Our Future Cities
Our Future Cities is a Cape Town-based urbanism consultancy providing research, strategy, design, and advisory services to South African municipalities, property developers, and urban policy networks, deploying proprietary frameworks and signature placemaking projects across African cities and Rotterdam.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersCape Town, South Africa
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Our Future Cities does
Our Future Cities is a Cape Town-based urbanism practice, consultancy, and think tank that provides research, strategy, design, and advisory services to municipalities, property developers, urban development partnerships, and select international institutions. The firm serves two primary segments — local and regional government (e.g., City of Cape Town, eThekwini Municipality, Department of Human Settlements) and property developers (Blok, V&A Waterfront, Urban Lime) — with secondary work for urban policy networks (South African Cities Network, ICLEI Africa, African Centre for Cities). Its offering is organized around eight core service areas: Research, Urban Strategy & Visioning, Consulting & Advisory Services, Project Facilitation & Management, Stakeholder Engagement, Design, Curation & Competitions, and Communication. The firm also runs signature initiatives including the Cape Town 2040 Olympic feasibility think tank, the Good Hood Stories documentary series, and proprietary frameworks (Great Places Performance Method with five lenses, and the OFC Walkability Framework).
Our Future Cities firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Our Future Cities
- Legal name
- Our Future Cities
- Website
- https://ourfuturecities.co
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Our Future Cities is a Cape Town-based urbanism consultancy providing research, strategy, design, and advisory services to South African municipalities, property developers, and urban policy networks, deploying proprietary frameworks and signature placemaking projects across African cities and Rotterdam.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Our Future Cities industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Urban Planning & Design Consulting
- NAICS
- Architectural Services (54131), Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (9251), Landscape Architectural Services (54132)
- SIC
- Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Urban Planning & Master Planning (BPAHAKAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO), Regional & Land Use Planning (BPAHAKAE), Sustainable Cities, Urban Development & Green Infrastructure (BPADALAL)
Keywords
Where Our Future Cities is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cape Town
- HQ country
- South Africa
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices1 record
Markets served
Our Future Cities business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Consulting & Advisory Services: Professional consulting services for urban strategy, visioning, and planning. Revenue generated through project-based engagements with government bodies, municipalities, and property developers.
- Project Facilitation & Management: Project management and facilitation services for urban development and placemaking initiatives. Delivered through direct client engagements.
- Research Services: Research capabilities providing urban analysis, venue assessments, and strategic research for city development projects including Olympic feasibility studies.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels10 records
Our Future Cities product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Our Future Cities is an urbanism practice that provides research, strategy, design, and advisory services to shape more sustainable and equitable cities. The firm delivers eight core service categories — Research, Urban Strategy & Visioning, Consulting & Advisory Services, Project Facilitation & Management, Stakeholder Engagement, Design, Curation & Competitions, and Communication — via project-based engagements with municipalities, property developers, and urban development organisations.
Product overview
Our Future Cities is an urbanism practice, consultancy, and think tank that offers a portfolio of professional services organized around eight core service areas: Research, Urban Strategy & Visioning, Consulting & Advisory Services, Project Facilitation & Management, Stakeholder Engagement, Design, Curation & Competitions, and Communication. The company operates as a single integrated consultancy rather than a platform with separate products; all services are delivered through collaborative project teams. Notable named initiatives include the Cape Town 2040 Olympic research initiative, the Good Hood Stories documentary film series, the Great Places Performance Method assessment framework, and the OFC Walkability Framework. The company also delivers specific urban projects including placemaking initiatives, public realm improvements, and pedestrian safety installations across South African cities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Research Services Evidence-based research and assessment services for urban development projects, including venue assessments, accommodation studies, and performance benchmarking for clients such as municipalities and research institutions.
- Urban Strategy & Visioning Strategic planning services to develop long-term urban visions and frameworks for city transformation, including walkability strategies and precinct planning for municipalities and property developers.
- Consulting & Advisory Services Expert advisory services for urban development, facilities management, and city regeneration projects delivered to government bodies, municipalities, and private sector clients.
- Project Facilitation & Management End-to-end project management services for placemaking initiatives, public space improvements, and community-led urban interventions across South African cities.
- Stakeholder Engagement Community engagement and stakeholder consultation services to ensure inclusive participation in urban planning processes, serving municipalities and developers.
- Design Services Urban design and public realm design services for streets, parks, crossings, and public spaces, delivered to municipalities and property developers.
- Curation & Competitions Design competition curation and event programming services for urban innovation and community projects, including partnerships with organisations such as UCT Architecture.
- Communication Services Urban storytelling, film production, and communication strategy services to document and share urban development narratives, serving both public sector and private clients.
- Cape Town 2040 A research initiative co-led by Our Future Cities to explore the feasibility and legacy potential of a future Olympic and Paralympic Games in Cape Town, including sports venue assessments and accommodation studies.
- Good Hood Stories A documentary film series showcasing community-led urban transformation across South African cities, highlighting placemaking, collaboration, and innovation in neighbourhoods from Cape Town to Buffalo City.
Quantifiable outcome
- 90% support for public artwork installation at pedestrian crossings; 83% believe art installation contributes to pedestrian safety awareness; 83% feel more secure crossing with new artwork installation
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Our Future Cities
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Our Future Cities technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Our Future Cities partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- Independent School for the City RotterdamflagshipCEO Rashiq Fataar serves on the Board of the Independent School for the City in Rotterdam, a post-graduate educational platform. The school is an initiative of Crimson Historians and Urbanists and ZUS (Zones Urbaines Sensibles). Fataar delivers lectures at the school, bringing Global South perspective to urbanism education.
- SA Cities NetworkcoreOngoing partnership with the South African Cities Network on multiple initiatives including the Good Hood Stories documentary series (Season 4 launched May 2026), which showcases community-led transformation across South African cities. The partnership also includes the Urban Festival and other urban development programs.
- V&A WaterfrontcoreStrategic collaboration with V&A Waterfront on placemaking initiatives and public space improvement. Includes hosting placemaking conversations with international experts like Ramon Marrades of Placemaking Europe, collaboration on World Cities Day events, and engagement with the R20 billion Granger Bay expansion plan.
- Placemaking EuropecorePartnership with Placemaking Europe through the Directorship of Ramon Marrades. Facilitates knowledge exchange between European and African placemaking practices, including participation in Placemaking Week Europe and Cities in Placemaking initiatives.
- BlokcoreOngoing collaboration with property developer Blok on multiple placemaking projects including Sea Point Pedestrian Crossing Artwork (2022), Regent Road Parklet (2016), and Blok Eleven on B launch. Blok serves as both client and collaborative partner on community-focused developments.
- Cape Town 2040 (CT2040)flagshipOur Future Cities CEO Rashiq Fataar co-leads Cape Town 2040, a think-tank and research group exploring Cape Town's potential to host the 2040 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. The initiative produces research on sports venues, accommodation, and Olympic legacy potential.
- dhk ArchitectscorePartnership with dhk Architects on Cape Town 2040 initiative, led by Guy Briggs (Partner & Executive Director). Collaboration on Olympic feasibility studies and urban design projects.
- Department of Human SettlementscoreGovernment partner supporting Good Hood Stories Season 4 and other urban development initiatives. Provides funding and policy alignment for community-led placemaking projects.
- UCT ArchitectureminorAcademic collaboration with University of Cape Town Architecture students on Olympic Indoor Sports Arena design proposals for Vygieskraal precinct, part of Cape Town 2040 initiative.
- Greater Tygerberg PartnershipcorePartnership with Greater Tygerberg Partnership on Bellville CBD public realm research and strategy. OFC was commissioned to investigate immigrant population practices in the Bellville CBD.
- OKRAminorCollaboration with Dutch landscape architecture firm OKRA on Tafelsig Placemaking Initiative, contributing to blue-green framework development for the area.
- ICLEI AfricacorePartnership with ICLEI Africa on RISE Africa platform and Action Festival, bringing together Africa's urban thinkers, doers and enablers. Kobie Brand serves as Regional Director of ICLEI Africa.
- African Centre for CitiescoreAcademic partnership with African Centre for Cities at University of Cape Town. Director Edgar Pieterse is a key collaborator on urban innovation initiatives including RISE Africa.
- Discovery LimitedminorListed as co-participant at SAFMA Conference 2026 alongside facilities management organizations including Discovery Limited Green, Bidvest Facilities Management, Broll Property Group, and WBHO Construction.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Our Future Cities competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- SWA Group: SWA Group is an internationally recognized landscape architecture and urban design firm working on waterfronts, parks, and public realms. It is comparable to Our Future Cities because both engage in public-realm and placemaking work for municipalities and developers, though SWA operates as a large multidisciplinary practice.
- AECOM: AECOM is a global infrastructure consultancy with dedicated urban planning, landscape architecture, and placemaking practices. It competes with Our Future Cities for municipal and developer placemaking mandates, particularly in emerging markets, but at a much larger scale and bundled with engineering services.
- Arup: Arup is a global engineering and design firm with a substantial urbanism, placemaking, and city-shaping practice serving municipalities and developers. It is a broad incumbent comparable to Our Future Cities on the urban-strategy and public-realm services side, though it competes from a vastly larger scale and integrated multidisciplinary model.
Direct peers
- Gehl: Gehl is a Copenhagen- and San Francisco-based urban strategy and design consultancy famous for people-centered public-life methodology. It is a direct peer because both firms sell walkability, public realm, and placemaking advisory to municipalities and developers using proprietary frameworks — Gehl's Public Life tools overlap conceptually with OFC's Walkability Framework.
- Project for Public Spaces: Project for Public Spaces is a globally recognized placemaking nonprofit that advises communities, developers, and governments on creating vibrant public spaces. It is directly comparable to Our Future Cities because both operate as placemaking-led urban consultancies applying proprietary frameworks (PPS's Power of 10+ vs. OFC's Great Places Performance Method) to community-driven public-realm projects.
- OKRA Landscape Architects: OKRA is a Dutch landscape architecture firm collaborating with Our Future Cities on the Tafelsig Placemaking Initiative. It is a direct peer because both deliver landscape-driven placemaking and blue-green framework work for urban precincts, though OKRA operates at larger European scale.
- Stoss Landscape Urbanism: Stoss is a Boston-based landscape urbanism and design firm focused on resilient, community-driven public spaces and waterfronts. It is comparable to Our Future Cities because both deliver placemaking, walkability, and public-realm strategies tied to local context, often partnering with municipalities and developers.
- Jan Gehl Architects: The architectural practice of Jan Gehl delivers urban design and public-space master planning for cities worldwide. It is comparable to Our Future Cities because both combine urban strategy with hands-on design for streets, precincts, and public spaces, often engaging directly with city governments.
Others
- ICLEI Africa: ICLEI Africa is the regional arm of the ICLEI network supporting sustainable urban development across the continent, and a documented Our Future Cities partner. It is an adjacent ecosystem participant — a city-network and capacity-building organization — rather than a direct consulting competitor.
- African Centre for Cities: African Centre for Cities is a University of Cape Town–based research and policy hub on urban transformation in Africa, and a documented Our Future Cities partner. It is an adjacent ecosystem participant — academic and policy-driven rather than commercial consulting — but operates on overlapping themes of African urbanism.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Our Future Cities social profiles
Digital presenceOur Future Cities financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Our Future Cities leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Our Future Cities funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Our Future Cities M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Our Future Cities
What does Our Future Cities do?
Our Future Cities is an urbanism practice that provides research, strategy, design, and advisory services to shape more sustainable and equitable cities. The firm delivers eight core service categories — Research, Urban Strategy & Visioning, Consulting & Advisory Services, Project Facilitation & Management, Stakeholder Engagement, Design, Curation & Competitions, and Communication — via project-based engagements with municipalities, property developers, and urban development organisations.
Is Our Future Cities a public or private company?
Our Future Cities is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Our Future Cities founded?
Our Future Cities was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Our Future Cities based?
Our Future Cities is headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa, in the Africa region.
How does Our Future Cities make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Consulting & Advisory Services are the primary driver. The others are project Facilitation & Management and research Services.
Who are Our Future Cities's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are SWA Group, AECOM and Arup. Direct peers are Gehl, Project for Public Spaces, OKRA Landscape Architects, Stoss Landscape Urbanism and Jan Gehl Architects. Others are ICLEI Africa and African Centre for Cities.
Does Our Future Cities have an API?
No public API is recorded for Our Future Cities.
What industry is Our Future Cities in?
Our Future Cities's product category is Urban Planning & Design Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAD, Urban Planning & Master Planning, with a secondary code of BPAHAKAO, Community Engagement & Participatory Planning. Its NAICS code is 54131 and its SIC code is 8744.