1to1 - Agency of Engagement is a non-profit social enterprise that seeks to positively and systematically shape the way that Southern African cities are seen, made and managed towards a spatially equitable Southern African future.

1to1 works towards this goal through a focus on the systemic development of human-centred and tactical practices of design, thinking and making that hold the potential to fundamentally address spatial Inequality in our cites: one of the most tangible, yet under-addressed legacies of post-apartheid and post-Colonial Southern Africa.

1to1 refers to a scale of approach toward design; a scale of exercising contemporary theory through active building, a scale of an engagement that reflects human-centred values in its approach and its output. 1to1 embraces critical, disruptive and societally reflexive methods and ethos to our approach to design in South Africa. This includes proactive engagement on societal factors related to gender, race, age and nationality in the Southern African context.

1to1 exists as a facilitator of engagement towards development between informal settlement communities and spatial academics and professionals, classifying its role as ‘spatial design tactician’. 1to1 has been developed to support government bodies, NGOs and other civil society members as well as the private sector in support of urban upgrade development.