Figure 6 shows the TRUP site in relation to its metropolitan context. The current and future population of Cape Town is shown in Figure 7.
Figure 7: Current and Future Population Projections for Cape Town (Source: Botha, 2015)
According to the CoCT (2012), it is important that all forward spatial planning initiatives recognise that Cape Town’s natural environment and the uniqueness
and amenity that it offers are critical components of the city’s competitive advantage and its service sector-based economy. The protection of the city’s natural environment is therefore not purely a conservation effort, but also a way of ensuring continued investment in the city. This view, however, is problematic, as it anthropocentrically implies that natural assets are to be protected purely for the purpose of human economic gain and profit making.
The CoCT SDF (2012) argues that in order to put Cape Town on a more sustainable growth path, the impacts of urban development on biodiversity and the city’s natural and ecological services must be managed. New urban
development should be directed towards locations where its impact on critical biodiversity areas, water bodies and agricultural areas will be minimised. The value of
maintaining well-functioning ecological systems must be recognised.
The City must contain Cape Town’s development footprint in order to protect natural, rural and heritage assets with development edges, and promote densi cation in
appropriate locations, in order to encourage more
sustainable use of resources, improve economies of scale, and increase thresholds required for public transport. The
development of areas suited for urban development must be facilitated in order to avoid development in hazardous areas.
Based on the analysis of key drivers of growth in Cape Town and their spatial implications, the following are considered to be the spatial structuring elements from which to plan a more sustainable city (CoCT, 2012: 27):
• Adopting an approach to urban growth that promotes a city that is resilient and adaptive;
• Recognising that the City functions within a broader region;
• Protecting natural assets and biological diversity; • Planning for a multidirectional accessibility grid that facilitates more equitable access to urban economic opportunities;
• Identifying areas of land use intensification that
encourage the concentration of economic activities in more accessible locations;
• Putting in place urban growth informants that will
manage the city’s growth and form in a more sustainable and beneficial way; and
• Protecting and enhancing the city’s collection of unique cultural landscapes and recreational assets, which face intense development pressure. These assets include major
tourist destinations and some of the most sought-after environments in the country.
According to the City of Cape Town (CoCT) (2003), there is an urgent need in the city to protect and rehabilitate ecological systems and to encourage mutually beneficial relationships between people and the natural
environment. This is recognised as critical to the sustainable development of the city, and hence is a central concern of local government. The area identified as the proposed Two Rivers Urban Park offers an exciting opportunity to address these needs.
Furthermore, the CTSDF (2012) identifies some of the socio- economic issues facing the city of Cape Town. The city, similar to most South African cities, is characterized by widespread unemployment, spatial fragmentation by race and income as a result of past Apartheid policies, large housing backlogs and insufficient access to amenities and services such as housing, health, and safety. Those who are employed travel long distances in order to gain access to economic and social opportunities, making transportation costly and time consuming. Infrastructure, as a result of Apartheid planning, creates hard barriers to access to the city and further fragments it. The city is characterized by inaccessible neighborhood units, as a result, which are separated by natural buffers. Sprawling urban
development is the case in Cape Town, putting pressure on food security, water quality, and biodiversity and natural
resources (CoCT, 2012). This increases the use of the car, which is impacting on air quality.
Figure 8 shows the racial distribution of Cape Town. It shows that Cape Town is racially fragmented. The TRUP site lies in an area between different racial groups and offers
opportunities for social and racial integration through connecting surrounding neighborhoods.
Figure 8: Racial Distribution of Cape Town (Source: Unknown)
Figure 9 shows population densities by area in the city in relation to socio-economic opportunities. It shows that
there is a large disconnect between where people are and where economic opportunities are located. It further
represents the spatial fragmentation of the city. In areas where there is the biggest need for socio-economic
opportunity, there is less provision. It illustrates the inequality in the city. Figure 10 shows the density of the city. It shows that higher densities are located in predominantly poorer areas, where less economic opportunities are found. The images begin to paint a picture of an unequal and polarized city, in need of integration and justice.
Figure 9: Population densities by Area in Relation to Socio-Economic Opportunities in Cape Town (Source: Botha, 2015)
Figure 10: Density of the City of Cape Town (Source: Botha, 2015)
The TRUP local area is located 8km from the Cape Town CBD, at the juncture of two well-established metropolitan activity corridors: Voortrekker Road, Lansdowne Road, and Main Road (shown in figure 11).
Figure 11: Current Metropolitan Activity Corridors in Cape Town (Source: Cameron, 2014)
It has exceptional potential for public transport
opportunities, as well as increased access and integration of the metropolitan area. This is so because seven railway stations border the site on its north, east, and west sides, with major transport routes and road infrastructure
bordering and running through the site, such as the N2 In the south, Berkley Road in the north, and the Liesbeek and Black River Parkways which run though it from north to south. The potential for metropolitan integration through the development of the TRUP site is enhanced by the site’s location, at the “elbow” of the city. The site links the
northern and southern suburbs of Cape Town, as well as the CBD and Atlantic Seaboard. The site is the location of the confluence of the Liesbeek and Black Rivers, which are part of the CoCT system of rivers. The site forms part of a green open space corridor network, linked by the city’s riverine systems, which runs through the metropolitan area, and has the potential to become a major public amenity of regional significance (CTS, 2012). Its role, in terms of enhancing and protecting biodiversity and natural
resources, is therefore crucial. Biodiversity loss, due to urban development, is rife in Cape Town. Figure 12 illustrates how biodiversity and natural resources in the city of Cape Town have diminished, since the city has grown.
Figure 12: Diminishing Biodiversity and Natural Resources in the City of Cape Town (Source: Cameron, 2014)