Natural Space and City Growth

Paul Heydenrych
MCA Planners
January 2009
Purpose of Paper
Explore the meaning, role and value of natural & green
open space within the City, so as to understand the issues
and factors that affect the use, accessibility and
management of open space.

What would Cape Town be without Table Mountain? It

means and represents different things to different people.

Natural open space is a resource, some of it needs

protection, but all of it needs good sustainable
management, to ensure a sustainable city.
Definitions and Concepts
 Public Open Space (POS)
Publically owned land open to all citizens
 Includes parks, playgrounds, river corridors, forestry areas,
etc.;
 Exists to enable the functioning of natural systems and to
accommodate community needs (recreational, psychological
and heath);
 There is a perception that POS is space left over after
planning, this is untrue, though this is based on the fact that
many spaces are derelict and neglected;
 Is required in any new settlement based on standards and
criteria;
 At 160m2 per person and well distributed – its not about the
amount or its location – but about how its managed, secured
and used.
Definitions and Concepts
 Natural Space
All places within a city that are managed and run in
order to maintain and preserve their natural state
or the functioning of ecological systems.
 Plays a critical absorptive function in natural
processing and recycling wastes;
 Mitigates natural and extreme environmental
hazards;
 Natural Space extends beyond standard POS;
 Examples: Table Mountain National Park & False
Bay Ecology Park.
Definitions and Concepts
 Natural Space
 Should be created and managed to ensure
sustainability in terms of:
▪ Location (Incorporating various areas);
▪ Size (Maintain natural populations and expected waste);
▪ Dimension (Shaped to sufficiently protect “core” areas);
▪ Connections (To other natural spaces).
 Natural Green Open Space
▪ Combination of POS and Natural Space;
▪ City and District level the focus is on natural systems;
▪ Neighbourhood and site level focus is POS.
Definitions and Concepts
 Accessibility
The ease with which a place or activity is physically
reached.
• Physical accessibility is a function of:
– Distance
– Location (near major road vs top of mountain)
– Travel mode (foot, car, cycle public transport, etc.)
– Quality of infrastructure (quality of road, transport frequency)
• Mobility is also a function of income (high vs low income)
– Walking distance and public transport stops are a critical
factor in determining accessibility.
Definitions and Concepts
 Accessibility
Management challenges to urban accessibility:
• Cost of access
• Opportunity Cost
• Awareness, knowledge and perception
• Security and safety
• Quality / Maintenance and management
Metropolitan Open Space System
 Pulls together the Natural Space and the Green Open
Space across the metropolitan area, as defined in the
City of Cape Town’s MSDF (2000).
 It is an attempt to identify and draw together both the
physical delineation of the system and address the
management challenges of the system.
 Focuses on large scale natural systems such as riverine
/ wetland environments and mountain chains, but
incorporates formal / informal recreation areas, protected
natural areas and sensitive environments.
Functions of Open Space
Provides a range of functions within the City, all of which are necessary for
the healthy and sustainable operation of the City.

 Social
 Relax, play and escape the close confines of small spaces.
 Economic
 Provides hundreds of millions of Rands worth of services,
both social and ecological every year.
 Cape Town’s unique natural environment is its greatest
asset and competitive advantage in the tourism industry.
 Ecological
 High biodiversity - one of only three cities in the world
ranked as a “hotspot”
Quality and Accessibility:
How much is Enough?
 Approximately 160 m2 of green space per citizen
in Cape Town – more than most cities in the
world.
 Quantity is therefore not a problem, its
accessibility in terms of safety, security and
proper management.
Strategic Direction
 Metropolitan and City-Wide
 Contextual Informants
▪ Cape Town will have an estimated pop. of 5mil. people by 2025
▪ Too much fragmentation in the management of natural space,
allowing areas to fall between the cracks.
 Goals
1. Ensure institutional mechanisms are in place to enable
implementation of good existing strategies and plans;
2. Identify areas of high biodiversity and protect them;
3. Incorporate areas exposed to natural and man-made hazards into
MOSS;
4. Review and strengthen the City’s Biodiversity Strategy;
5. Encourage well managed and productive commercial and
subsistence urban agriculture.
Strategic Direction
 District Level
 Contextual Informants
▪ The City is preparing District level SDFs and EMFs;
▪ It has identified opportunities for new urban green spaces
(urban agricultural complexes, multipurpose city parks, etc.).
 Goals
1.Create a green web to protect biodiversity;
2.Identify areas for public planting to reinforce the web;
3.Utility servitudes present opportunities to connect and
conserve lowland fynbos areas;
4.Identify areas needing higher order sporting and recreational
facilities and ensure proper maintenance thereof;
5.Discourage development of open space for housing. Instead
develop around it to fulfill the housing need.
Strategic Direction
 Neighbourhood Level
 Contextual Informants
▪ At this level open space for recreational, play, sporting and
psychological needs come to the fore.
 Goals
1.Increase both community awareness of biodiversity issues,
and improve safety and security of local neighbourhoods;
2.Open space in new neighbourhoods to be designed to:
1. Ensure good surveillance
2. Safety from major traffic hazards
3. All weather playing surfaces
3.Identify existing drainage patterns;
4.Open spaces should form a network to accommodate natural
water flows.
Strategic Direction
 Site Development Level
 Contextual Informants
▪ Introduce initiatives to positively impact on open spaces;
▪ New and re-developments should be low impact.
 Goals
1. Promote and encourage Low Impact Development techniques,
2. Encourage the use of low-flow water technology;
3. Encourage renewable energy usage and reduce energy demand;
4. Encourage water-wise and indigenous landscaping;
5. Permeable paving;
6. Site buildings to preserve sensitive areas;
7. Encourage “Green Building Codes”;
8. Land Use Management guidelines should incorporate the above.
Conclusion
 The issue is not that there is insufficient green
open space in Cape Town or and awareness
amongst its Departments.
 The issue is bringing the role-players together to
ensure projects are implemented and maintained
properly.
 Thus effective management is the key to creating
sustainable open spaces.
Conclusion
Ideally, every Capetonian should have equitable
access to a range of good open space facilities,
resources and opportunities.