An analysis of Cape Town Municipality's approach to urban regeneration in the central business district and other business nodes

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: According to certain writers urban regeneration as an idea encapsulates both the perception of citydecline (in local economies, in the use of land and buildings, in the equality of the environment andsocial life) and the hope of renewal, reversing trends in order to find a new basis for economicgrowth and social wellbeing. Rebuilding the city, clearing away obsolete buildings and vacantsites, and producing new building forms and designs symbolised the renewal in action. But urbanregeneration also has different components or evolution criteria like, the major strategy (the focusof the renewal project), an economic focus, a social content, a physical emphasis or anenvironmental approach. The economic change that occurred in cities throughout the world in thepast decade, has been paralleled not only by the physical reshaping of the city, but it has beenaccompanied by institutional restructuring (the rise of new firms, new working practices andrelationships designed to exploit new market opportunities).The physical, economic, social and cultural projects launched through the process of urbanregeneration, reconstruct the economic, socio-cultural, political-institutional and physicalenvironmentalfabric of cities. It battles urban decay and redevelop the city to such a extend that itbrings back the original appeal of the city, which lured people to the central city for decades. Butnot all urban renewal projects are aimed at the inner city; some are launched in a much widercontext and would focus on blighted or previously disadvantaged and marginalised areas. Renewalprojects in Cape Town and elsewhere in South Africa in cities like Durban and Johannesburg arestill ongoing and form an important part of rebuilding cities of modem South Africa. It is howeverimportant to remember that not all urban renewal projects proved to be a success, some do fail. Inthe Cape Town Metropole and the Central City local government has neglected many areas formuch too long. Recent efforts to restore the beauty of Cape Town and really address the urbanchallenges that arose from the Apartheid legacy shows a commitment from the Cape TownMunicipality to create a much more liveable and economic viable urban environment.This study investigated the City of Cape Town Municipality's approach towards urban regenerationin the Central Business District and other specific business nodes. A literature review gave anintellectual background to the study and helped to build a logical framework. Secondary analysishelped define the goal of the study and qualitative field research assisted the investigation throughdirect observation and semi-structured interviewing. The study did not aim to prove that every urban renewal project that was launched was aimed at eradicating the problems associated with theApartheid City. An important factor to take in account is that different business areas (The Victoriaand Alfred Waterfront) and nodes (The Wetton-Landsdowne Phillipi Corridor), the focus of thisstudy, make use of different redevelopment strategies. This study focused on how and why somework and must be built upon, and delivered critique on why some failed and should convert to amore successful renewal approach. The study concluded that the City of Cape Town's approachtowards urban regeneration do compare positively with redevelopment strategies followed in otherparts of the world such as America and Britain. The study tried to show the direction urbanregeneration could take for the future, based on an evaluation of urban regeneration evolutioncriteria namely:• The major strategy and orientation and key actors and stakeholders.• The economic focus.• The social content.• The physical emphasis.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University