https://doi.org/10.1177/0021909620975804
Journal of Asian and African Studies
1–13
© The Author(s) 2020
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DOI: 10.1177/0021909620975804
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J A A S
Monitoring and Evaluation
of Transformative Creative
Placemaking on University
Campuses
Innocent Tinashe Mutero
and Ivan Gunass Govender
Durban University of Technology, South Africa
Abstract
The study argues that the value of arts-based interventions in peacebuilding and development is yet to
be fully realised due to a paucity of effective monitoring and evaluation models. In a context of growing
attention to the benefits of university community engagement to social change, this article reports on how
social practice creative placemaking embedded in engaged scholarship can be assessed for efficiency and its
effectiveness in giving salience to silenced and ‘unusual’ voices in the pursuit of social justice. We propose
an effective monitoring and evaluation model that shows the change development processes and can track
and attribute causality.
Keywords
Engaged creative placemaking, campus relations, monitoring and evaluation, arts for social change,
community engagement
Introduction
Over the past few years, universities in South Africa have gradually increased their university-
community engagement efforts. The National Research Foundation has gone on to invest gener-
ously in university community engagement. This is for a good reason. The collaborative efforts of
university students, scientists and community stakeholders are key to realising political, social and
economic development, and are closely connected to the wealth, improvement of quality of life and
place liveability (Orr, 2016). The diversity of teams from various domains teaming up on university
community engagement adds more value to local innovation compared to homogenous players
(Chimbari, 2016). Therefore, engaged scholarship has a transformative role in enlarging societal
Corresponding author:
Innocent Tinashe Mutero, Department of Entrepreneurial Studies and Management, Durban University of Technology,
Block C, ML Sultan Campus, Durban, 4001, South Africa.
Email: muteroinnocent@gmail.com
975804JAS 0 0 10.1177/0021909620975804Journal of Asian and African StudiesMutero and Govender
research-article 2020
Original Article