High Street Mfuleni

Services: Research, Design, Stakeholder Engagement

High Street Mfuleni was a design-driven strategy intended to foster the growth of a pedestrian-friendly, cohesive, and secure High Street in the vicinity of the Mfuleni Taxi Rank. The proposal was developed in response to the Western Cape Government's implementation of the high street model, which intended to create sustainable business opportunities and urban spaces for residents of informal settlements in the Western Cape. The model's primary objective was to promote healthful alcohol consumption.

With Mfuleni selected as one of the pilot sites, the proposal sought to encourage a broader range of interventions, activities, and enhancements that go beyond the creation of commercial zones where alcohol may be lawfully consumed and sold.

The street in question runs parallel to Main St, from the traffic circle adjacent to the taxi rank and an informal pedestrian route linked to the taxi rank, both of which run on either of the City of Cape Town-operated Mfuleni Market Stalls.The location offers the following strategic benefits:

• A modest taxi rank
• A rapidly expanding community with a growing reliance on a single taxi rank, the only public transportfrom Mfuleni to other areas of Cape Town
• Inadequate pedestrian routes leading to the taxi rank from multiple directions, including abruptly ending pavements
• Through the strategic location of the Mfuleni Market Stalls and Trading Area, there is an opportunity to incorporate local businesses into the initiative.
• A generally inadequate public space environment

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