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

CITYVIEWS

November 2012

Photo: Lisa Burnell

YOUR FREE CAPE TOWN CENTRAL CITY PAPER

Cape Town as a

COLLABORATIVE CITY

Portside from

Ways to share your city

>> page 4&5

>> page 6&7

the ground up

CLEAN | SAFE | CAR I NG

Pollinating

urban change >> page 8&9

about

town

CityViews

November 2012

CITYVIEWS Published by: The Central City Improvement District (CCID)

Present-day partnerships for our urban future

Editor: Judith Browne: 021 419 1881 judith@capetownpartnership.co.za

Contributors: Alma Viviers, Ambre Nicolson

Website: www.capetowncid.co.za www.capetownpartnership.co.za

(they start with you)

nlike private enterprises that have a specific target market, core customers or a niche clientele, the Central City Improvement District works with and for everybody in the CBD. Those who work in or operate a business in the CBD, those who live or holiday here, those who walk our streets or travel through our public spaces – everyone matters in our line of work. Ensuring that Cape Town’s CBD is clean, safe, caring and open for business – for everyone who uses it – is an ambitious task, and one that we couldn’t do without partners. Our success has been based upon the strength of public-private partnerships at both strategic and operational levels. But what does it mean to be a partner and to have a partner? It is easy to say that we have to work together, but what does that mean in practical terms?

Design: Infestation

In my experience, partnerships are not just about formal agreements. They hinge on the fact that the people involved have a good understanding of each other’s objectives, limitations and expectations. You have to spend quality time together, listen carefully and be open to new ways of doing things. To maintain a partnership, you need the ability to adapt and respond in a constructive way.

“In my experience, partnerships are not just about formal agreements. They hinge on the fact that the people involved have a good understanding of each other’s objectives, limitations and expectations.”

Although the CCID has plenty of formal partners – like the City of Cape Town, our service providers and NGOs like Straatwerk (you can read more about this particular partnership on page 3) – it is important to remember that you too are our partner. We all play a part in ensuring that Cape Town’s CBD is a liveable, inclusive urban centre that is relevant and connected to the whole metropole. If you dispose of your cigarette butt in a bin instead of flicking it out of your car window, if you give responsibly through an NGO instead of on the street, if you use public space and opt for public transport over a private vehicle, you’re helping build a better community and are part of ensuring Cape Town’s future, one small step at a time. In the interests of building better relationships with everyone invest-

ed (personally or professionally) in the CBD, we’d love to hear your ideas and feedback around how to make the Central City a more liveable, lively place for all. To find out more about the CCID – what it does and doesn’t do – visit our new website at www.capetowncid.co.za. If you have a comment or a question that isn’t addressed there, send an email to info@capetowncid.co.za to continue the conversation. Let’s create the Central City we all want to live, work and play in – together.

Tasso Evangelinos COO of the CCID

Switched on to service

Photo: Lisa Burnell

City Views received an email from Rene Oelofse, a customer service manager at a major bank who wrote to us about the doorman at the Fountains Hotel, Thys de Lange. She was so impressed with his “superior le vel of service, his genuine warmth and love of people” that she not only recommended him for our gratitude attitude feature – she also asked him to do a motivational talk for her frontline staff. Alma Viviers asked Thys to share some of his service tips.

Thys de Lange and his many service medals – badges from guests who have been blown away by his service ethic.

CITY VIEWS ONLINE Read the latest e-dition: www.capetownpartnership.co.za/city-views Friend us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CityViewsCapeTown Follow us on Twitter: @City_Views

Did you have a positive experience with someone in Cape Town? Send your story to judith@capetownpartnership.co.za

ways have to be “switched on”. “Being ‘switched on’ means being fully prepared to give your guests your all,” he explains. “Only when you take a day off can you truly switch off.” He retains his switched-on feeling through passion for his work and spiritual reflection on his days off.

“You have to love Cape Town with everything it has; you can’t cut something out and still love it. You have to love the wind and the weather; you have to love the mountain and the sea; you have to love the people and the place.” Thys de Lange

A true testament to Thys’ service philosophy is that his dark blue jacket is pinned with over 50 badges

The Central City Improvement District is a private-public partnership formed by the property owners of a defined geographical area to provide top-up services over and above what the City of Cape Town provides. The CCID and its managing agent, the Cape Town Partnership, were formed when the City of Cape Town, the South African Property Owners Association (SAPOA), the Cape Town Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry and other stakeholders came together to address issues of urban degeneration, disinvestment in the Central City and related social problems. The Central City’s rapid regeneration process has been built upon the strength and pillars of successful private-public partnerships at both operational and strategic levels, and a shared vision for a clean, safe and caring Cape Town CBD.

SAVE THESE NUMBERS ON YOUR PHONE

UDE GRATITUDE ATTIT

Thys de Lange is a real people’s person. His bubbling energy, warm smile, easy manner and an unshakeable commitment to service have made him an asset to Cape Town’s hospitality industry for more than 24 years. But Thys didn’t start out as a doorman. He worked his way up from being a bar hand to a scullery hand and porter. He was eventually promoted to doorman and has been manning the front door at the Fountains Hotel in the Foreshore for the past seven years. So what does it take to be a good doorman? “You have to really like being with people. You have to be trustworthy, reliable and respectful. They must feel instantly that they can come and talk to you and ask when they need things. You have to treat them all equally.” According to Thys, if you work in the service and hospitality industry you al-

www.infestation.co.za 021 461 8601

– all of which are gifts from visitors. “The badges I receive from guests are in recognition of my services and it shows that I have gone from doorman to friend. People also notice me as a result and feel like they can talk to me. The guests also love taking their picture with me, especially the Chinese visitors.” Thys enjoys working in the Central City, especially because everything is within safe walking distance: “You have to love Cape Town with everything it has; you can’t cut something out and still love it. You have to love the wind and the weather; you have to love the mountain and the sea; you have to love the people and the place.”

Meet Thys for yourself: The Fountains Hotel 1 St George’s Mall T: 021 443 1100 www.fountainshotel.co.za

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 Social Department: 082 563 4289

Telling your story in City Views City Views does not sell advertising or editorial space at this time. We are, however, always on the look out for city ownership stories: tales of people who love the CBD, who choose to live, work, study, invest, and play here. If you would like to be featured, please send your story to judith@capetownpartnership.co.za for consideration. Please note that submission of a story doesn’t guarantee that it will be included.

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.

Reading City Views We love knowing who our readers are and what they think. If you enjoy your copy of City Views, why not mail a picture of you reading it, wherever you love to read it (Your local coffee shop? On a street bench while people-watching?) telling us what you enjoyed most. If we like it, we’ll run it. Get in touch: judith@capetownpartnership.co.za.

November 2012

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Left: Atenkosi Mlilwana (left) and Johannes Molefe (right) at the new Straatwerk premises: the Bo-Kaap Bath House.

Photos: Lisa Burnell

Below: One of the CCID maintenance teams at work on paving outside the Central Library.

The importance of

partnerships Borne out of a difference of opinion but a common challenge, the collaboration between local NGO Straatwerk and the Central City Improvement District continues to create employment opportunities for those living on the streets of the CBD. When Straatwerk hit a housing crisis in September this year, it was this longstanding relationship that saw them through.

ometimes even the helper needs help. In September this year, Straatwerk – who joined forces with the CCID in 2004 to set up a job rehabilitation programme as a means to address issues of homelessness in the CBD – faced a crisis. The NGO was served a notice of eviction for their Hope Street premises, and had trouble finding another space at short notice, given that they rely on housing that is either subsidised or donated. They were effectively at risk of becoming homeless themselves. Luckily – through a good working relationship with the CCID and the City – they managed to secure a City property, the Bo-Kaap Bath House, in the nick of time. The City of Cape Town’s sport, recreation and amenities department facilitated the move to the building, which had been vacant since July 2012. “This is a symbiotic solution – not only could Straatwerk move in to the Bath House immediately without affecting their ability to provide essential cleaning services to the CCID, but the City now also has a suitable tenant for a previously disused building,” says Councillor Tandeka Gqada, mayoral committee member for community services. “Straatwerk nearly came to a stop and almost had to put their whole programme on hold,” says Tasso

Evangelinos, COO of the CCID. “This would have been a disaster for everybody – especially for the guy on the street, who is earning his daily allowance, and suddenly there’s no shift because there are no premises to work from. It just goes to show that none of us can do our work alone and that we are all interdependent. That is why it is so important to consistently work on and maintain partnerships.”

“It just goes to show that none of us can do our work alone and that we are all interdependent. That is why it is so important to consistently work on and maintain partnerships.” Tasso Evangelinos

Interestingly enough, the collaboration between Straatwerk and the CCID was borne in some ways out of a difference of opinion around a common challenge. “Around 2004, Straatwerk was assisting informal parking attendants in the Central City when – through the work of the Cape Town Partnership, the CCID and City of Cape Town – the formal kerbside parking system was introduced. Up to that point we were at

loggerheads about the presence of these informal persons in the city,” recalls Straatwerk project manager Hannes van der Merwe. “But collaboration was borne from this conflict when the CCID agreed to offer Straatwerk an alternative, an opportunity for people to earn a living. The idea was to offer people the opportunity to earn cash through cleaning shifts instead of engaging in aggressive begging or crime.” The first small opportunity – to clean the Grand Parade at odd hours over the weekend when the City’s cleaning department wasn’t operational – has become a fully fledged programme of two daily cleaning shifts of four hours each for the entire CBD. “The work gives people who have been on the streets, often for a long time, the chance to relearn the skills necessary to keep a job and function in society,” explains Hannes. “People have to choose to be here, they have to learn to work together in teams, and they regain some self-worth and dignity by doing an honest day’s work and earning payment for it.” The beauty of the project is that it overcomes two hurdles with one collective leap. Not only does it afford people a means to contribute to the Central City economy – regardless of their age, ability,

employment record or current living situation – but it has also become a cornerstone of the CCID’s urban management programme, helping ensure that the Central City stays clean 24/7. This in turn makes the project financially viable and allows Straatwerk to continue its social development work.

“If you look carefully at what Straatwerk’s projects achieve, you might notice that the rehabilitation it offers is not only to a certain section of the community who are seen by others to be in need of it. The rehabilitation it affects is in fact for the whole community. We strive to rehabilitate the interaction between all the members of society.” Hannes van der Merwe

rehabilitation it affects is in fact for the whole community. We strives to rehabilitate the interaction between all the members of society,” says Hannes. “Straatwerk provides an avenue through which each part of the community learns to employ its assets for the benefit of all. Nobody gets anything for free, but all benefit equally from each other. The challenge is there (and it is possible) to grow this model to the level where it makes a substantial and permanent impact on life in Cape Town.”

The more work Straatwerk have, the more members of the community stand to benefit. So the next time you organise an event and need assistance cleaning up afterwards, consider calling them directly: Straatwerk Bo-Kaap Bath House Corner of Castle Lane and Castle Street T: 021 425 0140 ophelp.operations@straatwerk.org.za

about

town

CityViews

November 2012

Portside from the ground up We went behind the scaffolding to find out what goes into the building of Portside, soon to be Cape Town’s tallest skyscraper. We discovered that beyond the blueprints and yellow cranes, concrete and steel, there stands a team of hundreds of people, all working together to help Portside take its place on Cape Town’s skyline. Meet just a few of the makers and hear how they’re contributing to Cape Town. Photo: Lisa Burnell

By: Ambre Nicolson

Photo: Jaxon Hsu

If you’d like to watch Portside’s progress in real-time, but don’t have a downtown window onto the construction site, head to www.portside.co.za for a full gallery and progress report.

Thys Mxolisi Thys, as a contract manager, supervises 117 steel workers on the Portside site. “I like working here because it allows me to get good experience and understand more about construction. And also, at the end of the day when you stand far away, after 20 years, I will still tell my kids that I was part of building this.”

Neil Gardner

Luigi Marrai,

Neil is responsible for overseeing the interests of Old Mutual Property – one of the key investors – for the Portside development as a whole.

Luigi works for SIP Project Managers, manages the design process, administers and monitors the construction phase, and ensures a continuous collaboration between clients, consultants and contractors to bring the project into being – timeously, within budget and to the specified quality standards.

“Portside has been an inherently collaborative venture from the outset. Old Mutual Property first became involved in this site over 20 years ago when we bought part of the property. About 5 years ago we collaborated with the City of Cape Town to secure the other half of the property, based on our vision of creating a major tall and green development on the site. Shortly thereafter, FNB were looking for a new provincial headquarters and so they came on board as our partners in the development. Our vision for Portside is that it will bridge the gap between the old Cape Town and the new. If you look at the location, at such an important intersection in our city, it is crying out for a development. I am sure

you have heard about the saying ‘location, location, location’ when it comes to property? Well, there should be another: timing, timing, timing. Whereas you can overcome bad location with good timing, you can’t do that in reverse, so in our view, this is the perfect timing for such a development because in times of economic austerity it is not only possible to pull together required service providers but it also creates job opportunities. I can also say that the City Council has provided a very enabling environment for Portside because they accommodated us with a phased approach to plan approval. I must commend them in the efficient manner that they handled our applications.”

“I think Portside will bring a renewed interest in Cape Town as a place to develop. When I look back after Portside is completed, I would like to remember all the great and positive events that took place during the project and recognise that Portside was achieved through the passionate and dedicated application of all involved, from project initiation stage through to the design and construction stages.”

November 2012

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CityViews

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Andrew Kinnell

“The challenge of Portside is that it will be built to newly revised building regulations. The project is also aiming for a high Green Star rating. These have added complexity to an already complex project. There is a constant focus on energy efficiency, good indoor air quality and safety. The best thing about working on this project is seeing this highrise, which has been planned and designed on paper over the last couple of years, start to climb out of the ground.”

Carolyn Helfenstein Project architect for dhk architects, Carolyn oversees the architectural aspects of the design development, as well as the production of the construction documentation and specifications. “The vision for Portside, underpinned by a commitment to sustainable and responsible development, is to create a timeless, elegant landmark, a GBCSA-accredited green tower which respects its position and active edges whilst observing best practice in terms of sustainability, pedestrian and vehicular access, visual impact, public space,

green building principles and climatic control, access, security and social responsibility. I enjoy catching glimpses of the tower from various vistas in the city and knowing that I am a part of something big, something that is going to change the skyline of Cape Town. I also enjoy working with amazing people and the team who conceptualised the Portside 2 design.”

Derek Chittenden Derek is an urban design and planning consultant for Portside (in association with Tommy Brummer) and has been involved with Portside since 2008. He essentially plays an integrative role between the geo-technical experts, the architects and the heritage authorities on behalf of the client and in collaboration with the City of Cape Town. “One of the key benefits that Portside will bring to Cape Town will be the strong focus on green building practices as well as the focus on integrating Portside into the life of Cape Town’s Central City. For example: a lot of thought went into where to place the tower with regards to its surroundings so as to ensure the best placement to avoid shadows. We also conducted a number of wind studies, both on a macro level – using a model of the building in a wind tunnel to assess its overall design – as

well on a micro level, taking into account elements such as landscaping and the materials used and elevations. We have also tried to activate the street façades of the building because when it comes to public space, the space between the buildings is as important as the building itself. So we have tried to ensure that there are no blank façades and that in some instances the footprint of the building has been pushed back to allow for street-side landscaping.”

Photos: Jaxon Hsu

Project engineer (mechanical services) for Spoormaker-Cape, Andrew is responsible for the design of all the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems serving the Portside development.

Nicholas Zintle Makalela Nicholas oversees a team of four people who work together to connect and clean the concrete pipelines as well as pour the concrete slabs that make up the internal skeleton of the structure. “The hard part of this job is connecting the pipes and when I am pouring the deck especially because when I work I go up high. I am always at the top. But no, I never pour wrong, you can’t do that!”

William Ngoma

Mike Munnik

Foreman for Preform Carpentry, William has worked on the Portside site for five months. He supervises a team of 30 carpenters who work on the stripping, decking and columns of the internal structure of the building.

Mike is a director at AGAMA energy and the sustainability consultant for Portside.

“When I think about this building being finished I think about all the other buildings that I have worked on that are now beautiful, like Wembley Square and the Boulevard. But, you know, the day after it is finished I won’t be allowed inside. I think there is something a bit funny about this because we who work on the building, we know everything about this place, but when it is finished, we won’t even be allowed to go inside. There will be a security guard and he will say ‘Where are your access cards?’ Still, I will be proud to build this building and also it will give me experience so that one day, maybe I can start my own business.”

Nyameko Magongo The project manager at APM, Nyameko coordinates, facilitates and manages the planning, procurement, construction and project handover activities for Portside. “The best thing about working on such a project is that everyone matters, everyone has an important role, everyone contributes and everyone learns. When I look up and see the completed building I think I will be proud to have delivered on my mandate and humbled to have played my part in positioning Cape Town as a successful global city.”

Jason Dini Jason is an electrical engineer for Claassen Auret Incorporated. “I design the electrical services, inclusive of standby generators and UPS power, as well as lighting, access control, security services and data highways. There is detailing, capacity planning and simulation in relation to these. There is also a lot of designing around the green aspects of the building, especially with regards to energy efficiency. The challenge of working on Portside is the reticulation throughout the building and the optimisation of space and positioning of plant equipment. It’s about efficient design without compromising on functionality.”

“How is Portside a green building? Well, the incorporation of green building initiatives includes a carefully designed façade (designed to be disassembled and reused on another site one day or recycled) which allows the air conditioning system to be optimised in terms of plant size and energy consumption. Outside air, in significantly greater quantity than required by local standard, is supplied throughout to enhance the indoor environmental quality of the building for users. In addition, the lighting system comprises movement and daylight sensing lighting fittings plus using lower energy. The project is also cycling friendly and helping to promote the City’s alternative transport focus with about 250 cycle racks and cycle facilities provided in the building and precinct.”

Stephan Claassen Stephan is the provincial head of FNB, and has played a strategic role with regards to Portside, from looking at the business case for the site to coordinating the different business units that fall under First Rand Bank – the organisation will be consolidating 20 different offices in the Cape metropole into two main provincial headquarters, Portside being the largest. “Portside will be our home in the Western Cape. We foresee the building being a cornerstone of the new financial district in the Central City and one of the icons of the developing inner city. We looked at over 16 different options around the region, but in the

end we chose Portside because we believe that, more and more, large and mid-size corporates are returning to Cape Town’s inner city. We are looking forward to Portside being a prime location, both for clients to visit us and for the people who will be working in the building every day.”

town

Spaces to share OF

ARU

B TANA

MIL

LONGMARKET

BRYANT

CHURCH

HILLIGERS

WALE

CHIAPPINI

DORP

LIT AR Y

LION

WHITFORD

CARLSB RO

TAMBOERSKLO

SIGNAL

tamboerskloof

BELLE OM

WARREN

T LEEUWENVOE

DAW

UPPER LEEUWEN

Public benches – which are dotted throughout the city in parks and on squares – offer a great opportunity to share a seat with someone you don’t know, to people-watch and take in the sights and sounds of the city. Why not take your lunchbox outside – you might just meet someone interesting.

bo-kaap ES

BURNSIDE

HILLS

E WOODSID

Share a seat CAMDEN

PEACE

JORDAAN

ROSE

BRE

PEPPER

WALE

SHORTMARKET

LONGMARKET

DORP

LEEUWEN

BLOEM

BUITEN

BUITENSINGEL

GREEN

cen DARLING DARLING

HARRINGTON SQ

CAN

TERB

ND M 3

LONGMARKET

MOSTERT

BARRACK

HARRINGTON

DRURY MOUNT

URY

4 Service Dining Room

ILL

1 Greenpop

VREDENHOEK

82 DECanterbury Street VL LIE 2390 T: 021I465 RS

17 Commercial Street T: 021 461 9265 www.greenpop.org

ON LUT

5 Straatwerk

St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church T: 021 425 0140 www.straatwerk.org.za

4 Albertus Street CLO4829 T: 021 465 VEL LY www.onsplek.org.za

DL LU

RUGLEY

2 Ons Plek

VAN

RYN EVE 3 Scalabrini LD Centre

47 Commercial Street T: 021 465 6433 www.scalabrini.org.za

7 The Homestead 150 Strand Street T: 021 461 7470 www.homestead.org.za

8 The Carpenter’s Sho 14A Roeland Street T: 021 461 5508 www.tcs.org.za

district six

9 Salesian Institute

6 The Haven

Youth Projects

2 Napier Street T: 021 425 4700 www.haven.org.za

2 Somerset Road T: 021 425 1450 www.salesians.org.za

O AANDBL

AA W

T OR

VE DA

DERBY

UTION

M ER UPP

ZIE

Sharing your resources with the broader ICK community for the greater good doesn’t Whave ARW to be about money. Why not use your skills and E CLIV experience to enrich the lives of people around you: Plant a tree, become a volunteer firefighter, lifeguard with NSRI, or help a local non-profit develop a better business plan. Here are some Z NE RIS Gopportunities to contribute in the Central City.

W FA

CON

ENIA

GARD

STE

MCKEN

Share your time & resources

SH LLI

ROELA

LEY

INI

G VIR

A YN MA

TT SCO

WES

TL JU

R PE

NN GLY

TT SCO

PARADE

19 12 2 BUITENKANT 4 the fringe

CAN UPPER

SOLAN

CITY HALL

KEIZERSGRACHT

ILL

DEH

M E

L RT MY

N KA

TERBURY

RD YNA MA RE CLA

N OO

ROELAND

GLY

LEY WES

ROO

TE BUI

CALEDON

VILLE

CORPORATION

CALEDON

HOP

CONSTIT

GLYNN

WANDEL

COMMERCIAL

WANDEL

BARNET

SP HI

Soap Boxes is an artwork by Rose Shakinovsky and Claire Gavronsky, collectively known as rosenclaire. The boxes, which make for great seats, are constantly filmed by a CCTV camera, the footage from which is then screened in the gallery. If you share a seat here, you’re a part of instant art.

Iziko South African National Gallery

ALBERTUS

PLEIN

ST. JOHN’S

JA A

BUREAU

ANN

CHURCH SQ

G Race Classifi cation Board AN

SPIN

ADDERL PARLIAMENT

PARLIAMENT

DO GOR

Dotted throughout the Company’s Gardens are public benches where you can share your lunch or your weekend break and relax in the green lung of the city. Enjoy the dappled light of the oak trees on benches in the Paddocks, share a fragrant seat near the Rose Garden or drink in the magnificent view of Table Mountain from the benches near the Deville Wood Memorial.

BURG

GREENMARKE

AND ALE

LINGEN

CURTIS

oranjezicht

Company’s Garden

KEEROM

LONG

QUEEN VICTORIA

HATFIELD

R Two benches by artist Roderick Sauls O R stand as starkPEreminders of the past when P U separate public benches for separate race groups were the norm.PRIN

LONG

Rock Girl benches

RIEBEECK SQ

COMPANY’S GARDEN

On the intersection of Castle and St George’s Mall, you will find three unusual benches. The benches, designed by Laurie Wiid van Heerden, Aram Lello and a collaboration between Tim Lewis and Lovell Friedman, form part of the Rock Girl project which aims to create safe places for girls and women in schools, at work and in communities.

DEAN

MOUNT NELSON

St Andrew’s Square on the corner of Buitengracht WELGEMEEND and Somerset Road Square used to be part of the St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church and is now home to the Prestwich Memorial and part of the Fan HOF Walk, which stretches all the way from Cape Town Station to Green Point Urban Park. Public benches here offer a halfway resting point.

WILKINSON

EN WELTEVRED

UNION

CAMP

STEPHEN

St Andrew’s Square

LOOP

E ANG ’S

HOFMEYER

gardens

RHEEDE

FAURE

11 BREE 22

5 GREY

If you don’t venture to the Foreshore often, you might not even know of the EET OF STR KLOquiet lane that leads from Thibault Square to Pier Place. Here, solid sandstone blocks provide cool seating in the summer heat and make for the ideal lunch spot.

VICTORIA

KLOOF

EATON

UNIO UPPER

NICOL

DE LORENT

CAMP

KLOOF STREET

Anton Anreith Lane

TABLE MOUNTAIN

JAMIESON

NEW CHURCH

GLYN

KLOOF AV

T DERWEN

Long snaking steel benches with wooden seats provide an ideal spot to admire the animated statues by artist Egon Tania. The statues depict normal people going about their everyday life and can be a great conversation starter between strangers.

CARLSBROOK

KLOOF NEK

BECKHAM

Pier Place

PARK

BUITENGRACHT

NEW CHURCH

CHURCH

UPPER BUITENGRACHT

TO CABLEWAY, CAMPS BAY, HOUT BAY

DORMAN

RAYDEN

AM BANT

BROWNLOW

GILMOUR

BOND

HASTINGS

ITA RY

QUEENS

LO N

ALBERT

KET

ASTANA

MILNER

ERT

HILLSIDE

ALB

ST. MICHAEL’S

ETB

KENMORE

KLO LEE

Some of the best collaborations are borne out of difference – when people with diverse backgrounds, skill sets, experiences and cultures meet up. City Views plots a few places where you can share, connect and (hopefully) collaborate with people who might be very different to you. T DEVONPOR

on the

C HEP

N MA

VESPERDENE

BERTRAND

ND STRA

CARREG

STOW

BRAEMAR

WESSELS

on the

TO MOUILLE POINT

town

HILLSIDE

& SEA POINT

BOUND

WATER KANT

ARY

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DE S

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PRESTWICH

RED

In the technology age, some people are lucky enough to need just an internet connection and a place to sit to do their work. If you’re that lucky, do you know about these hot desk spaces and hotspots were you can set up shop for a few hours?

7 Café del Cabo

LOOP

LONG

Corner of Burg and Castle Street T: 021 487 6550

HOT DESKS

CTICC

JETTY

ST. GEORGES

ntral city

9 Coffee on the Square

3 Open Innovation Studio

BARTOLEMEU DIAS

HERTZOG BOULEVARD

VASCO DA GAMA

CAPE TOWN STATION

GRAND PARADE

62 Roeland Street T: 071 762 0960 www.capetownoffice.com

1st Floor, Convention Tower Coen Stytler Avenue T: 021 403 6300 www.habitaz.co.za

LEY

LOWER PLEIN

Office

2 Habitaz

HEERENGRACHT

27 Buitenkant Street T: 021 469 4757 www.bym.co.za

4 The Hostel

D.F. MALAN ARTSCAPE

foreshore

86 Commercial Street T: 074 114 7772 www.thefringe.org.za

FOUNDERS GARDEN

OLD MARINE

JAN SMUTS

HAMMERSCHLAG

CIVIC

LOUIS GRADNER

MARTIN

JACK CRAIG

THE CASTLE

8 Central Library Drill Hall, corner of Parade and Darling Street T: 021 467 1500

1 Cape Town

WHARF

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HOTSPOTS 5 &UNION 110 Bree Street T: 021 422 2770 www.andunion.com

CHRISTIAAN BARNARD

6 Baran’s 36 Burg Street T: 021 426 4466

1 Lower Long Street T: 021 410 5500 www.cticc.co.za

E’Mondo 42 Hans Strijdom Avenue T: 021 418 1609 www.emondo.co.za

Escape Caffe Manhattan Place 130 Bree Street T: 021 422 1325

{field office} 37 Barrack Street T: 021 461 4599 www.fieldoffice.co.za

Hemelhuijs 71 Waterkant Street T: 021 418 2042 www.hemelhuijs.co.za

The Kimberley Hotel 48 Roeland Street T: 021 461 2160

Lunchworks 22 Waterkant Street T: 072 324 8868 www.lunchworks.co.za

My Basaar 16 Loop Street T: 021 421 6391 www.facebook.com/MyBasaar

O’Driscoll’s Corner of Hout and Burg Street T: 021 424 7453 www.odriscolls.co.za

Silver Moon Deli 34 Bree Street T: 021 421 0788 www.silvermoondeli.co.za

Truth Coffee 36 Buitenkant Street T: 021 200 0440 and 1 Somerset Road T: 021 419 2945 www.truthcoffee.com

vida e caffe Shop 4C, Icon Building Hans Strijdom Avenue T: 021 421 3974 and Shop 7, Market House Greenmarket Square T: 021 426 5517 www.vidaecaffe.com

Wizards Corner of Mill and Buitenkant Street Gardens Shopping Centre T: 021 461 9334

YOURSTRULY 175 Long Street T: 021 422 3788 www.yourstrulycafe.co.za

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Good ideas have a tendency to spread quickly and grow exponentially – so if you have a big dream, why not share it and let others help you realise it. Here are three platforms where you can connect with other like-minded people who are excited about turning big ideas into an everyday reality. N

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Pecha Kucha Pecha Kucha-style presentations restrict presenters to 20 slides that are displayed for 20 seconds each, resulting in a fast-paced, powerpacked presentation. Pecha Kucha takes place on the second Tuesday of every other month and anyone can apply to present. www.pechakucha-capetown.com

TEDxCapeTown TED, an annual event that brings some of the world’s leading thinkers and doers together to share what they are most passionate about, is

the ultimate platform for “ideas worth spreading”. TEDx is the independently organised local version, and has many incarnations in Cape Town: TEDxCapeTown, TEDxUCT, TEDxTableMountain, Lunch with TED (and the list goes on). www.ted.com/tedx

CreativeMornings The Cape Town chapter of a global network of CreativeMornings hosts free monthly breakfast lectures by creatives doing interesting work. www.creativemornings.com www.facebook.com/CreativeMornings CapeTown

around

town

CityViews

November 2012

KNOW YOUR CITY

Cape Town by numbers Collaboration starts with communication: We need to share ideas and information if we’re going to work together – as communities and as a city – more effectively. That’s why publicly accessible reports – like the State of Cape Town Central City Report, published this year by the Central City Improvement District – are important.

2012

STATE OF CAPE TOWN CENTRAL CITY REPORT

It may only be 48 pages long but the State of Cape Town Central City Report is full of useful information about the multi-faceted nature of Cape Town (and the people who call it home).

A CITY FOR PEOPLE

350 000 Cape Town’s CBD each day

WHAT DOES THE REPORT HAVE TO SAY ABOUT CAPE TOWN? It tells the story of a lively local economy which a diverse range of people and businesses call home. It underscores the important role that tourism, legal services and academic institutions play in the life of the city and reveals that, despite a global recession, Cape Town is the chosen location of a number of exciting new property developments. Survey results included in the report also point towards the growing attractiveness of the Central City as a residential location and the fact that Cape Town is increasingly considered a 24-hour city with a full menu of entertainment options, no matter the time of day or the season. And, since the report is the first of an annual series, it provides an important benchmark by which Cape Town’s CBD can measure its future success – not to mention being a useful resource for your next school project, board report or creative pitch.

residential population since 2011

35%

76% of these people are years & younger

Looking for information on property development?

Then start with the State of the Cape Town Central City Report.

increase in

people move through

Ever wondered how many people pass through the city each day?

Need some hard evidence to support the idea of the Central City as a good place for a creative start-up?

There has been a 76%

A CITY OF PROSPERITY

Central City property is currently valued at over:

Cape Town’s CBD contains

380 000m2 of retail space

R21 billion

That’s the size of three average suburban malls

With over:

1 200 retail outlets 40 coffee shops 71 bars & nightclubs

Over 600

creative businesses operate in the CBD each day That’s over half of the 1 200 creative industries established in the City Bowl

A CITY FOR POSTERITY There are:

77.1%

of people surveyed in the CBD use

Over

tertiary education institutions in

public Cape Town’s transport CBD The full State of Cape Town Central City Report for 2012 is downloadable for free from the new CCID website: www.capetowncid.co.za. Alternatively, contact aziza@capetownpartnership. co.za for print copies.

80% of people surveyed believe that Cape Town’s

night life is both accessible

diverse

If you’d like to contribute your ideas, information and research to next year’s report, then contact andrewf@capetownpartnership.co.za.

from the

CityViews

fringe

“A city always has so many unused spaces, why not put them to use for the betterment of people and the environment?” Derek Williams

Urban beekeeping

The LibraVision rooftop boasts not only magnificent mountain views, but also two beehives and the beginnings of a rooftop garden.

Pollinating urban change

What do the rooftops of London, Paris, New York and now Cape Town have in common? They are all home to hives of bees, thanks to the collective efforts of conscientious city dwellers. By: Ambre Nicolson

ondon has an estimated 2 500 urban beehives, the Louvre and Opera House in Paris are home to 99 and 50 hives respectively, and New York City has recently joined a number of other cities in legalising beehives in urban settings. All these are examples of a wider movement in urban agriculture: urban beekeeping. Concerned citizens around the globe are responding to pesticide-driven declines in bee populations by banding together to create a network of bee hives on urban rooftops. Now, thanks to the hard work and collaboration of a small group of people, Cape Town can count itself amongst them. Marine and Derek Williams are the driving force behind the first two beehives in the Central City, situated on the rooftop of the purple LibraVision building in The Fringe. Marine explains: “I have always loved bees and always had a dream of becoming a beekeeper. A couple of years ago I did a beekeeping course that was run collaboratively between the University of Cape Town and the Honeybee Foundation. When I learned about the urban beekeeping phenomenon I was inspired to try and set up something similar in Cape Town. After all, we have a beautiful city and ideal weather so I thought the city would be a perfect setting for bees.” “A city always has so many unused spaces, why not put them to use for the better-

ment of people and the environment?” Derek adds. Although largely self-funded at present, the Williams’ beekeeping project wouldn’t have been possible without the support of a number of key people, including LibraVision’s film producer and director Trevor Versveld, who gave them permission to use the company’s rooftop. “Trevor has been incredible,” Marine says. “Right from the start he said, ‘Go ahead, the roof is yours, do what you need to do.’” Other local businesses have also lent a hand, with paint container manufacturer Rheem providing plant containers and irrigation firm PD Irrigation Warehouse providing its services at cost. How do Trevor and his staff feel about sharing their office space with worker bees? “At first, some people were worried that there might be a lot of bees around, but really they are just like us – while we come here to work, they go off to do their own work, so it hasn’t been a problem at all,” Trevor says. “The whole system is also not only sustainable but also very mobile, and what’s more, our employees now have access to an attractive rooftop garden in which they can take a break.” Honeybee Foundation president Dominique Marchand was also invaluable in getting the bees installed at their new address, Marine points out: “Both colonies were origi-

nally wild swarms that people wanted removed from their properties in the Rosebank area. Dominique helped us with that and the bees have been living here since March. We are pleased to see that both hives seem to have survived the colder months well.” What do these urban bees eat? “The Cape honey bee is able to forage in a radius of three to five kilometres from the hive. That means that these bees can easily get to Table Mountain with all its fynbos, and since fynbos flowers in winter as well as summer, it is a great source of nectar for the bees … The Company’s Garden is also close and the bees are a great help in pollinating plants.”

Bees are so important in the pollination process that it is estimated that the decline of bee populations could risk human food security as a whole. “The way we look at it,” Derek explains, “when we bring bees into the urban environment we are acting as their custodians. With the right management, this could have a powerful effect on bee populations globally.” As a custodian of the LibraVision bees, what does Marine hope for the future of urban beekeeping in Cape Town’s CBD? “I would like to see maybe 10 or 15 hives spread throughout the city … Cape Town can be a great city for urban beekeeping but we have a lot of catch-

ing up to do and there is no time to waste – there should be more bees on more buildings!”

If you’d like to collaborate with Marine and Derek on their urban beekeeping project (whether you have a rooftop to donate or just your own time), you can contact them at peppering@worldonline. co.za. If you are interested in completing a beekeeping course, contact the Honeybee Foundation at 021 511 4567, honeybee@ global.co.za or www.beekeeping.com/honeybeeafrica.

HONEY IN THE CITY DID YOU KNOW THAT: Not all honey is created equal A high percentage of honey sold in South Africa is imported from elsewhere in the world, because local suppliers can’t always meet local demand. Too often this honey has been diluted with corn syrup or sugar water. To be sure that you are buying authentic honey it is best to rely on locally produced honey from trusted sources.

Local honey helps hay fever Eating local honey can help alleviate the symptoms of allergies. Since raw local honey contains pollen spores from local plants, eating a small amount of honey produced in the same area in which you live can help inoculate you against hay fever brought on by the spring pollen season.

Even honeybees get the blues City honey bees have been known to find their food in some unlikely places. In the French town of Ribeauvillé, beekeepers were astonished to find hives containing blue honey – that is until they realised the bees had been raiding the local M&M factory. Smoking the hive before harvesting any honey helps calm the bees – apparently because the bees assume there’s a fire nearby, and so start eating the honey in anticipation of leaving the hive. Honey seems to make them more docile.

Photos: Supplied

November 2012

around

town

CityViews

November 2012

LIVEABLE CITY

Living in the

Central City

Photo: Lisa Burnell

Alan Storey, minister at the Central Methodist Mission on Greenmarket Square, lives, works and gardens in the Central City. He shares some of his urban passions with City Views’ writer Alma Viviers over “heavenly coffee and wicked cupcakes”.

The space between the fence and the Central Methodist building (behind Alan in the photo) will soon be transformed into a community garden.

vibey Afro-chic coffee shop is not something you’d expect to find in a functioning church. But Heaven – the coffee shop at the Central Methodist Mission – is just one of the ways in which Alan and his congregation are trying to integrate the church into Cape Town city life. “We opened the heavy wooden doors and installed glass doors, as well as removed the fine burglar bars that were obscuring stained glass windows. These are just small symbolic ways of opening ourselves to the city community and contributing to city life. Our aim here is to be a place of life; to offer a pleasant environment where city people, whether they are religious or not, can come to enjoy this beautiful space, a good cup of coffee courtesy of our coffee shop Heaven, and a sense of community,” Alan explains. “Now you can get into Heaven and you don’t have to die first. Heaven’s coffee is only possible through the generosity of Deluxe – they shared their resources and don’t mind that we’re selling their coffee 50 metres

up the road. African Image’s Harry Sitole also did the interiors for us.” Although Alan was born in Cape Town (at the time his father was the minister at the Methodist Church in District Six, which is now the District Six Museum) he grew up in Johannesburg and lived there for the past 11 years before moving down to Cape Town in 2009.

“The salvation of the city will rest on densiﬁcation, on people and community, as it always has. But it needs to be done in the right way; it has to be a densiﬁcation that is inclusive of all – poor and rich, straight and gay, couples and singles, all nationalities and cultures. We need to intentionally break down divides.” Alan Storey

“At first it was challenging to figure out the city,” Alan recalls. “In Midrand, which was a growing suburb when I started working there, it was simply a case of ‘build it and they will come’ but here it is a completely different story. One of my biggest concerns for Cape Town is that the city is not populated densely enough. I know people understand this, but a city needs to be a 24-hour event and there are simply not enough people in the Central City.” He observes that we’re unfortunately reaping what was sown when 66 000 people were forcibly removed from District Six – a whole community who would have contributed their own vibrancy, creativity and buying-power to the city of today was uprooted. “The salvation of the city will rest on densification, on people and community, as it always has. But it needs to be done in the right way; it has to be a densification that is inclusive of all – poor and rich, straight and gay, couples and singles, all nationalities and cultures. We need to intentionally break down divides.”

True to this conviction, Alan lives right around the corner on Church Street. “It is so convenient living in the city. I don’t know why people would want to live anywhere else in Cape Town. I walk and cycle 90% of where I want to go.” He is also an avid supporter of Moonlight Mass. “I just think it is wickedly cool and so we decided to jump on the bandwagon since the ride is from Green Point Circle to Greenmarket Square. We open up the church, play some music and offer free cupcakes if you bring your bike inside and park it in the pews. At first a lot of people don’t realise that it is actually a church, but by the end of it they are taking pictures of themselves behind the pulpit. We really want to encourage cycling. I am telling you now, if Jesus comes back, he is coming back on a bicycle and we just want to make sure that he can park his bike here.” A new project that the church is undertaking is a community food garden along the perimeter of the building. According to Alan, the motivation comes from the Torah in which landowners were instructed not to reap their entire harvest but to leave a border of food for the three most vulnerable groups of people, namely the orphans, the widows and the foreigners. “For me this means that the most vulnerable in society are legitimate shareholders of the businesses. It also meant that the law of the time prevented hunger

and starvation not as a governmental function but as a function of business. Since my business is church we are going to try and honour this principle in a small and public way.”

“Can you imagine if every business or every landowner started planting food on the border of their property? That would be awesome on a whole number of levels: you’d be creating community; would acknowledge that we’re dependent on each other; that our wealth should be shared; and that we could also help prevent hunger.” Alan Storey

The hope is that this garden will grow to provide free food that people can come and pick when it is ripe. “Can you imagine if every business or every landowner started planting food on the border of their property? That would be awesome on a whole number of levels: you’d be creating community; would acknowledge that we’re dependent on each other; that our wealth should be shared; and that we could also help prevent hunger.” In addition to combating climate change and rising food costs associated with increased transport and

fuel prices, growing food in the CBD would also put people back in touch with food production and nature, Alan argues: “I started a food garden on my deck and it was incredible. I am a man and I don’t have children, but when my seedlings came up I felt like I had given birth with no labour pain. I would marvel at the daily growth and when my first tomatoes were ready to eat, it was literally miraculous and mysterious and beautiful.”

Do you have a balcony, sidewalk or communal garden? Why not grow edible plants in it to share freely with your community. Explore Alan’s Central City for yourself: Central Methodist Mission Corner of Longmarket and Burg Street Greenmarket Square T: 021 422 2744 www.cmm.org.za Heaven Entrance on Burg Street T: 021 422 2744 Deluxe Coffeeworks 25 Church Street T: 072 569 9579 www.deluxecoffeeworks.co.za African Image 52 Burg Street T: 021 423 8385 www.african-image.co.za

November 2012

around

CityViews

town

One day every month, Studio Shelf sets up office in a public space in Cape Town as a way of fostering collaboration between designers, communities and businesses. Here they are – running on Lola’s coffee and inspired by the city – in September 2012 as part of Creative Week. You can find them on 30 November at Molteno Reservoir. www.shelf.co.za

Which Creative Commons licence is for you? Attribution This licence lets others distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon your work, even commercially, as long as they credit you for the original creation. This is the most accommodating of licences offered, and is recommended for maximum dissemination and use of licensed materials.

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Creative Commons

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Collaboration made easy Just as a city’s commons – its public spaces – allow people to meet, mix and mingle, so Creative Commons allows people to share their ideas, information and work across the globe, unimpeded by national boundaries and intellectual property laws. Why in the world would you allow anyone to use your creative output for free?

Attribution-ShareAlike This licence lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work even for commercial purposes, as long as they credit you and license their new creations under the identical terms. This licence is often compared to “copyleft” free and open source software licences. All new works based on yours will carry the same licence, so any derivatives will also allow commercial use. This is the licence used by Wikipedia, and is recommended for materials that would benefit from incorporating content from Wikipedia and similarly licensed projects.

Attribution-NoDerivs This licence allows for redistribution, commercial and non-commercial, as long as it is passed along unchanged and in whole, with credit to you.

By: Ambre Nicolson

ax Kaizen, the public lead for Creative Commons South Africa, explains why sharing your best ideas and information for free makes sense: “Creative Commons offers a legal (and really easy) way for a creator of cultural works, government data, scientific research or educational resources to invite others to access, reuse and remix their work without having to ask permission or negotiate licensing terms through a lawyer. Cutting out middlemen is the superpower of the internet. Creative Commons is a tool to help you do this. “Sometimes we need safe bridges to make it from one kind of world to another. Somewhere between the anarchy of piracy and the stagnancy of ‘all rights reserved’, Creative Commons is a global attempt to help build the technical and legal infrastructure to productively collaborate more quickly, and sustain culture and commerce en route. To draw on

the riches of this time we need to connect, not just protect our best ideas. None of us alone is smart enough now. We South Africans are often reluctant to share our dazzling ideas and works, not realising that in this era, in the words of publisher Tim O’Reilly ‘Obscurity is a far greater threat than piracy.’” Founded in 2001, Creative Commons has grown into a worldwide phenomenon and the central hub of the movement towards an open culture of sharing ideas and knowledge. By 2009 it was estimated to have licensed over 350-million works across such diverse disciplines as Instagram photos and scientific theses, and licences are used by the likes of Wikipedia (the free encyclopaedia built collaboratively using wiki software), Google, the White House and Al Jazeera, to name but a few. Why would it work for Cape Town and for the continent?

“Creative Commons is a global attempt to help build the technical and legal infrastructure to productively collaborate more quickly, and sustain culture and commerce en route.” Max Kaizen

According to WikiAfrica project manager Isla HaddowFlood, Creative Commons-generated content out of and about the continent, loaded onto sites like Wikipedia, help to give Africa a better deal online. “WikiAfrica – which is itself built on a Creative Commons licence – redresses the critical imbalance of factual information about historic and contemporary Africa on Wikipedia. It is of vital importance that everyone living in Africa sees

their collective and individual reality – their culture, their community, their history, and their way of life – reflected truthfully online. By presenting the real vibrancy and layers of Africa, individuals can not only create a far wider market for their own creativity, but they can also influence how others think and feel about Africa, by ensuring openminded, fact-based decisionmaking. One of the most efficient ways to achieve this is to let other people have online access to your thoughts, ideas and projects, via Creative Commons.”

Want to learn more about open culture and the Creative Commons movement? Visit www.creativecommons.org Want to join the WikiAfrica movement? Go to www.wikiafrica.org

Attribution-NonCommercial This licence lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work noncommercially, and although their new works must also acknowledge you and be non-commercial, they don’t have to license their derivative works on the same terms.

Attribution-NonCommercialShareAlike This licence lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work noncommercially, as long as they credit you and license their new creations under the identical terms.

Attribution-NonCommercialNoDerivs This licence is the most restrictive, only allowing others to download your works and share them with others as long as they credit you, but they can’t change them in any way or use them commercially.

town

CityViews

November 2012

My Cape Town Gareth Pearson

Gareth Pearson is a full-time connector of dots – he helps make the connection between citizens and their city, old spaces and fresh ideas, people and causes they can be passionate about. City Views’ writer Alma Viviers tries to find out why.

CV That’s a lot to be involved in. Can you start by telling us a little more about TEDxStellenbosch? TEDx is an independently organised TED event that brings people together to share and spread ideas. It really gives people the opportunity to come together, even if only for a day or a few hours, to share ideas that they are passionate about. TED as a brand has become so big now that people recognise it and look out for local events. CV What about the bicycling campaign? I really wanted to see more people riding bicycles around Cape Town. Within that, there are a few initiatives that I am working on. One is the collective commute from Claremont, which has gone a bit quiet with the winter weather, but which we might start up again in summer. Something else I’m working on is getting more bike parking in the city. We are working with the City of Cape Town to help facilitate the installation of

bike parking outside interested businesses. We’re also exploring the idea of bike corrals – a single parking space can be converted to provide up to 12 bike parking spaces. These are very popular in other major cities and we would like to see some of these in highdemand areas like The Fringe and Long Street.

Gareth Pearson

CV In the context of your work, you use the pronoun “we” instead of “I” a lot – and you sometimes use these pronouns interchangeably. Isn’t it incredibly frustrating to have to rely on other people to get things done? Firstly, I couldn’t do what I do alone. Secondly, everyone working on these initiatives has a shared vision and a real passion for the project. All of the work done is voluntary and you don’t get paid for it, so you have to really want to see the change. People are realising that they can do things themselves and that they don’t have to wait for the City to do everything for them. This is your city, this is my city, and we must take ownership of it collectively.

CV Speaking of The Fringe, you’re also involved in the East City Alley. Tell us more. The East City Alley is a great little space located at the intersection between important Fringe landmarks like The Bank, The Assembly and the Field Office. It has the potential to become a real central meeting space and a hub of activity in The Fringe. Most recently we’ve had a food truck and film event there (we screened Gary Hustwit’s design trilogy) and hosted yoga sessions during Creative Week. Now we want to create more permanent programmed activity and turn East City Alley into a space for entrepre-

Beyond working collaboratively on projects, you’re also interested in collaborative consumption. Can you tell us more? Collaborative consumption is an economic model based on sharing, swopping or renting access to products as opposed to owning them. It can be anything from two friends sharing a car to companies sharing office space or equipment. When I was in New York recently I rented a bike through Spinlister, a peer-to-peer bike sharing service. I happened to rent it from one of the guys who started Spinlister and ended up having dinner with both him and the guy he founded Spinlister with. So the collaborative

“Everyone working on these initiatives has a shared vision and a real passion for the project. All of the work done is voluntary and you don’t get paid for it, so you have to really want to see the change.”

The Homestead provides residential care and family integration for boys. 021 461 7470

Salesian Institute Youth Projects provide education, skills training and rehabilitation to vulnerable youth. 021 425 1450

Ons Plek provides residential care while undertaking reunification process for girls. 021 465 4829 The Carpenters Shop provides rehabilitation services and skills training for adults. 021 461 5508

Gareth headed up Harrington Street, past the East City Alley, on two wheels.

consumption was not just about sharing a commodity but about an exchange, an interaction, making a connection and an instant sense of community. Are you hatching any new projects? I am working on something called “First Thursdays”. It is not a new concept and has been happening in cities like London and Seattle, but I’d like to test it out in Cape Town. The idea is that on the first Thursday of the month, galleries stay open until 21h00. When I was in Zurich, I happened to be there during Lange Nacht der Museen. It happens once a year when all the museums are open until 02h00. You buy a single access ticket with free public transport between venues and you get to explore the museums until the early hours of the morning. It was just amazing. I really like the idea of different attractions in the city at night beyond restaurants and bars. CV

The Haven’s vision is to get the homeless home. 021 425 4700

Straatwerk has job rehabilitation projects for men and women. 021 425 0140

neurs – we’re thinking of a market or a spot that provides something to eat during the day.

Photo: Lisa Burnell

CV Gareth, what do you do? After I finished studying business strategy at Stellenbosch in April this year, I travelled for a month, and then decided to take time in 2012 to do the projects that I have always wanted to work on, pursuing my ideas and interests while learning new things. I spend my time working on idea-sharing platforms like TEDxStellenbosch, cycling campaigns like Cape Town Bicycle Commuter and temporary urban interventions in forgotten spaces in the city like the East City Alley, among other things.

CV What is the one thing that would radically change the way we live in Cape Town? Densification and diversification – that’s two things but both are equally important. I think is it so important to have a dense and diverse city where people live and work with all the amenities within walking distance. Cape Town has so much opportunity to do this but not if we keep building office buildings that stand empty at night.

Take a leaf from Gareth’s book: Take your bike to work, see potential in forgotten spaces in your neighbourhood and share what you own with someone else. Then look out for participating galleries in the first “First Thursday” in Cape Town on 1 November 2012.

Many children and young adults living on the streets have severe drug addiction problems. More often than not, the money they receive from begging is used to buy their next “fix”. The CCID therefore requests that members of the public do not give money or handouts directly. If you would like to help, please contact one of the listed organisations mentioned. Contact the Central City Improvement District’s (CCID’s) Social Development Department for further information or assistance.

Pat 021 419 1881 | Dean 082 928 3862 Headman Sirala-Rala 082 262 0113 Mark Williams 082 262 0112