Inspiring a more Liveable City

Future housing projects for Cape Town outlined by Western Cape Government

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

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…

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

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 units of 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, 52,000 square feet of open and recreational space, 49,000 square feet of light industrial space, 48,000 square for community facilities, and 21,000 square feet of retail space.

POLICIES : Improving the affordable housing application process

#gallery-0-8 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-8 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-0-8 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-8 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

We met with the director of the Public Policy Lab who are redesigning services to help New Yorkers better understand how to apply for affordable housing. They found that “more than half the applicants for a particular development to be ineligible for the unit they were applying for” and developed a set of new informational materials about the affordable housing process. Learn more about their work here.

PUBLIC SPACES : A major new waterfront park 

We walked around the Hunter’s Point South Park a major new waterfront park in the city which transformed an abandoned post-industrial area in Long Island City. The new park includes a central green, playgrounds, adult fitness equipment a dog run, a bikeway, a waterside promenade, picnic terraces a basketball court, a 30-foot-tall cantilevered platform for viewing the skyline and waterfront, and a 13,000 square foot pavilion that contains comfort stations, concessions, and an elevated cafe plaza.

Read more here. 

CONFERENCES : Acts of Design: New Housing Paradigms in North America

The conference assessed the current state of housing in North America through a combination of case-studies. The focus was on designing housing across scales in cities spanning Toronto, Mexico City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, and New York. Speakers included Jorge Ambrosi and Gabriela Etchegaray, Michael Bell, Tatiana Bilbao, David Brody, Fernanda Canales. Read more here.

We also attend the event Reshaping Streetcapes which explored strategies to promote design excellence for one of “the most unruly areas” of the public realm: sidewalks and streets.

Reconnecting with friends and project  partners

The visit was also an opportunity reconnect with our friends at Project for Public Spaces, Urban-Think Tank

  Get in touch to learn more about our research, policy and strategy work in this area.

How to design more resilient communities : Lessons from New York to South Africa at the #cocreateDESIGN FESTIVAL-2019

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…

#cocreateDESIGN FESTIVAL-2019 : Conference and Masterclass Day launched

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…

In Paris, Sharyn Sassen shares placemaking learnings at World Convergences Forum.

In September 2018, Sharyn Sassen represented Our Future Cities at the 11th World Convergences Forum in Paris.

The conference provides a platform for thought on issues of exclusion, poverty and climate change by bringing together public, private, and solidarity-based actors to promote the Sustainable Development Goals. The 2018 Convergences Forum gathered 3000 participants from various sectors to…

Creative proposals developed for the revitalization of Jeju in South Korea

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXVkTYVnkmM&feature=youtu.be

From 29 October to 04 November 2018, we took part in the 2018 Global Youth Culture Forumalong with diverse international urbanists, artists and architects. The purpose of the workshop was to examine a series of related questions and produce creative proposals for the revitalization of Jeju Old City taking into consideration the rich…

Our Future Cities director, Rashiq Fataar participates in first ever Future Cities Canada Summit

In November 2018, our director Rashiq Fataar was invited to participate in the inaugural Future Cities Canada Summit in Toronto. The event convened 850 city builders from across the world with more than 120 leaders speaking about their work creating real solutions to the challenges our cities are facing.

During the closing plenary,…

CITYLIFT Cape Town Foreshore Freeway Plan

How can the Cape Town city centre be reconnected with the water, overcoming the barriers of the freeways?

CITYLIFT is a vision for Cape Town which proposes to remove the elevated freeways, replacing it with at grade road, and lifting the city grid over and above it towards the harbour.

CITYLIFT would created a dense, vibrant,…

British Trade Delegation visit Church Square

In August, senior British politicians and government officials part of the British Prime Ministers tour of Africa visited Church Square and Speakers-Corner as part of the ongoing regeneration of the East City.

Katie & Jonny Friedman from Urban Lime and Rashiq Fataar from Our Future Cities hosted Andrew Selous, Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy for South Africa, John Mahon, Director General:…

Rivertown Precinct Masterplan Competition : 8 teams present in Durban

The Rivertown Precinct Masterplan Competition hosted by Urban Lime and operated by Future Durban invited 8 South African planning and urban design companies to compete to prepare a masterplan for Rivertown Precinct located to the east of the Central Business District in Durban, South Africa.

The winning team will tasked with developing an overarching vision to provide a roadmap…

Salt River Market site is a major opportunity for well-located, integrated housing in Cape Town : Let’s build!

by Catherine Stone

In 2012 Cape Town’s city planners started a project to package well located land to be developed in a manner that would demonstrate the intent of our plans and policies to transform Cape Town. We wanted to get our hands dirty figuring out how to build affordable housing on well located land and maintain opportunities for inclusion in an area rapidly gentrifying. The Cape Town…

10 ideas to transform the future of public spaces

African public spaces are complex, especially so against the backdrop of fast urbanising cities and increasing socio-economic volatility.

Public space in South Africa was, and in some instances still remains, a contentious issue due to apartheid spatial planning policies, which denied non-white citizens access to quality public spaces and city centres, places which were reserved only for whites.…

How Cape Town could boost its water supply : Why is the City of Cape Town ignoring the value of stormwater ?

CONTRIBUTE 

This article originally appeared at UCT News, on 14 May 2018. It can be accessed here :  Author and Photographer : Kevin Winter

READ MORE ON WATER

Cape Town’s water crisis : Towards a more secure water future

Beyond the water crisis : How a new model of government can lead us to a water secure future

Cape Town’s long term food and water security under threat 

What if our spaces near…

The future of inclusionary housing in Cape Town : Key steps to move from dialogue to delivery

  Inclusionary housing can play an important role in diversify the groups who have access to housing across various well-located parts of Cape Town. 

DEFINITION

Inclusionary Housing: Housing developed by the private sector, where the project or development also makes available or introduces units which are more affordable for more diverse income groups e.g. lower than the median income of the…

Architects : dhk architects Location : Steenberg, Cape Town, South Africa Area : 1250m2 Status : Complete Client : Norval Foundation Photographer : Dave Southwood

From the architects : The finishing touches are being put in place by dhk as the much-anticipated Norval Foundation centre for art in Steenberg, Cape Town nears completion.

Envisioned by the architects as a modern pavilion for art, it is set against a spectacular mountain backdrop and overlooks an indigenous landscaped garden that integrates a rehabilitated wetland, sculpture park, amphitheatre and picnic site.

In addition to 1250m2 of exhibition space – comprising 6 small galleries, a large sculpture gallery, events space and a special exhibitions gallery – the Norval Foundation also includes a library and lecture room, offices, artists residence, restaurant, bar, and shop, with parking bays located underground.

Due to open on Saturday 28 April, the Norval Foundation will house works from South Africa and beyond, in a multi-sensory celebration of art, architecture and landscape.

A new deal for public transport in South African cities : How to bring all sectors on board

This panel discussion took place at the main conference of the #cocreateDESIGN FESTIVAL-2018 in Cape Town on 23 February 2018. More information here.Panelists : Yusry Frizlar, Director at Arcus GIBB Gail Jennings, Independent Researcher specialising in Public Health, Urban Sustainability and Sustainable Mobility Brett Herron, Mayoral Committee Member: Transport and Urban Development Authority…

Friday 23 February Main Conference Address: District 6 Homecoming Centre 07:30 – 8:30 Join us for coffee at nearby cafes 08:45 Take your seats 09:00 Welcome to Cape Town Bonnie Horbach Designing the future Erica Elk 09:10 BEYOND THE CRISIS Turning our biggest crises into an opportunityCan our crises can be turned into an opportunity to build greener and more climate resilient cities? Is the…