Initiated in 2009, the Infrastructure Dialogues platform provides a forum for senior government, private sector and civil society stakeholders to share views and perspectives on critical issues affecting the infrastructure sector. Over the past 10 years, this platform has explored themes ranging from municipal infrastructure financing and asset management, to transport, electricity and water infrastructure, as well as innovation and transformation in the sector. The Infrastructure Dialogues are hosted by the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), in partnership with the South African Cities Network (SACN), the National Business Initiative (NBI), the Economic Development Department (EDD) and the Department of Planning Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) in the Presidency, with Engineering News as Media Partner. Topics for the dialogues are the result of suggestions from the partners, as well as input from participants in the dialogues and discussion forums on the website. This is the sixth edition of our annual Compendium, which provides an overview of the themes that emerged from the four dialogues held between May 2018 and April 2019. The overall theme of the Compendium is “Reaping the Urban Dividend through Infrastructure”, which reflects the importance of cities to South Africa’s economy and development. And in this regard, it was fitting that for the 50th Dialogue, a significant milestone that took place in April 2019, the topic under discussion was “Spatial Transformation and the Inclusive Economy: A focus on inner-city housing”.

Other dialogues during the year looked at supporting intermediate cities, tackling corruption and bridging the funding gap for municipal infrastructure. Like the dialogues themselves, this Compendium’s intention is to contribute to an improved climate for policy and decision-making, and strengthened collaboration within the critical infrastructure sector. The Steering Committee of the Infrastructure Dialogues hopes that this Compendium will inspire you to engage and participate in frank, constructive engagement on infrastructure issues. As always, we invite you to visit the Infrastructure Dialogues website where a report of each dialogue and all of the Compendiums are published: www.infrastructuredialogues.co.za