Tafelsig Placemaking Initiative

Services: Project Facilitation and Management, Research, Urban Strategy and Visioning, Design, Stakeholder Engagement, Communication

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The initiative consists of a series of ongoing tactical interventions and art projects centred on the Tafelsig Cultural Node, with the purpose of fostering neighbourhood pride and advocating for better living conditions in the surrounding area. This initiative also spawned the PAINT communities project, which aims to accentuate and transform spaces in Mitchells Plain and other underserved Cape Town neighbourhoods.The work has included engagement with local youth, City authorities, and residents, a conceptual urban design plan, the installation of a tree and benches through a South African Cities Network IUDF grant, the delivery of the Mak1One public artwork, and raising awareness about issues ranging from inadequate public lighting to illegal dumping.The outputs would contribute to the broader picture, which is evolving and focuses on understanding what a blue-green framework means in this context and how nature-based solutions could play a role in driving it, and is backed by the leading Dutch landscape architecture firm OKRA.

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Context

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The Tafelsig Cultural Node is located at the intersection of AZ Berman Drive and Kilimanjaro Street in the heart of the neighbourhood. The proximity to a number of social amenities highlights opportunities to invest in small-scale interventions to improve the public space. Around the node are a clinic, a church, a thriving community centre, and three schools. The Wolfgat Nature Reserve, which stretches along the southern coastline, is an additional valuable resource for the location.‍‍‍

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