Yolandi Burger

• Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Gauteng City-Region Observatory

Yolandi Burger is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the GCRO. She joined the GCRO in July 2025 as part of a joint appointment with the University of Johannesburg, where she is based in the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture. Yolandi holds a PhD in Higher Education Studies from the University of the Free State, along with a Master's degree in Design. She is also an honorary research fellow at Loughborough University in the United Kingdom, where she continues to co-lead international projects on urban graphic heritage.

Her research explores the intersection of urban storytelling, graphic heritage, and placemaking as tools for inclusive and sustainable urban development. She is co-lead of the research agenda 'Urban Places as Narrative Spaces', the Colouring South Africa project which is the local arm of the international Colouring Cities Research Programme (CCRP), along with collaborative initiatives with the Nelson Mandela Foundation and Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital. These efforts contribute to community-engaged scholarship through public-facing research dissemination outputs such as the 'Named after Nelson' exhibition, an exploratory AI podcast series, and digital data visualisations.

Her current work at the GCRO explores the role of urban graphic heritage in shaping public understanding of Johannesburg's built environment. Positioned at the crossroads of urban heritage, graphic design, and storytelling, her research explores how visual elements such as signage, murals, and typography influence the dimensions of urban design. She is dedicated to research for impact, interdisciplinary collaboration, and making urban graphic heritage accessible to a broader public through creative means.

• –present Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Gauteng City-Region Observatory

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