Cape Town: a Complex Study in Urban Planning

Cape Town, South Africa.

Cape Town is a fascinating and complex study in urban planning. The city and surrounding areas are stunning with their mountains, beaches, architecture, and climate. The urban core is named the “city bowl” due to it being nestled between the harbor, Table Mountain, Devil’s Peak, and Lion’s Head. The geography creates a natural amphitheater that in itself creates a complex dynamic for infrastructure and urban planning. This is made more complex as these natural divisions furthered the racial divisions brought on by apartheid, making Cape Town South Africa’s most segregated city. Over the last 25 years there have been bold attempts at unity and to use urban design to create democratic inclusivity. This is seen in improvements to the city’s transit systems and by reconfiguring low income communities with new infrastructure and vibrant new public spaces. What was once designed to keep people apart is now being reimagined to bring people together. In 2014 Cape Town was anointed the World Deign Capital (WDC) bestowed on a city that is leveraging design to improve urban life. Another interesting aspect to Cape Town’s urban planning is the waterfront known as the V&A Waterfront. Through history the waterfront has consistently been the scene of excavations, reclamation, harbor construction projects, and land based developments. The V&A Waterfront is a real working harbor as well as a continuously evolving mixed use development for the community and visitors.