FORESHORE FORESIGHT

What's Happening in the Precinct of Possibilities?

Bumper-to-bumper traffic, petrol fumes, makeshift shelters, and harbour odours greet thousands of commuters as they enter Cape Town each day. What should be a world-class CBD on par with the impressive Lion's Head, Table Mountain, and the Atlantic Ocean, is marred by an unfortunate landmark: the infamous unfinished freeway.

Our city is not alone in its former lack of vision for urban growth. Before the multi-laned, double-decker Embarcadero Freeway in San Francisco was partly destroyed by an earthquake in 1989 and demolished in 1991, it was dubbed the ‘Blight of the Bay’. But not all is doom and gloom. The removal ended up becoming a major success story, reconnecting the city to the ocean with a public waterfront and promenade. Another triumph is seen in Seoul’s Cheonggyecheon elevated expressway, which was torn down in 2002 during an urban renewal project to reveal a buried river widely enjoyment by the public today.

Perhaps there is yet hope for the Mother City to birth a new Foreshore Precinct in our lifetime. In fact, in recent years the area has seen plenty of building activity, especially refurbishments. The Rockefeller, Hotel Sky, KPMG office building, Netcare Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital, and the latest Harbour Arch mixed-use development are the first pioneers to breathe life into the characterless Foreshore Precinct. Crowned the Best High-Rise Development in South Africa at the 2021-22 African Property Awards, The Rockefeller specifically set out to create a neighbourhood of its own within the constraints of the site.

This was done through creating typical neighbourhood pockets by basing specific interior elements on neighborhood areas. Finishes were chosen that could best convey the desired urban edge aesthetic to reflect the inner city. Finishes such as concrete and graffiti-inspired wallpaper were offset against polished stone and golden tiles to create a beautiful contrast between grit and glamour.”

Then there’s the sleeping giant. Could the development of the Harbour Arch finally make the eventual removal of the elevated freeway a real possibility?

Battling the city’s strong winds and the deep ground-rock drilling and excavationthat were required for the precinct’s three-level basement eleven metres below ground, construction is well underway on the contested site. But as James Wilson, CEO of Amdec Group, pointed out, ‘It was not that long ago that proposals for another ambitious development, the V&A Waterfront, now Cape Town’s most popular tourist destination attracting more than 24 million visitors each year, were vehemently opposed. In fact, those who lobbied for the V&A Waterfront 30 years ago were dismissed as idealistic dreamers.’

In a similar vein, Wilson believes that Harbour Arch will reimagine another under-utilised Foreshore area, and put Cape Town on a par with other iconic cities where innovative, high-rise developments have pushed the boundaries of design and architecture to become landmarks and attractions in their own right. ‘We see how Hudson Yards, a similar large-scale development on Manhattan’s West Side, has become New York’s newest tourist attraction because of its contemporary design elements. Harbour Arch will do the same for Cape Town, already regarded as one of the best cities in the world to visit.’

Not only is it crucial to develop a subdistrict that will attract residents from various backgrounds back to the heart of the city to live, work, and play, but we also need to consider how to change the urban terrain to reconnect the city and the sea, improve traffic congestion, generate more social housing, combat the urban heat island effect, and provide more public green spaces to elevate the enjoyment of the city’s natural surroundings.

How developers and the City come together to find a solution will face increasing pressure as South Africans semigrate to the Western Cape. The population of Cape Town, currently about 4.6 million, is expected to grow to 5.5 million by 2030. That means an additional 300 million litres of water a day, not to mention housing, schools, hospitals, and roads. Investing in accommodating Mzansi’s Fo’ Sho growth is critical. We’re a minute to midnight. The freeway must fall.