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STATEMENT BY THE CITY’S EXECUTIVE MAYOR, PATRICIA DE LILLE
Like many other cities in the world, we continue to experience rapid urbanisation as more and more people move to Cape Town in search of opportunities.
This presents numerous opportunities.
These opportunities require a fresh, innovative approach. We can no longer do the same things and expect different results.
To deal with the legacy of apartheid spatial planning and redress the injustices of the past, we need to reimagine Cape Town in order to create a city that works more efficiently and effectively, for all our residents.
As part of our strategic objective to build an opportunity city, our Integrated Development Plan (IDP) sets various objectives such as leveraging the City of Cape Town’s assets to drive economic and social development and stimulate job creation.We looked at the tools and levers that we as local government can use to stimulate and encourage private sector investment which better aligns transport, development and economic opportunities.
Indeed, this stems from the commitment in our Integrated Development Plan to leverage the City’s assets for economic and social development.
In March 2016 Council adopted its Transit-Orientated Development (TOD) Strategic Framework which prescribes how new developments across Cape Town should address apartheid spatial inequality, urbanisation and the high cost of public transport, while also stimulating economic growth.
In leveraging City assets, the City of Cape Town will be the catalyst investor in these projects and spur on other investment in projects to unlock transit-orientated development.
We have already employed this innovative approach with the Maiden’s Cove proposal as well as the Foreshore Freeway Project which leverages City-owned land and calls on the private sector to propose a plan to address congestion, provide affordable housing and find a solution for the unfinished freeways .
However, the City’s TOD projects comprise but one element of a more comprehensive spatial plan – one that government cannot accomplish alone.
It is vital that we form partnerships with various sector bodies and the private sector if we are to truly realise a revitalised, integrated city.
TOD projects must have the right mix that integrates economic development with high-density affordable housing located close to transport and social amenities.
TOD will revitalise many parts of our city as we reimagine the way we travel, live and work. This will be especially beneficial to lower-income households, who will in future be closer to economic opportunities and spend less of their income on transport.
TOD aims to create a city where:
the urban space is compact and well connected
developments are conducive to economic and social efficiency
residents have easy access to efficient, sustainable and affordable public transport
living and breathing is easy as shorter travelling distances will reduce the number of carbon emissions from transport
We want to make this great city even greater and to do so we need to think and work differently.
If we invest in areas with transport and residential development, we are paving the way for businesses to follow the footfall and bring jobs into those hubs.
Where there is existing transport, we need to prioritise development to support these networks and attract more people to make use of residential and economic opportunities.
Where there is a favourable location, we need to optimise land use by investing in transport and development.
Where there is development but no transport, we need to invest in creating connectivity.
The TOD Strategic Framework will be the primary informant of all the City’s strategic built environment plans.
Apartheid was a divisive spatial transformation policy.
We will use TOD to build a future Cape Town with equity and inclusivity as its cornerstones.
This is a continuation of our work to build an opportunity and inclusive city where the future of our residents is not defined by where they live but by the increasing opportunities that they will have access to.
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