02 December 2022 – Locals welcomed a pedestrian crossing in Sea Point transformed by art on 02 December 2022. Located on Main Road outside of the Artem Centre near Sea Point High School, the artwork was created by artist Al Luke. For a selection of photos available please access the Google Drive folder here. The 16m x 14m artwork piece entitled ‘Recollection’, aims to raise awareness around pedestrian safety in South Africa, brighten up the city’s public spaces and spread joy ahead of Cape Town’s festive season. “It has been an absolute honor to be a part of this project and to ..read more

The Cape Town Executive Mayor Dan Plato officially launched the Bellville Future City project aimed at focusing efforts to transform the area. The City is aiming to harness closer working relationships and collaboration with the rail agencies PRASA and Transnet, and other key stakeholders in the revitalisation of the Bellville CBD. The vision of developing Bellville as Cape Town’s second CBD has been discussed for a long time  and the City are now thought to be taking concrete action. Also read: Making better places for diverse communities: Learnings from the Bellville CBD Voortrekker R ..read more

ICLEI Africa launches the inaugural edition of the annual RISE Africa event as part of the platform’s vision to inspire and enable impactful and inventive action for sustainable, resilient African cities.  Cape Town, 1 March 2021 The RISE Africa platform will host its first annual event that brings together Africa’s urban thinkers, doers and enablers, including ICLEI Africa’s member cities, subnational and local governments, from 24 to 28 May 2021. The event is planned around celebrating Africa Day, 25 May, and this year’s theme is NEXT URBAN CHAMPIONS*. “Our cities are the manifestation ..read more

According to UN Habitat (2011), over 68% of the world population will be living in urban areas by 2050. The hurdle of affordable housing in the face of urbanisation is not new in the context of South Africa, where the notions of access to adequate housing and ownership rights present an on-going challenge. These obstacles presented opportunities which respond to the current issues surrounding access to affordable housing which inspired the creation of Bitprop. Bitprop is a start-up piloting in South Africa that connects investors to community property owners within informal settlements. The c ..read more

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s 2019 State of the Nation Address was delivered on 20 June 2019. Below are extracts from his speech that are relevant to the planning, development and design of South Africa’s cities and communities. On Rail : “We want a South Africa that has prioritised its rail networks, and is producing high-speed trains connecting our megacities and the remotest areas of our country. We should imagine a country where bullet trains pass through Johannesburg as they travel from here to Musina, and they stop in Buffalo City on their way from Ethekwini back here.” On New Cities : “I ..read more

A view of the City Bowl from Signal Hill, with greater Cape Town in the distance. 10,000 units are to be built within the City Bowl WRITE AN ARTICLE  At the Western Cape Human Settlements budget vote speech on 26 March 2019, minister Bonginkosi Madikizela provided a summary of the the department’s plans for current and future housing projects in Cape Town and the rest of the Western Cape. Notably, this included plans for future mixed-income housing within Cape Town’s City Bowl. These mixed development projects include houses for the indigent, gap housing, rental units, social housing and ..read more

The #cocreateDESIGN Festival an initiative by the Kingdom of the Netherlands in South Africa, is a platform for South African and Dutch counterparts to exchange innovations for a sustainable future. The 2019 edition, held at the V&A Waterfront on the 25th-26th of February, focused on resilient communities and citizen-led solutions. Watch a presentation outline the curator statement here. Watch all the lectures at the #cocreateDESIGN FESTIVAL-2019 Conference. here. Access the presentations here The festival welcomed over 20 speakers, 7 workshops, 2 films and over 300 participants. The tw ..read more

The #cocreateDESIGN FESTIVAL 2019, themed “Inspiring Resilience”, is taking place on 25 and 26February at the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town. The festival will celebrate globally inspiring, people-led, on-the-ground projects that demonstrate the power of design to tackle current socio-economic and environmental shocks and stresses. Now in its second year, the festival boasts over 20 notable speakers and masterclass hosts from various backgrounds and from across the globe. Purchase tickets here Meet the speakers here Read the Curatorial Statement here CONFERENCE : MONDAY, 25 FEBRUARY Welcome ..read more

PROJECT : The Peninsula,  $300 million mixed-use affordable housing project We learnt from the Public Design Commission about the transformation of a former Bronx juvenile prison site into a $300 million mixed-use development which will bring 740 affordable housing units. The proposal by developers Gilbane Development Company, the Hudson Companies, and Mutual Housing Association of New York’s was selected. Under their plan, and with the design services of WXY architecture + urban design and Body Lawson Associates, the five-acre site will give way to 740 units of affordable housing, 52,00 ..read more

The Cape Town Executive Mayor Dan Plato officially launched the Bellville Future City project aimed at focusing efforts to transform the area. The City is aiming to harness closer working relationships and collaboration with the rail agencies PRASA and Transnet, and other key stakeholders in the revitalisation of the Bellville CBD. The vision of developing Bellville as Cape Town’s second CBD has been discussed for a long time  and the City are now thought to be taking concrete action. Also read: Making better places for diverse communities: Learnings from the Bellville CBD Voortrekker R ..read more