Amira Osman – The Conversation

Khartoum’s central business district burns. AFP via Getty Images

September 22, 2023

Khartoum’s burning tower: architects on the destruction of a city – and what it’ll take to rebuild

Amira Osman, Tshwane University of Technology; Akram Ahmed Elkhalifa, University of Khartoum, and Tallal Abdalbasit Saeed, University of Khartoum

Architects give their views on a landmark skyscraper burning as Sudan’s capital is systematically destroyed.

The aftermath of a 2021 fire disaster in an abandoned building in central Johannesburg. Photo by Sharon Seretlo/Gallo Images via Getty Images

September 8, 2023

Johannesburg fire: there was a plan to fix derelict buildings and provide good accommodation ‑ how to move forward

Marie Huchzermeyer, University of the Witwatersrand; Amira Osman, Tshwane University of Technology; Hannah le Roux, University of the Witwatersrand; Margot Rubin, Cardiff University; Matthew Wilhelm-Solomon, University of the Witwatersrand; Mfaniseni Fana Sihlongonyane, University of the Witwatersrand; Neil Klug, University of the Witwatersrand; Philip Harrison, University of the Witwatersrand; Priscila Izar, University of the Witwatersrand; Sarah Charlton, University of the Witwatersrand; Sarita Pillay Gonzalez, University of the Witwatersrand, and Tanya Zack, University of the Witwatersrand

Armed police interventions are unconstitutional and incapable of addressing housing and safety in the inner city.

De la fumée s'élève de la capitale du Soudan alors que le conflit s'empare de Khartoum. Abdelmoneim Sayed/AFP via Getty Images

May 29, 2023

Khartoum : création et destruction d'une ville africaine moderne

Amira Osman, Tshwane University of Technology

Les habitants et les Soudanais de la diaspora ont investi dans des maisons pour assurer leur avenir. Aujourd'hui, le conflit détruit l'espoir.

Smoke rises from Sudan’s capital as conflict grips Khartoum. Abdelmoneim Sayed/AFP via Getty Images

May 22, 2023

Khartoum: the creation and the destruction of a modern African city

Amira Osman, Tshwane University of Technology

Both residents and Sudanese in the diaspora invested in homes to secure the future. Now the conflict is destroying hope.

Meals are prepared for protesters at Khartoum’s military headquarters. EPA-EFE/STRINGER

April 26, 2019

Sudan: the symbolic significance of the space protesters made their own

Amira Osman, Tshwane University of Technology

Urban public spaces may be built to represent governments, but often become sites of protest.

Protests over housing at, an informal settlement near Johannesburg. EPA/Cornell Tukiri

October 10, 2019

South Africa urgently needs to rethink its approach to housing

Amira Osman, Tshwane University of Technology

Recent events suggest that South Africa’s government may be resorting to short-term measures to pacify anger over lack of housing. But what’s needed is a major overhaul of the housing policy.

Khartoum at sunset. The city’s architectural heritage is under threat. Shutterstock

May 5, 2016

Sudan student protests show how much city planning and design matter

Amira Osman, University of Johannesburg

Students at the University of Khartoum are protesting about a secretive plan to move the institution from its historic buildings.

Grim, single sex workers’ hostels are still common in South Africa’s economic capital Johannesburg. Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters

November 23, 2015

What architects must learn from South African student protests

Amira Osman, University of Johannesburg

Architects and those working on the built environment can learn valuable lessons about their discipline – how it’s taught, and how it’s carried out – from the 2015 student protests.

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