most recently – food “spaces”.

Tamsin’s interest in development policy has matured and narrowed to focus on the nexus between policy, practice and implementation, particularly as it relates to sustainable, resilient city-making and the contrasting, competing demands between the environment and development. Most recent work at the City of Cape in the Resilience Department has allowed for the exploration of this focus and includes the application of systems thinking and an urban metabolism approach to Cape Town’s Food System for the City of Cape Town’s Food Programme. This work will identify specific actions and policy interventions to improve food security. With the advent of COVID-19, the scope of this work has expanded to include food systems planning, inter-governmental co-ordination and external partnership-building around food relief programme development that has culminated in a Food Systems Programme.

Other focus areas have included extensive policy work around the application and limitations of non-potable water use within the City of Cape Town and the ongoing development of livable urban waterways demonstration projects using water sensitive design. Her boundless passion and enthusiasm flows over into work building the landscape architecture profession where she has curated and hosted a series of webinars focused on the ‘new normal’ and climate action through design on behalf of the Institute of Landscape Architecture, where she was an active member until recently. Current work includes establishing ways to implement water sensitive design across built environment professions.

She has a bachelors in architectural studies and two masters degrees – in landscape architecture and infrastructure design and management, both from the University of Cape Town

This blog documents projects and shares thought pieces (past publications and current) to provoke discussion and engagement around the building of resilient cities.

 

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• Community Insurability Planning
• What responsibility do built environment professionals have to Gaza? Especially landscape architects who are the stewards of the environment and advocates for sustainable practices?
• Bad things happen. Be prepared. A checklist for navigating a cancer diagnosis and treatment.
• Play-full resilience and climate adaptation – and renewed purpose
• What role do urban forests play in building resilience in a treeless biome, like we have in Hoerikwaggo – the Mountain in the Sea (Cape Town)?