Cape Town and nine world cities participating in carbon-neutral competition

The City of Cape Town, together with nine other cities across the world, is participating in the second round of the C40 Reinventing Cities Programme. Entries open today, 4 December 2019. Read more below:

Cape Town is a signatory to C40, a global network of large cities that are committed to developing and implementing policies to address climate change.

The C40 global architecture and urban design competition – Reinventing Cities – is now open for entries and involves 25 sites in 10 cities, namely: Cape Town, Chicago, Dubai, Lima, Madrid, Milan, Montreal, Singapore, Reykjavik, and Rome

Following on from Council’s approval at its meeting on 28 October 2019, four underused City-owned sites are available to the private sector and other interested parties for carbon-neutral mixed-use development as part of this worldwide competition.

The competition requires multi-disciplinary teams of architects, planners, developers, entrepreneurs, environmentalists, start-ups, neighbourhood collectives, innovators, and artists to team up and submit proposals which deliver carbon neutral and resilient urban regeneration.

The four sites are located in transit-accessible precincts in Athlone, Mitchells Plain, Diep River, and Goodwood, and could be repurposed for transit-oriented development, the provision of mixed-use and affordable and inclusionary housing, and to kick-start the overall rejuvenation of the surrounding areas.

The City is now calling on the private sector, community groups and any other interested parties to submit carbon-neutral development proposals for the following sites:

• Athlone station car park opposite the entrance to the Athlone train station. This site comprises of 0,37 ha. Apart from being close to the station, the area is well-served by minibus-taxis and about 8km from the Cape Town central business district.
• Kapteinsklip station precinct in Mitchell’s Plain. This City-owned site is located to the north and south of Baden Powell Drive at the intersections of Eisleben and Weltevreden Roads. It comprises of 30,6 ha. The site includes underutilised car parks and undeveloped open spaces, and is located on the False Bay coast close to the Mnandi resort and the Kapteinsklip station.
• Moquet Farm in Diep River. The site is on the intersection of Main and Kendal Roads and comprises of 2,1 ha. The rail station is a block away, and the site is ideal for higher density mixed-use development.
• Tygerdal site at the Monte-vista station, Goodwood. The site comprises of 7,6 ha. It is underused and is close to major retail and commercial centres. The site is ideal for higher density transit-oriented development, and could include different housing opportunities to a wide range of income groups.

The competition requires projects to deliver the most ambitious climate solutions that will also benefit the local communities.

‘I want to remind all that this is the beginning of a process that will take place over a number of years, should the City decide to go ahead with one or all of the development proposals. Also, thereafter we will follow a statutory process related to the development applications, meaning, the public will be able and encouraged to submit comments during a public participation process. We want residents and local communities adjacent to these sites to be involved,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Marian Nieuwoudt.

All four sites are appropriate for higher density developments that will include a mix of land uses and community services. The City encourages proposals that also include affordable housing opportunities for a range of income groups with a variety of topologies and tenure options. The proposals must enhance the urban environment and improve the quality of life for residents from the area.

The purpose of the C40 Reinventing Cities Programme is to transform underused urban sites into beacons of zero carbon emissions and resilient development.

Thus, the design proposals will need to minimise the amount of energy a building uses for heating, cooling, hot water, lighting, ventilation, electrical services, and so forth. The projects will have to reduce energy demand, use energy efficiently, and use renewable energy, or low-carbon energy. Proposals should also address other elements of urban sustainability and include features that address water and energy conservation, sustainable materials, green mobility and so forth.

More information about the competition and the projects sites in each participating city is available at: http://www.c40reinventingcities.org.