City Views: Cape Town as a biodiverse city by Cape Town Partnership

CITYVIEWS

May 2013

Ilustration by: Alex Latimer

YOUR FREE CAPE TOWN CENTRAL CITY PAPER

Cape Town as a

BIODIVERSE CITY

The city as an

ecosystem

Cape Town as an urban biodiversity

hotspot

>> page 3

CLEAN | SAFE | CAR I NG

>> page 6, 7 & 8

The faces of

Cape Town >> page 11

town

CityViews

Cape Town as an

urban biodiversity hotspot

>> page 3

The faces of

Cape Town

>> page 6, 7 & 8

>> page 11

CLEAN | SAFE | CAR I NG

We asked talented Cape Town-based illustrator Alex Latimer to help us show the rich variety of our city’s systems for our May cover. We think his whimsical and intricate visual map, depicting the incredible diversity of Cape Town, does the trick.

New retailers in the CBD Coeval Contemporary Jewellery

Nuri Sushi Factory

A new addition to St George’s Mall, this jewellery store features contemporary designs in silver and natural gemstones. Shop 5 Protea Assurance Building 97 St George’s Mall T: 021 424 1183

Urban Rural Growers Emporium (URGE) A mix of rural living and inner-city buzz, this eatery and deli provides fresh produce from local farms around Cape Town. 6 Buiten Street T: 021 424 4951 www.urgecapetown.co.za

This new sushi joint takes a graband-go approach to sushi, focusing on fresh, innovative sushi combinations at reasonable prices. 8 Parliament Street T: 021 461 8719

Motherland Coffee Company This proudly African coffee company aims to reclaim the continent’s coffee heritage. Try one of their Mothercuppas, based on their house blend of Rwandan and Ethiopian blend or stick around to sample their food menu. Corner of Wale Street and St George’s Mall T: 021 424 8570 www.motherlandcoffee.com

“I would get different people to write for the publication, kind of like an open mic section for anyone with an issue – serious or not – to be shared and discussed. I would also initiate conversations about the city. Ask a question and get people to respond. Perhaps do more photo essays.” Yazeed Kamaldien

Created by: Judith Browne, Alma Viviers, Ambre Nicolson, Shannon Royden-Turner, Lisa Burnell, Alex Latimer, Michelle Coburn

Contact: Judith Browne: 021 419 1881 judith@capetownpartnership.co.za www.capetowncid.co.za www.capetownpartnership.co.za

We’re trying to include vox pops from people on the street in every edition (see page 11). Let us know what you think.

Design: Infestation www.infestation.co.za 021 461 8601

“I love reading about all the Cape Town city news around the different theme of each issue of City Views. Keep up the great work that you and your team do! I particularly enjoy the centrespread maps with key points of interest. While it’s great to keep these in a safe space at home, I increasingly find that I want to refer to some of these places on the run during the day. Therefore I was wondering if it was possible to make a PDF of these maps available for download, so I can store it on my phone for example. Please let me know if this is possible.” Marc Cloete

Telling your story in City Views We’re always on the lookout for stories of people who are shaping their city, their community, their lives for the better. If you would like to be featured or know of someone who is worth featuring, please send your story to judith@ capetownpartnership.co.za. We cannot promise to publish every story, but we can promise to consider it.

If you go onto www.capetowncid.co.za and click on the “news” tab, the featured story every month is where you can download all the City Views maps – for free.

Have your say On Twitter: @City_Views

Sharing City Views’ stories

On Facebook: www.facebook.com/CityViewsCapeTown By email: judith@capetownpartnership.co.za Through the post: Cape Town Partnership The Terraces, 34 Bree Street Cape Town 8000

CITY VIEWS

CAPE TOWN YOUR FREE

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CITY VIEW S

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of Cape Town

What we can all learn

from jazz

>> page 3

Our jour

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Children out >> page nec speaking 4&5 got its groove ting on the airwaves

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>> page 4&5

While the CCID aims to keep the Central City safe, clean and caring, we often get queries about where to report a faulty traffic light or who to call when you see a burst water pipe. Here are some useful numbers for the CBD area. If you have a smart phone, you can also scan these useful QR codes to save the numbers straight to your phone.

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PAP

See you city turn r

inside ed out

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Get the help you need in the CBD

TRA

March

SOU NDING OUT THE CITY

ON CALL

YOU

April 2013

PAPER CENTRAL CITY

Films

ecosystem

Published by: The Cape Town Partnership and the Central City Improvement District (CCID)

Muti

The city as an

Great idea: If you know a school or community group who can help us map the city from their perspective, we’d love to hear from you.

Hahn,

Cape Town as a

BIODIVERSE CITY

“How about an issue for kids? What does the city look like from their perspective? What interesting things are on offer for children and also for adults who want to entertain their inner child? Just a thought.” Erika Carstens

>> page

Martin

Ilustration by: Alex Latimer

May 2013

City Views is a placemaking publication and free community paper co-published by the Cape Town Partnership and the Central City Improvement District. It aims to grow and connect people and places – through storytelling – to help us, as a city, acknowledge our past, overcome our differences, and shape our future.

The com stories munity Photo:

CITYVIEWS

his month, in honour of International Day for Biological Diversity on 22 May, we celebrate the abundance and variety of Cape Town, one of only three cities globally that rank as an urban biodiversity hotspot. Being located in the Cape Floristic Region, the smallest and richest of the world’s six floral kingdoms, means that our city is slap bang in the middle of one of the most varied ecosystems on the planet. And it’s not just about plants and animals: Cape Town boasts a rich diversity in its human inhabitants too. Seeing the connections between these elements, and their interactions with the non-living environment such as infrastructure, cultural systems and economies, allows us to start seeing our city as an urban ecosystem – one that needs to be nurtured and developed in a way that increases its diversity, resilience and equality.

CITYVIEWS

Since March 2013, we have been experimenting with the format of City Views and asking readers for ideas on what the publication can become. What have you had to say?

Foundation

biodiverse city T

Your city, your views

Children’s Radio

Cape Town as a YOUR FREE CAPE TOWN CENTRAL CITY PAPER

6&7

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beh Cape Town ind Carniva l >> page

10&1

Emergency Ambulance, Health, Noise & Fire

Refuse Collection, Water Issues, Street Lights and Electricity

107 (landlines) /021 480 7700

0860 103 089

(24 hours)

SAPS Central City

Alcohol & Drug Helpline

May 2013

Reader feedback

Maduna of the

about

Photo: Lerato

Cable Theft

Disaster Risk Management

Prepaid Electricity Meters

Traffic Signal Faults

2013

All of the stories found in the pages of City Views are available for syndication, for free. If you have a community paper or publication that you believe would benefit from the use of these stories, please contact judith@capetownpartnership.co.za

Distributing City Views If you’re an eager reader of City Views – and you know others who would enjoy reading it too – consider becoming a distributor. All we need is your contact details, address and how many copies you need each month. Or, if you would just like to track down where you can obtain your FREE copy, send an email to Aziza Patandin on aziza@capetownpartnership.co.za.

SAVE THESE NUMBERS ON YOUR PHONE If you live or work in the Central City Improvement District, be sure to save these numbers on your phone.

021 467 8001/2

0800 435 748

(24 hours)

Metro Police

0800 222 771

080 911 4357 / 021 597 6000

0800 220 440

0860 001 948

Law Enforcement

CCID Safety and Security

(24 hours)

Traffic Police

Social Development: Children

Social Development: Adults

CCID Security Manager: 082 453 2942 CCID Deputy Security Manager: 082 442 2112 CCID 24-hour number: 082 415 7127 SAPS Control Room: 021 467 8002

0860 765 423

0800 220 250

0800 872 201

021 596 1999

082 415 7127

(24 hours)

Social Department: 082 563 4289

May 2013

about

CityViews

The city as an We would learn from nature, instead of trying to control it. One of the operating conditions of the earth is constant change, a phenomenon with which we aren’t always comfortable. As a species, we like to “fix” the world around us so that it endures: we coat steel so that it won’t rust, we introduce preservatives into our food so that it lasts longer. Yet the systems and species that have survived on earth have been doing so for 3.8-billion years – learning to flourish despite constant change. During this time, nature has been developing a blueprint for sustainability and therefore has the potential to show us how we can live abundantly within the limits of the earth. We just have to start looking at nature in a new way, by quietening our own cleverness and realising that nature is far wiser than all our current knowledge combined. Thinking of the city as an ecosystem is a form of biomimicry, a new science that asks what we can learn from nature in order to emulate its genius. Biomimicry is the study of how nature can teach us to evolve and adapt to the changing conditions of earth, and so survive as a species.

town

ecosystem

What if we stopped thinking of the city as a man-made system of moving parts, somehow separate from nature, and started thinking of it as an ecosystem: a community of living organisms dependent on and co-existing in the natural environment? What would change? By: Shannon Royden-Turner

the addition of decomposers and recyclers, creating circular metabolisms and web-like food chains. In these systems there is no such thing as waste, only resources shared between the diverse species existing within a cooperative space. Type three ecosystems increasingly focus on quality, or the relationship between the various components, since the large accumulated stock of material means that quantity is no longer important for survival.

So what are the characteristics of a mature ecosystem that can help us see a way forward as a species in our urban ecosystem? Firstly, diversity. This, coupled with redundancy, is vital for a resilient ecosystem that can survive constant change. Secondly, you need decomposers and recyclers that help to maintain the flow of materials within the ecosystem, allowing for new growth and the development of opportunities, in this way continuing to create conditions

given new life. So much time is spent thinking about how to improve recycling in the city through top-down planning, when in fact it is already being skilfully designed and tested by citizens from the bottom up in informal settlements. Without these settlements, our landfills would’ve been full years ago.

We would become more attuned to the life around us. Thinking of the city as an ecosystem requires us to become more locally attuned to systems that already exist around us: Can we let go of the idea that urban development and “progress” is best expressed in

Imagine the city is an ecosystem, moving from production to consumption to maturity – similar to how a burnt-out field changes and grows to become a lush forest. The more diversity and complexity the city then has, the more resilient it will be.

the form of glass-clad skyscrapers – more new stuff that depletes our natural systems of their ability to sustain our lives abundantly? Can we rather think of urban development as evolution, and start to build from what already exists? The emerging systems and expertise we need to evolve our city into a mature ecosystem are already around us – in nature and in our communities. What we need to change is our thinking.

To read more about Shannon’s work and urban ecosystems, go to www.informalsouth.co.za.

We would understand that cities, like ecosystems, evolve. If you studied any ecosystem over time you would see a pattern of increasing complexity and interconnectedness evolving. You’d notice that while an ecosystem matures and climaxes, it also declines and decays: this, too, is part of its evolution; out of decline and decay comes new growth and opportunity.

There are three distinct stages of ecosystem development:

/2 The second stage is when the ecosystem has an established amount of vegetation that begins to attract other species – animals and birds – to the area. Type two ecosystems add an important layer to the system: consumers.

/3 As the system climaxes as a type three, or mature, ecosystem, it develops a high level of complexity and diversity, which provides the resilience needed to ensure a system’s survival. Key to this phase is

Look again at the characteristics of ecosystems at these three stages of development. Can you see the similarity between a pioneering ecosystem (type one) and a city ecosystem in its focus on producing more and more goods? What a relief! Perhaps we are not bad humans after all, but rather a pioneering species following the prescribed flow of nature’s path. Perhaps we’re still learning how to evolve ourselves and our ecosystems?

We would value diversity, decay and decomposition If our cities are pioneering ecosystems, then we should try to understand the characteristics of a mature ecosystem to ensure our survival. Once we have identified these characteristics, we can work on including them in our systems to ensure that they continue abundantly.

“So much time is spent thinking about how to improve recycling in the city through top-down planning, when in fact it is already being skilfully designed and tested by citizens from the bottom up in informal settlements.” conducive to more life. In my opinion, these recycling champions are currently the residents of informal settlements, who have built “cities” entirely by closing the material loops in the city. They are an urban ecosystem’s repurposers, recyclers and upcyclers. If a fridge in Sea Point stops working and no one there will fix it, the fridge will quickly find its way into an informal settlement where it will be skilfully upscaled and

Illustration by: Infestation Photo by: Lisa Burnell

/1 The first stage is the pioneering ecosystem: It’s when there’s very little material for life, so the ecosystem focuses on producing. Imagine that a great fire has happened: the first species you’ll start to spot in the burnt-out veld will be annuals and quick-growing plants (those that only survive for a season). Type one ecosystems have a short-term focus, mainly on the quantitative production of fast-growing plants.

Meet Shannon Royden-Turner Shannon specialises in the planning of urban ecosystems: She studies the relationship between infrastructure, equality and development to find ways in which communities can live more abundantly, flourish in their surroundings and remain resilient despite changes that come their way.

around

town

CityViews

May 2013

Support local producers

FOOD SYSTEM

Photos: Lisa Burnell

Sprouting community

According to Mario the pond helps create a more natural ecosystem on the farm.

Can carrots teach us about building a community? If the Oranjezicht City Farm is anything to go by, growing food together is a great way to reconnect Capetonians with a part of the city’s heritage and with each other. The project is building social cohesion across communities, developing skills among the unemployed, educating citizens about food, and championing unused or under-used green spaces in the City Bowl.

While urban agriculture is taking off in the Central City, community gardens are already bearing fruit across Khayelitsha, Nyanga and surrounding areas on the Cape Flats. Abalimi Bezekhaya assists individuals, groups and community-based organisations to initiate and maintain permanent organic food growing and nature conservation projects as the basis for sustainable lifestyles, self-help job creation, poverty alleviation and environmental renewal. Beyond just subsistence farming, the project has grown into one of abundance which is now shared in the form of Harvest of Hope, launched in 2008. Customers can now buy a box of fresh, reasonably priced and locally produced organic vegetables – delivered weekly.

To ﬁnd out where your nearest collection point is for a vegetable box from Harvest of Hope go to www.harvestofhope.co.za

By: Alma Viviers

t’s a blazing Saturday morning. At the corner of Sidmouth Avenue and Upper Orange Street in the leafy suburb of Oranjezicht, volunteers from across Cape Town have gathered from early morning. The cause? Farming. A couple with a toddler are put to task pulling up mustard plants to be dug back into the earth. Some volunteers cart wheelbarrows of soil to level a piece of ground, while others sift compost and plant seeds The site, which was a bowling green constructed in the 1950s

and disused for many decades, was part of the original city farm, Oranje Zigt. Established in 1709, the farm grew to be the largest in the Upper Table Valley in the 19th century, supplying fresh vegetables and fruit to feed the growing settlement and colony, as well as passing ships, until the turn of the 20th century. Through patient back-breaking yet rewarding work, this historic site in the City Bowl has now been returned to its original use as a farm under the watchful eyes of farmer Mario Graziani and Sheryl

Ozinsky who head the project. “This is the story of Cape Town; the story of Cape Town is the story of fresh water and food,” explains Sheryl, rake in hand. “I envision us establishing a museum in the old barn here that tells not only this story but also how, over time, we have lost some of these important connections to water and food, to nourishment and health, and how we can reconnect with them.” If you look at it now, it’s difficult to imagine that six months ago the disused site was covered in Kikuyu grass and rubbish. The geometric design by landscape architect Tanya de Villiers radiates out from a pond, with stone pathways that divide the site into planting beds. Additional walkways are set out with recycled cement pavers unearthed on the site. The pathways are lined with perennial herbs such as sage and rosemary, as well as buchu, which will form hedges to protect young seedlings from the wind. Mario applies organic farming principles that include interplanting and ensuring healthy soil by replacing nutrients with compost made on the farm and bokashi supplied by residents. He also likes to look at the ecosystem as a whole: “I had a

ABOVE LEFT: Farming in the middle of a suburb; Nyatsa preparing a bed for sowing. BELOW LEFT: Cecil Rossouw, Nyatsa Clinton Masalesa and Mario Graziano.

“This is the story of Cape Town; the story of Cape Town is the story of fresh water and food. I envision us establishing a museum in the old barn here that tells not only this story but also how, over time, we have lost some of these important connections to water and food, to nourishment and health, and how we can reconnect with them.” Sheryl Ozinsky

thing about having a pond on the farm because it brings dragon flies, frogs, lizards and predator insects that help control pests. You build up a little ecosystem that takes care of itself.” Currently, the biggest issue is squirrels and they are looking at introducing an owl box with the hope that a natural predator might keep the critters under control. While the first crop of radishes is ready for harvest, another crop is also starting to flourish: the community. The farm is becoming a living example of how we reconnect with food production and with each other. “People are coming from Sea Point, Claremont and even Hout Bay to work on the farm,” Mario marvels. “And

next Saturday they are back with friends.” Cecil Rossouw and Nyatsa Clinton Masalesa, who first came to the farm as part of a work team from local NGO, Straatwerk, have also found a permanent home with the project. Even the children from Stepping Stones Montessori Pre-School have dropped in to learn about planting vegetables and herbs. The community also includes businesses that have contributed on multiple levels. To help make this a financially viable endeavour, the farm will eventually sell the bulk of its produce to the Madame Zingara group of restaurants, which also provided the initial seed funding for the project. Reliance Compost, Michells Wholesale Nursery and New Plant Nursery have also contributed to the project. “Our motto is: If you eat; you are in,” says Sheryl. “Everyone has a contribution to make here.”

Why not get your hands dirty? If you would like to volunteer at the Oranjezicht City Farm, you can report for duty every Saturday at 08h00 on the corner of Upper Orange Street and Sidmouth Avenue. For more information go to www.ozcf.co.za or their Facebook page.

May 2013

around

CityViews

town

Grow your own Milk crate or car tyre; old bath or flower pot: you don’t need a lot of space to plant a food-producing garden. Tarryn Rice of OwnGrown demonstrates how to plant your own vegetable box in

STEP

Wh at to pla i n If y M nt ou ay ? mo vege are p

easy steps STEP

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Now what?

If you are using a wooden container, use eco-friendly sealant such as Pro-Nature Exterior wood sealer to protect it from rotting. Your container should also be raised to ensure good drainage.

STEP

To prevent the soil from washing out, line the container with Weed Shield, or any similar landscaping fabric, or you can use two layers of hessian, using a staple gun or upholstery nails and a hammer to hold it in place. The edge of the fabric should stop approximately 10 to 20 millimetres below the edge of the container.

STEP

Fill the container to the top with soil. Good potting soil should be organic and loamy with a good mix of sand and compost.

STEP

First arrange your seedlings to get an idea of what the final result will look like. Keep the eventual shape of the plant in mind, for example spring onions and leeks can be interspersed between bushy herbs or lettuce. Give perennial herbs some room to grow. Climbers such as peas and beans can be planted along the back edge of your container and supported by a trellis.

STEP

Sunshine Your garden needs adequate sunshine to grow. Make sure it gets a good dose of morning light or afternoon sun. The benefit of a potted garden is that you can move it if your plants get too much or too little sun. Water Ideally you should be watering your plants twice a week in summer and only once a week in winter. The best indicator is to feel the soil with your finger. Nutrients Feed the soil once a month with a good organic fertiliser such as Seagro. TLC As your plants grow and flourish, remember to check them for pests and diseases, and dead or damaged leaves. Manually removing bugs is pretty effective but you can also use an organic pest spray.

✂

Harvest Don’t forget, most of your salads and herbs should be harvested regularly but you needn’t pull the whole plant out of the ground. The trick is to pick the older leaves and choose the salad leaves on the outside first. Succession In order to have a relatively continuous supply of fresh herbs and veggies, it is important to plant often – every two weeks or so.

Make a hole deep enough for the seedling. Put a teapoon of alfalfa meal in the bottom of the hole and mix it well with the soil. Loosen the roots of the seedling slightly, place it in the hole and cover. Cover the soil between the plants with a layer of mulch, which not only helps the soil retain moisture and nutrients but also suppresses weed growth and adds organic material as it decomposes. Tarryn uses lucerne but you can also use straw or chopped up cuttings from the garden or autumn leaves. Water well.

Don’t have green ﬁngers or want professional help setting up and maintaining your garden? Give OwnGrown a call on 072 777 7897 or 084 812 8382, or visit www.owngrown.co.za.

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Gladiolus brevifolius This delicate gladiolus is commonly found on sandstone slopes and shale flats. It blooms between March and May, hence its common name.

as an indicator species; an over-abundance of it indicates that there has been a disturbance of the natural habitat either by fire or development.

This indigenous tree bears small, round, edible fruit. Medicinally, the dried leaves in a decoction or infusion are meant to lower blood pressure and enhance the functioning of the kidneys.

8 Boneseed or bietou Chrysanthemoides monilifera

This shrub produces daisylike yellow flowers and fleshy edible berries that were a food source for the Khoi and San. Other uses include an

9 Christmas berry Chironia baccifera This shrub produces brightred round berries that were traditionally used by the Khoi as a purgative and to treat boils. A decoction of the whole plant can also be taken as

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infusion of the leaves as an enema to treat fevers.

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International Day for Biological Diversity: Water and Biodiversity *Did you know: You can visit Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden – which is celebrating its centenary this year – for free every 22 May. T: 021 799 8783

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22 May 2013

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Mark your calendar with these significant days and find a way to celebrate the world around you – at home, with your family, or in your workplace.

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Celebrate the city’s biodiversity

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Although not related to the almond tree, the common name of this protea is owed to the almond-shaped, velvety seed pods. It is

This plant is particularly adept at survival in the harsh conditions of the Cape. It is a hemiparasitic plant, meaning that beyond producing its own food through photosynthesis, it can also “feed” on a suitable host plant. The blue-green, leathery leaves enable it to withstand intense heat and wind conditions. The fresh leaves were once used to CLIFTON tan leather aTOlight brown colour, while the bark was used to tan leather dark brown by layering it with TO CAMPS BAY hides and weighting it down T for up to two weeks beforeafelber gR d drying. In the days before nylon, a decoction of fresh leaves was also used to tan cotton, fishing lines and nets to make these items more durable. These fruits are edible and were an important food of the early inhabitants of the Cape. The stones were removed and the flesh part compressed and stored for lean times.

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This woody shrub flowers in clustered heads of white blooms with a sweet fragrance.

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SIGNAL HILL

Cape Town is home to about 3 000F indigenous plant species, of which 190 are endemic – found Ella t s ria Augu rs BO-KAAP St nowhere else on earth. CityBarViews took a stroll with CapeNature botanist and self-confessed Joh Su kly rf n’s Irw Ar int th Go on fynbos fanatic Rupert Koopman, who pointed out some of the amazing plant life we often ur rle ru ’s sto Du Alg n nc ak a i r n overlook in our kdaily lives. SIn t J a two-hour walk from the foot of Table Mountain to the Foreshore, NT Fra oh GE nc n’s RE ais Cla e we discovered a myriad species. Here are just a few of particular interest. re ns By: Alma Viviers

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10 Grey-tree pincushion

or kreupelhout

Leucospermum conocapodendron (subsp. conocapodendron)

ENDANGERED As there are very few trees endemic to the Cape, these proteas, which can be found on lower hills and mountain slopes, were often chopped down for firewood during the early years of the Dutch settlement. The leaves are covered in dense, woolly grey hairs to prevent rapid moisture loss, especially during the warm berg winds and southeaster. This subspecies is endemic to the city, Devil’s Peak and Llandudno.

CH UR CH

Vict oria Walk

19 Buchu

Agathosma ovata Buchu is part of the cultural heritage of the San and Khoi people. It was used to anoint the body (after mixing powdered, dried leaves with sheep fat) probably both for cosmetic reasons and as antibiotic protection. The leaves were also chewed to relieve stomach pains. Early Dutch settlers steeped it in brandy for stomach problems, while buchu vinegar was highly regarded for cleaning wounds. It is still widely used in modern South Africa.

16 Yellowwood

11 Silver tree Leucadendron argenteum ENDANGERED This large silver protea is naturally confined to a tiny area in and around the city; its main population grows on the slopes of Table Mountain. As one of the few trees endemic to the

Podocarpus latifolius

Found in forested areas from Table Mountain to Simon’s Town, this tall tree was often used in construction and for making furniture during the early Dutch settlement in the Cape. Few mature specimens are left.

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a blood purifier to treat acne, sores and boils. A combination with bitterbos and wildeseldery (Notabubon galbanum) is a wellknown Cape remedy for arthritis.

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TO MUIZENBERG Spotted at the Oranjezicht City Farm (read more about OZCF on page 4), several varieties of buchu were donated by New Plant Nursery and planted as a hedge around planting beds. The varieties include Agathosma ciliaris (citrus or lemon buchu), Agathosma apiculata (garlic buchu) and Agathosma cerefolium (chervil-scented buchu).

t mid lds Go H M

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21 Num-num or noem-noem

The little-known fruit of this traditional African food are very nutritious. Dicksplant on Cly The fragrant white starry de Cly de blooms turn into fruit that redden as they ripen and Ple in can be eaten raw or made into pies, jams, jellies and sauces.

rina This thorny shrub bears small Ch edible apple-like fruit that es ter are yellow when ripe. They Princess 14 Fennel Wo can be eaten raw or used for rce Coronat Foeniculum ste vulgare ion jams or jellies. r Native to Europe, fennel was imported and planted as Chester feed for cows to encourage Eden milk production. Plants still Upper occur in areas where dairies Cambri dge or pastures used to be. Camb

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VREDEHOEK

Chapel

This perennial herb was traditionally used as bedding material by the Khoi and San people. Its soft greyfelted foliage is used to treat several ailments including coughs, colds, fevers, infections and headaches. Taken as a tea or boiled in milk, it is W one illiamof the most widely used Wrig medicinal plants. h

This woody shrub with blue flowers can be used to treat several conditions. Decoctions or infusions are Grey used to treat coughs, colds, ALBE RT chest troubles, stomach pain and flatulence. Co

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garden plants that come in several scented varieties including rose, cinnamon, almond, apple and nutmeg.

region, it was often used for firewood. In the face of urban development, inappropriate fire management and N1trees such as invasive alien pines and gums, silver trees TO PAARL have been driven from about 74% of their natural range.

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20 Geranium Pelargonium Pelargonium species are evergreen perennials indigenous to Southern Africa and can survive in drought and heat. They are popular

22 Sour ﬁg or

perdevy

Carpobrotus edulis This fleshy succulent produces edible fruit and has medicinal value. The leaf juice is traditionally gargled to treat mouth and throat infections, and can be taken orally for dysentery, digestive troubles and to act as a diuretic. The juice can also be topically applied to treat eczema, wounds and burns. Its ripe, dried fruit are sold at street markets in Cape Town and are popular for jams and curry dishes. NOTE: Although every care has been taken to ensure that this information is correct, we recommend that you consult an expert or credible field guide before eating any wild plants or using them for medicinal purposes. You are not allowed to pick plants or flowers without written approval from the land owner or a permit from CapeNature. Apply for a permit at www. capenature.co.za SOURCES: Wild Flowers of the Table Mountain National Park by Terry Trinder-Smith and Medicinal Plants of South Africa by Ben-Erik van Wyk, Bosch van Oudtshoorn and Nigel Gericke

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CityViews

May 2013

Photo: Lisa Burnell

Nature capital We often think of cities and nature as being worlds apart. But in Cape Town, the proximity and co-existence of the urban and natural are unmatched: This is one of only three cities globally that rank as an urban biodiversity hotspot. We are located in the Cape Floristic Region – the smallest and richest of the world’s six floral kingdoms. By: Alma Viviers

“Economically, a study of Cape Town’s ecosystem ‘services’ puts the value conservatively between R2- and 6-billion per annum, without even taking into account the health and wellbeing beneﬁts. We need to conserve our biodiversity to provide healthy living conditions and build a sustainable city.” Dr Patricia Holmes

hy does the western leopard toad cross the road? To meet his mate on the other side. Unfortunately, this often means he ends up as roadkill. The western leopard toad lives in Cape Town and the Agulhas Plain, sharing its home with the rest of us Capetonians. As toads go, it is larger than most and sports distinctive chocolate to reddishbrown patches with bright yellow or black edging – which is why it’s named after leopards. For the most part, this endemic¹ amphibian citizen happily co-exists with humans in the suburbs, but for a few days in August, thousands of toads migrate from their garden homes to suitable ponds to mate. This would be perfectly natural were it not for the fact that we have built roads and highways around their breeding ponds in wetlands. As a result, potentially thousands of toads end up as roadkill: The western leopard toad is an endangered species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List². “So what if another species becomes extinct, we’ve got plenty more,” you might say. Dr Patricia Holmes, a biophysical specialist in the biodiversity management branch of the City of Cape Town’s environmental resource management department, explains why the well-being of every species is significant, drawing on the words of leading conservationist Paul Ehrlich: “All species are part of the web of life – like the rivets holding an aeroplane together – and while it may not make an obvious difference to the functioning of an ecosystem if one or two are lost, at some stage the ecosystems stop functioning well and will rapidly degrade. Similarly, if too many rivets fall off the aeroplane, at some stage it will break up and fall from the sky. Our natural

ecosystems are our life-support systems that provide us with essential ‘services’, such as clean water, flood control and pollination for crops, as well as the genetic resources of individual species that could be the basis for anti-cancer drugs and other medicines. Many benefits are difficult to quantify in financial terms, but we will be much poorer without our rich ecosystems and humanity will not survive longterm without them.” Cape Town is unique in that we have particularly rich and diverse ecosystems. The three big factors that contributed to this biodiversity are time, place and fire: The region has a history dating back more than 60-million years to the Gondwana supercontinent – and didn’t experience a major glacial period, which would have eliminated all plant species. This means our local plants and animals have had a long time to evolve. The high diversity in landscapes, geologies and microclimates here promoted the evolution of new species that adapted to these place-specific conditions. Fire also played an important role in the fynbos biome ecosystems, by driving the growth of new plants, without which biodiversity would diminish over time. Six national vegetation types are endemic to the city and can only be conserved here: Peninsula Sandstone Fynbos, Peninsula Granite Fynbos, Peninsula Shale Renosterveld, Cape Flats Sand Fynbos (classed as the “most unfortunate ecosystem nationally”, with hardly any conserved and many threatened species), Cape Flats Dune Strandveld and Lourensford Alluvium Fynbos. According to the latest National Biodiversity Assessment (2011) these are all threatened to some degree. “Cape Town has a unique biodi-

versity that cannot be conserved elsewhere; we have an international and legal obligation to do it,” says Patricia. “When it comes to our citizens, several studies have demonstrated how important access to nature is for all people – it is fundamental to our existence and is especially important for healthy development in young people. Economically, a study of Cape Town’s ecosystem ‘services’ puts the value conservatively between R2- and 6-billion per annum, without even taking into account the health and wellbeing benefits. We need to conserve our biodiversity to provide healthy living conditions and build a sustainable city.”

The City of Cape Town is one of the few cities in the world that has a biodiversity strategy. You can read more about how the city tries to protect important areas, balance development and conservation, and address invasive species, as well as what you can do to help. Go to www.capetown.gov.za/ environment The City of Cape Town manages 16 nature reserves across the metro that you can visit. To ﬁnd out more, go to www.capetown.gov.za/naturereserves Also stop by the biodiversity garden at Green Point Park for more local ﬂora. ¹Endemic: Only found in the particular area referred to, for example the Cape Town metro area. ²IUCN Red List: An international list of species threatened with extinction. SOURCE: City of Cape Town Biodiversity Report 2008: Local Action for Biodiversity by Patricia Holmes, Julia Wood and Clifford Dorse

Bite-size

biodiversity facts The Cape Floristic Region is richer in plant species than any other site of the same size

in the world.

70%

of the 9 600 plant species in the Cape Floristic Region are found nowhere else on earth. About 20% of these are on the IUCN Red List.

Cape Town is home to:

about 3 000 indigenous plant species: 190 are endemic, 318 are considered threatened and 13 are extinct or extinct in the wild.

2 285

plant species (of which 158 endemic) are supported in 471km2 of the Cape Peninsula Mountain chain Of the 83 mammal species that remain in Cape Town, 24 are on the IUCN Red List and eight have recently

become extinct.

361

Of the bird species that live in Cape Town, 22 are on the IUCN Red List and at least nine species have recently become extinct. There are numerous

invertebrate species in Cape Town; approximately 111 are endemic to the Cape Peninsula Mountain Chain.

There are amphibian species in Cape Town, of which two are endemic and 10 are on the IUCN Red List. 57 reptile species of which eight are on the IUCN Red List and three are locally extinct, are found in Cape Town.

fish species are dependent on Cape Town’s estuaries. There are 18 different major national terrestrial vegetation types found in Cape Town, of which 14 are threatened because of habitat transformation.

May 2013

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SYSTEMS THINKING IN BUSINESS

From scarcity to abundance We often use linear language when talking about the economy, speaking of production lines and value chains. Hout Bay resident and author of The Blue Economy, Gunter Pauli suggests that we should think more organically. In ecosystems, for example, there is no waste because the by-products of one process are inputs to another.

“Society should realise that change is the only constant and if we don’t create an environment of adaptation based on making things happen – taking 1 000 small steps at a time, all the time – then we will remain stuck with high unemployment and injustice in the economic system. We need to open ourselves up to possibility and go for it; learn from mistakes and duplicate successes.”

By: Alma Viviers

CV What was the “light-bulb moment” that changed your own thinking? As the president of what could well have been the first ecologically sound factory in Europe, I constructed a green factory with wood and grass, converted the car fleet to using

biofuels and treated waste on-site to ensure that we were disconnected from the sewage system. But on a business trip to Indonesia, I realised that I was buying a biodegradable product that was being farmed on destroyed rainforest. I, “the green guru”, was responsible for the destruction of the habitat of the orangutan – shocking! I could not tolerate the thought that I had caused this collateral damage and knew I had to rethink my business model.

CV Why do we find it so hard to break away from linear thinking to more systemsoriented thinking? In the industrial age we are trained to think rationally, focusing on one thing at a time. In addition, MBAtrained managers are taught to translate everything into cash flow and market share. Once you are accustomed to making money regardless of the consequences,

The blue economy is based on the idea of creating a mutually beneficial system for people and the planet.

you are not willing to change. We need to get our hands dirty, to learn by doing. It seems that we have too many engineers who only do what they know and too many MBA graduates who are averse to taking risks. Society should realise that change is the only constant and if we don’t create an environment of adaptation based on making things happen – taking 1 000 small steps at a time, all the time – then we will remain stuck with high unemployment and injustice in the economic system. We need to open ourselves up to possibility and go for it; learn from mistakes and duplicate successes. CV You’ve published a series of fables for children. Why did you feel it was important to get the message across to a younger generation? If children are to learn how to think, design, create and dream

in systems, they must be exposed to systems thinking at an early age. The beauty is that children don’t yet know the difference between fantasy and reality. We have to wake up that child in all of us. Three years ago, I couldn’t have imagined that it would be possible to convert an old petrochemical plant into a bio-refinery but now we are building one in Italy in partnership with ENI, the eighth-largest petroleum group in the world, based on technology from Novamont, one of the typical blue economy start-up companies. Tell a dream to a child and they dream along with you.

Then, when you show them that it can come true, they start to value their own.

Photo: Andrew Smith Lewis

CV You have developed 100 case studies for the blue economy. Are there any that apply specifically to Cape Town? One case study involves converting offal from abattoirs into feed for flies. The flies in turn produce larvae that are an excellent food for livestock and fish, replacing traditional protein sources from land-based soya plantations and marine fishmeal. Agricultural protein requires vast amounts of land and water, while the seacaught alternative has material consequences for marine life. In 2012, AgriProtein, headed by David and Jason Drew, replicated the business model in Cape Town in collaboration with Stellenbosch University and initiated the commercial sale of this protein. The second case study particularly relevant to Cape Town is doublesided photovoltaic cells. The solar conditions in the Mother City are ideal for introducing double-sided photovoltaic cells that are cooled with water, subsequently generating both electricity and hot water in a two-in-one system, rather than the two separate installations currently used.

Gunter Pauli

Illustration: Infestation

CV In a nutshell, what is the blue economy? In the current economic system, everything that is good for you and the environment – organic food, biodegradable soap and solar energy – is expensive, while everything that is bad for you and the earth is cheap. Most of us simply can’t afford it. We have also been mistaken about some of the things we thought would be good for us and the planet – for example, the bioplastics used for packaging compete with land-use for food production. In the blue economy, the idea is to use what you have, respond to basic needs, and ensure that you generate multiple revenues and benefits, so that what is good for you and the environment is long-lasting and affordable. Take your morning coffee: you only use 0.2% of the beans to produce a cup. Instead of throwing the “waste” away, it can be used to grow mushrooms. Farming mushrooms requires bacterial control at high energy cost. However, the exposure of ground beans to hot water when brewing a cup reduces bacteria to a minimum. Along with other bacteria-reduction methods, this helps make farming mushrooms on coffee grounds 80% more energy efficient than using traditional substrates. Because caffeine is a stimulant, some varieties of mushrooms grow faster, meaning increased production. The leftovers after harvesting mushrooms are rich in essential amino acids, including lysine, traditionally commercially derived from sugar beets for use as an animal-feed additive. A byproduct without any value is thus converted into quality animal feed. Animals produce manure, which in turn can be used to create biogas.

Look around you and see what you produce as waste or consider to be waste: How can it be converting into something of value? For more on Gunter’s fables and case studies go to www.guntersfables.org or www.zeri.org

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CityViews

May 2013

What can you do? As an office worker: Flip the switch: These solar panels are manufactured by a South African company based in Bellville whose solar technology capabilities are rated as one of the best in the world.

Photos: Lisa Burnell

A BUILDING AS A SYSTEM

A better business

cycle

From the roof to the basement and the canteen to the printer, Woolworths is looking at ways to break the cycle of needless energy consumption and waste at its Central City headquarters. Alma Viviers talks water and kilowatts with the retailer’s head of sustainability, Justin Smith.

Switch off your computer when you leave for the day. Switching off the monitor over tea and lunch breaks or during meetings prevents excessive heat build-up in a room and contributes to saving energy. Don’t leave printers or copiers on standby mode as they will continue to use up to 70% of their normal power consumption.

Daily commute: More than half of all the energy used in Cape Town is for transport. Around the world, transport is responsible for 11% of all human-induced emissions, making it a huge contributor to climate change. By taking public transport, cycling or sharing a ride with a colleague, you can significantly reduce this percentage.

Grazing habits: Consider the amount of waste you create when you buy a daily takeaway cup of coffee and a packaged lunch: paper cup, lid and stirrer, paper napkin, wrapping, packing and carry bag. Now multiply that by 240 annual working days. Rather bring your own lunch in a reusable container and ask your coffee shop to fill a reusable cup instead.

Paper cut: Although it is difficult for most offices to go completely paperless, thinking before you print a document saves paper, electricity, ink and money. Alternatives to printing include displaying agendas for meetings digitally and circulating digital monthly reports via email.

Three things Woolworths is doing:

Electricity

“We opted for a solar-panel installation because the technology is established and we can monitor the electricity production and consumption directly. ” Justin Smith

Paper and pedal power

Municipal water

Waste:

Waste: Unused natural water from Table Mountain’s springs

Carbon emissions

Solid waste

Solution:

Install locally manufactured solar panels on a disused roof space, and make the most of free sunlight. Retrofit the air conditioning to be as efficient as possible and change all lighting fixtures to accommodate CFLs or LEDs.

Change employee behaviour through education and awareness.

Imagine a sea of 3.2-million compact fluorescent light bulbs. Now flip the switch and leave them burning for an hour. That equates to 48 000 kilowatts per hour, which is the amount of energy Woolworths expects to save with the installation of the new solar panels on the roof of one of its Central City buildings. “Making an old building as efficient as possible has been challenging but rewarding. We have looked at lighting, refrigeration and air conditioning, but it’s only possible to reach a certain point in terms of efficiency. As a result, we felt we needed to pilot clean energy opportunities,” Justin says. “We opted for a solar-panel installation because the technology is established and we can monitor the electricity production and consumption directly. This is a learning opportunity for us, helping us to look at what we can do on a larger scale in the future. Currently, solar power provides 10% of our electricity needs.”

“At head office we aim for 0% waste to landfill. Currently we are at between 90-92% recycled or composted, so we are getting pretty close,” Justin says. “Instead of having dustbins at their desks, staff use centralised recycling bins and organic waste goes into composting bins in the kitchens. The canteen only uses compostable takeaway containers and has banned the sale of plastic bags. People must bring their own bags, or buy a reusable bag. We want staff to model the behaviour we would like to see everywhere.” Other initiatives include paper reduction targets that encourage everyone to cut down on printing. The printing system, FollowMe, doesn’t release prints without a staff access card, so employees don’t leave forgotten prints in the tray and also receive detailed reports on their printing. Lastly, we support and encourage staff who choose to cycle to work by ensuring we provide sufficient bike parks and locker facilities.

Solution: Install a water-treatment plant and tap into ground water below the building.

“A number of springs run down from Table Mountain, flowing under the city and into the sea. One of them flows beneath our building and we wanted to tap into this precious resource. We negotiated permission from the municipality to install our own water-treatment plant in the building. It is saving us and the city a huge amount of municipal water – 27-million litres per year that would simply have run, unused, into the sea. The spring water is used to flush toilets and for air conditioning. It also supplies water to the fountain and to a small car wash in the parking lot.”

To learn more about what else Woolworths is doing as part of its Good Business Journey, go to www.woolworths.co.za

As a building owner: Running hot and cold: Heating, ventilation and air conditioning are among the largest energy consumers in any building. Installing energy-efficient systems, maintaining and upgrading these systems, as well as educating employees, are crucial for keeping this financial and environmental cost down. Avoid heating unused spaces such as corridors and storerooms. Make sure that the building is only being heated during the hours that it is occupied.

Light it up: Use natural light whenever possible. Ensure that windows are clean and encourage staff to open blinds before switching on lights. Use compact fluorescent or Energy Star light bulbs, which require less frequent replacement, saving money and energy. Use motion-detection to activate lights in bathrooms and boardrooms that aren’t in continuous use.

Travel and transport: With parking at a premium in Cape Town, incentivise employees to share a ride by offering them a reduced parking rate. Follow Woolworths’ example and provide bike-parking and locker facilities for cyclists. Locate offices and events close to public transport wherever possible. Before calling a meeting, consider whether a teleconference or Skype call will be an efficient alternative to everyone commuting to a central meeting point. Also offset official flights by making a contribution to NGOs such as GreenPop (www.greenpop.org) or Trees for Africa (www.trees.co.za).

May 2013

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CityViews

town

Faces of Cape Town When it comes to human diversity, the streets of the Mother City tell their own story about the rich variety of people who call this place home. By: Ambre Nicolson Jarrud van der Merwe “I love living in Cape Town because it feels like a mixed, connected city and it also feels African. I came here from Durban two years ago, which I think is a far more boring city in comparison, so I have no plans to go back.”

“I have lived in Schotsche Kloof since I was five years old, when we moved here from District Six. Now I am 71. If someone had to ask me to describe this place I would tell them it’s a good place to be, especially if you are Muslim and love to pray because there are five mosques nearby. The best time is at the end of the year for Tweede Nuwe Jaar.” Photos: Lisa Burnell

Latifah Abduramin

Frist Cool “The trick with this game, Bawo (also known as Bao), is that you have to have your meditation right. If you can do this then you can think easily and you will win, like me! I come from Zanzibar and am in Cape Town for the business opportunities. I think there are a lot available but people need to understand that if there are no jobs, they must make their own.”

Thangaraj Andi “I have lived and worked as a chef in Cape Town for three years. I come from Chennai in India and I think that I will go home when I finish my contract in 2016. It’s not that I am homesick, although I think it’s bad that in Cape Town there is no masala chai available, but the truth is, I think the weather here is really terrible. It’s always changing: one day good, one day bad, the next day… who knows?”

Andrew Choong “I arrived five days ago from Singapore. I think people are friendly, more so than at home where everyone is more reserved. I think Singapore can learn something from Cape Town about being relaxed, although everything is very efficient there.”

Frank Kwitana “I came here from Malawi 15 years ago and Cape Town has been good to me. There are more opportunities here. This is now my home and the place where I run my curio business. I do sometimes miss Malawi though – especially the fish, which was very delicious. But here there is pizza, and that is my favourite.”

Joel Lumbamba “I have been in Cape Town for one year. I was studying international human rights in Kinshasa and was involved in organising protests there. Things got very dangerous for me because I became a target, so I fled to Cape Town. I think immigration is good for a city because it brings cultural diversity. In any case, we are all human beings, right? I think Cape Town can help immigrants more by fixing the Department of Home Affairs. South Africa has very good laws about immigrants and refugees but in many cases they are not executed properly.”

Claudia Goncalez “I came to Cape Town to study and I live and go to school in the Central City. I love the entertainment here – and Table Mountain, of course.” Penelope Frog “This is the best city ever. The other day I rode into town on my scooter to get to work. I had the mountain on one side and the sea on the other and I thought, ‘We have everything in this city!’ I have been here for 19 years and I am not going anywhere. Just one thing: can we please get the bike parking in town sorted out?”

Ashley Martin “I have lived in Cape Town my whole life, mostly in Mitchells Plain, except for when I was in jail. I got out in 1999 and since then I sometimes stay with my mother and sometimes I stay on the streets. I have a permit to do street performance but what I would really like is to carry on in the footsteps of my aunt who was a famous ballroom dancer here.”

Vean Edwards “I have worked in the fresh produce business in Cape Town for my whole life. I have been in this spot for four years and, over time, have seen how this place has changed. Crime has gone down and there is more life on the streets than there used to be. If I could change one thing it would be to help the homeless because there are some really good guys out there, but they need help.”

May 2013

our

CityViews

Berlin to Cape Town with love Cape Town is where husband-and-wife architecture team Luyanda and Uli Mpahlwa have chosen to live, work and raise their two sons. We asked them about their journey to the Mother City and how they think it could become more family friendly. By: Ambre Nicolson

Photo: Lisa Burnell

I was released from Robben Island in 1986. I spent a day in the city before catching a train back to the Transkei. I went to Cowley House (where the families of prisoners stayed when they came to visit their loved ones on Robben Island) and the comrades there took me on a tour of all the flashpoints of the time – to places like Crossroads, which at that time, of course, was burning. After that, with the help of Amnesty International, I went into exile in Berlin. After 1994

“We like to engage in debates about the city because, in our imaginations, we see what this place could be. We are urban planners and optimistic visionaries, after all. I think this is the most beautiful city in the world.” Uli Mpahlwa

Uli, you are from Stuttgart in Germany and Luyanda, you were born in Mthatha and first experienced Cape Town as a prisoner on Robben Island. How did you both come to call the city home? CV

Learn more about |Luyanda and Uli’s projects at www.designspaceafrica.com.

Uli: We met in Berlin and fell in love. I am adventurous by nature and so came to Cape Town in 1997 while Luyanda completed his studies in Berlin. Luyanda: Before I arrived here in 2000, my only experience of Cape Town had been when

there was a strong temptation for me to return, but I was in the middle of my degree and, when talking to people, and other South Africans who understood what lay ahead after the end of apartheid, I was advised, “Dude, you’d better finish what you’re doing. Stay where you are and get some work experience.” So when she left to enrol for a post graduate course at UCT, I completed my degree and became a freelance architect in Berlin … well, this was a big test for our relationship, which was just starting. In 2000 I

STORY of

Luyanda: It’s the differences

between the two cities that interest me. Berlin’s reintegration focused on the no-man’sland between the east and west, in areas like Potsdamer Platz, Brandenberg Gate and the Reichstag, where it was possible to engineer reintegration. We recently returned to Berlin for a visit and found that spaces we hadn’t imagined working have succeeded in knitting the city together. So, on the one hand we have Berlin with ideas about highdensity mixed-use spaces, and on the other hand we have Cape Town, where the centre remains predominantly white, the periphery black, and where we continue to develop these areas separately. It is on record that the Central City is home to only 50 000 people but the population of Cape Town is 3.5-million. It is also on record that 300 000 people travel in and out of the Central City to work each day. This is not a sustainable situation. I think one area that does encourage integration, and which I am proud to be associated with, is Cape Town Stadium. I stand by my belief that it is a good idea to bring people in from outside to experience soccer and other international events in the city,

Wale ST

Please sir?

I still can't find a job and I have no more money

FINALLY, I've arrived in the city of opportunity

CV You have said that township areas work because of the intimacy and density of the spaces. What lessons from these areas can be applied to the Central City?

Luyanda: In my opinion, the

inner city is not dense and diverse enough and caters largely for the exclusive residential market. I always use the example of my staff, young professionals who can’t find residential places to stay in town because it’s out of their price range. If we had more middle-income rental housing for young professionals and creatives, I think the city would have more life. In short, the city needs people. CV How can Cape Town become more family friendly?

Uli: There is potential but not enough has been done to create family-friendly spaces that combine inside-outside areas successfully. We have two boys, aged 9 and 11, so look for places where we can eat a meal and enjoy the view while they play safely. Sadly, there are not enough of these spaces in the city. Somewhere like Deer Park works well, for example, because all parties derive mutual benefit. This remains an isolated example, the rest are indoor spaces in malls and casinos. There are hardly any playful recreational areas integrated into the urban fabric of the city, and compared to other world cities, like Paris, Berlin, New York or Copenhagen, where you find either water fountains or creative kids’ play areas, Cape Town certainly has a deficit.

THIS IS MY

Luyanda, you spent 15 years in Berlin during the unification of Germany. You’ve now been back in Cape Town for almost as long, and this too is a spatially divided city. What do you think Cape Town can do to reintegrate its communities? CV

not to create a separate place for that to happen.

TO BE CONTINUED ...

I’m not hiring you looking like that!

must be made safer because venturing out on a bike with your children is a terrifying experience. There’s a hierarchy to the street in which buses and taxis are on top, then drivers, followed by other users of the road. Pedestrians come last. We need to realise, as they have in other cities, that forms of movement other than cars need to be focused on, especially elevating the importance of non-motorised forms of transport – bicycles, rollerblades, wheelchairs and prams need to be integrated into the public transport network. For example, in 1999 in Paris, we heard a strange humming noise one evening, which we realised was the sound of approximately 10 000 rollerbladers coming down the street because the roads had been closed for car-free day. I think we can learn from this approach to use streets to accommodate new urban experiences and movement patterns. CV So, is Cape Town home?

Luyanda: We are optimistic

about this city but I think too many urban decisions are made to please certain constituencies; too much is political. It will still take South Africa a long time to create its own inclusive urban identities. It should be about what is best for the life of people in our city and not just around its periphery. Uli: Yes, absolutely! We like to engage in debates about the city because, in our imaginations, we see what this place could be. We are urban planners and optimistic visionaries, after all. I think this is the most beautiful city in the world.

A difference When someone asks you for money, what do you do? Even though your intentions are good, giving handouts actually helps people stay on the street. It’s a vicious cycle.

BASED ON A TRUE STORY

Luyanda: I think the streets

Gi v e where i t makes

Oh, you poor guy

DIGNITY 4

THE CYCLE BEGINS:

2 2 WEEKS LATER

PART ONE:

decided it was time that we were together, so followed her to Cape Town.

town

DO YOU...

You again?

KEEP GIVING HANDOUTS? GO BACK TO FRAME 3 AND REPEAT THE CYCLE.

OR...

YES?

HELP BREAK THE CYCLE?

Give

? SMS ‘DIGNITY’

TO 38088

Check your phone for the link &

SEE HOW YOU CHANGE THE STORY