Andrew Boraine » Public space

Mouille Point – what’s in a name?

Andrew — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 13:50:59 +0000

While the Sea Point Promenade ranks as one of the best public spaces in Cape Town, my personal preference is for its slightly scruffy and less well known neighbour – the Mouille Point promenade and beachfront.

I have often wondered how Mouille Point got its name, so I started doing some…

Come rain or come shine… we walk the city to discover our history

Andrew — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:06:59 +0000

I took a group of 25 international journalists on a walking tour of the Cape Town Central City this morning. The weather was awful, a typical wet Cape winter’s day, but true to our motto – we walk, come rain or shine – we set off in good spirits. The group is…

Cape Town Fan Walk lives on

Andrew — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 05:39:13 +0000

It wasn’t as big as the World Cup Fan Walk. Or as glamorous. But last night’s PSL double header at the Cape Town Stadium showed that the Cape Town Fan Walk is here to stay.

Of the 46 000 people that attended the match at the stadium, only 6 000 used…

The ‘unhappy compromise’ shows signs of coming of age

Andrew — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 06:05:54 +0000

The Cape Town Foreshore has been described as an ‘unhappy compromise’ resulting in series of ‘wind-blown stretches of asphalt and concrete, filled with car parks and roaring traffic, inaccessible to pedestrians.’* Yet on a still winter’s morning, in the early dawn light, on foot, the Foreshore can almost be beautiful.…

Reclaiming cities for people

Andrew — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 13:54:44 +0000

Have a look at this short inspirational talk by Gil Penalosa (brother of the more famous Enrique) on how Bogata, a developing city, shifted resources into building liveable streets and spaces for the benefit of the majority of citizens.

I particularly like his example about constructing linear parks and walkways that…

Post 2010 paradigm shifts create opportunities for new city development

Andrew — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:12:12 +0000

In 2008, the City of Cape Town and the Cape Town Partnership published the Central City Development Strategy – a framework to guide change and manage growth over the next ten years. We are currently reviewing and updating the strategy in light of the 2010 World Cup experience.…

Cape Town Squared (or how some of our most valuable public assets are not being properly used)

Andrew — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 21:17:27 +0000

Do you remember the popular zebra artworks dotted around public spaces in Cape Town during the World Cup? Well, they’ve now migrated to the Artscape Piazza on the Foreshore.

The 33 zebras form an exhibition entitled ‘Not all is Black and White’, by the World for All…

Ten reasons why the Cape Town 2010 Fan Walk worked so well

Andrew — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 11:46:34 +0000

The Cape Town Fan Walk has become one of the talking points of Cape Town’s World Cup experience. The editorial in today’s Cape Argus described it as a ‘masterstroke’. John Robbie of 702 Talk Radio asked me yesterday to what we as a city owed the success of the Fan…

Cape Town shows the world how to street party

Andrew — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 23:50:53 +0000

We were hoping to get 100 000 people on the Cape Town Fan Walk for the Germany vs Argentina 2010 World Cup Quarter Final match. At its peak, the Fan Walk hit an estimated 153 000! This means that when 65 000 people were in the stadium, over 90 000 continued

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Heaven forbid we return to business as usual in the city

Andrew — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 14:35:09 +0000

Cape Town will never be the same again. Not after the experience of the World Cup. I’m not talking about the infrastructure legacy, or the new facilities created, or the worldwide exposure for Cape Town as a destination. I’m talking about the way in which our attitudes to using the city…