The Penn Institute for Urban Research (Penn IUR) recently announced Rose Molokoane and Victor Santiago Pineda as recipients of its 13th annual Urban Leadership Awards, which recognize leaders who have demonstrated a vision to move cities toward a sustainable and vibrant future. Ms. Molokoane is deputy president of Shack/Slum Dwellers International (SDI), a global network of slum dweller federations in 33 countries across the Global South; national coordinator of the South Africa SDI  Alliance and the Federation of the Urban Poor (FEDUP); and co-chair of the UN-Habitat’s World Urban Campaign. Mr. Pineda is president of World ENABLED and adjunct professor in the department of city and regional planning at the University of California-Berkeley.

Ms. Molokoane, a resident of Oukasie township outside Pretoria, South Africa, is a veteran of the anti-apartheid struggle and one of the most internationally recognized grassroots activists involved in land tenure and housing issues.

Through FEDUP, Ms. Molokoane has worked to help slum dwellers to pool their savings and improve their lives while negotiating with government for progressive housing policy. She has initiated federations of savings schemes throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America. She was awarded the UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour Award in 2005 for her struggle to bring land and homes to the poor.

Mr. Pineda is a globally recognized expert on disability policy who teaches courses on planning theory, policy evaluation, and international community development and serves as a public member of the US Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board. He founded World ENABLED in 2003 to improve the participation outcomes for youth with disabilities through inclusive research and educational programs.