| Cape Town named finalist in Bloomberg Philanthropies 2021 Global Mayors Challenge | Cape Town is one of 50 Champion Cities selected today as finalists in the 2021 Global Mayors Challenge | <p>Cape Town is one of 50 Champion Cities selected today as finalists in the <a href="https://bloombergcities.jhu.edu/mayors-challenge" target="_blank">2021 Global Mayors Challenge</a>, a global innovation competition that identifies and accelerates the most ambitious ideas developed by cities in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. These 50 urban innovations rose to the top of a competitive pool of more than 630 applications from 99 countries, in the first-ever Global Mayors Challenge. </p><p>As a Mayors Challenge finalist, Cape Town now advances to the four-month Champion Phase of the competition. From June through October, the 50 finalist cities will refine their ideas with technical assistance from Bloomberg Philanthropies and its network of leading innovation experts. Fifteen of the 50 cities will ultimately win the grand prize, with each receiving $1 million and robust multi-year technical assistance to implement and scale their ideas. Grand Prize winners will be announced early next year.</p><p>‘These 50 finalists are showing the world that in the face of the pandemic’s enormous challenges, cities are rising to meet them with bold, innovative, and ambitious ideas. By helping these cities test their ideas over the coming months, we will have a chance to identify cutting-edge policies and programmes that can allow cities to rebuild in ways that make them stronger and healthier, and more equal and more just,’ said Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies and 108th mayor of New York City.</p><p>Witnessing nation-wide sudden job losses (South Africa’s economy shed 2,2 million jobs in Q2 of 2020) and school closures (where many youth formerly received their only daily meal), as a result of the national Coronavirus lockdown, Mayor Plato used his decades of activist experience. Having run a soup kitchen for many years, he came up with the quickest and most efficient way to address the urgent food-aid crisis developing in Cape Town. </p><p>The potential of empowering existing community-run soup kitchens across the City and helping others start new soup kitchens meant that these small, informal havens of nourishment were best positioned to reach as many residents in need as possible. Two plate gas stoves, 10L and 21L gas pots, and dry ingredients were provided to over 250 existing and newly established soup kitchens to significantly increase their reach.</p><p>‘Our response to a significant challenge was based on an urgent humanitarian need: we saw the need for assistance by those impacted financially by Covid-19 and capacitating soup kitchens and providing a large-scale food-relief programme was the most effective and meaningful way we could ensure that residents were not further impacted by Covid-19. In line with various social relief initiatives implemented by the City, we strive to live up to the mandate of being a Caring City. I am very pleased to see the difference this programme has made in the lives of so many. We are grateful for the acknowledgement of this campaign and also the real-life positive impact it has had on communities in need. Through the input of the team from the Bloomberg Global Mayor’s Challenge, we can look at improving our project and providing even more assistance to the many residents who continue to need our support,’ said Cape Town Executive Mayor Dan Plato.</p><p>The 50 Champion Cities submitted ideas addressing four of the most significant challenges borne of the pandemic: Economic Recovery & Inclusive Growth; Health & Wellbeing; Climate & Environment; and Good Governance & Equality. A prestigious selection committee co-chaired by Bloomberg Philanthropies board member Mellody Hobson, Co-CEO & President, Ariel Investments, and David Miliband, President & CEO, International Rescue Committee, assessed the applications to determine the Champion City finalists. </p><p>‘This is always an especially exciting phase of the Mayors Challenge, helping mayors push their innovations to even greater heights. While 15 cities will ultimately take home grand prizes, all 50 cities receive world class coaching and support to improve their ideas and their potential to improve lives,’ said James Anderson, head of Government Innovation at Bloomberg Philanthropies. </p><p>The 2021 Global Mayors Challenge builds on the success of four previous Bloomberg-sponsored Challenges in the U.S. (2013 and 2018), Europe (2014), and Latin America and the Caribbean (2016). For more information, visit <a href="http://www.mayorschallenge.bloomberg.org/" target="_blank">mayorschallenge.bloomberg.org </a>and @BloombergCities on Twitter and Instagram.</p><p><br><strong>End</strong></p><p><strong>About Bloomberg Philanthropies</strong><br>Bloomberg Philanthropies works in over 120 countries around the world to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on five key areas for creating lasting change: Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation, and Public Health. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s charitable activities, including his foundation and his personal giving. In 2016, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed $600 million. For more information, please visit <a href="http://www.bloomberg.org/" target="_blank">www.bloomberg.org</a> or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter.<br></p> | 2021-06-15T22:00:00Z | | | | | | | 1 | | | |
| Wetland restoration under way along Promenade Road in Muizenberg | The first phase of the restoration effort is taking place along Promenade Road in Muizenberg. Driving past, residents will see bulldozers on site | <p></p><span><p>The first phase of the restoration effort is taking place along Promenade Road in Muizenberg. Driving past, residents will see bulldozers on site.</p><p>The wetland was historically part of the floodplain area of the Zandvlei estuary, but was filled in during the 1940s. This infilling was unfortunately done with a large amount of building rubble and general waste. </p><p>Building rubble and waste compromises restoration results. Thus, work is under way to remove, as far as possible, the building rubble, waste and established invasive grass species. Once done, this will allow for a more natural site profile and the planting of low-growing locally indigenous plant species. </p>
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<img class="responsive" src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Centre/Zandvlei1.jpg" alt="" style="width:642px;" /> </figure></span><span><p>‘We expect the removal of the unwanted material to be done by the end of this week, if all goes as planned. Further site preparations will follow and ultimately the planting of the indigenous plants such as Cape Thatching Reed (Elegia tectorum), Swamp Grass (Carex clavata), Knobby Club Rush (Ficinia nodosa) and Sea-rose (Orphium frutescens). The planing will commence by the end of June 2021, pending any unforeseen delays,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Marian Nieuwoudt.</p><p>The long-term challenge will be to keep the invasive grass and other alien plant species from invading the wetland area and to keep litter out of the system.</p><p>‘Once established, this seasonal wetland system will form part of the larger ecological corridor concept, connecting Table Mountain National Park with the Zandvlei Nature Reserve waterbody. It is hoped that the project will also compliment the well-used recreational node on the shoreline of Zandvlei. Residents and recreational users are most welcome to approach the Biodiversity Management staff on site for more information as the project unfolds. We are excited to see the long lasting impact of this restoration effort,’ said Alderman Nieuwoudt. </p>
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<img class="responsive" src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Centre/Zandvlei2.jpg" alt="" style="width:642px;" /></figure></span><p>Wetlands systems across the world are under threat as a result of pollution, abstraction and transformation. Cape Town is no exception and opportunities to protect, enhance and restore these critically important ecosystems are essential for the long-term sustainability of the city.</p><p>‘The preparations and planning for this restoration project started in 2016 already. It is a complicated process and requires the assistance and resources from various stakeholders and City departments, most notably the Biodiversity Management Department, Catchment and Stormwater Management, Fleet Management, Recreation and Parks, Sanitation, and Roads Infrastructure and Management,’ said Alderman Nieuwoudt.</p><p><br><strong>End</strong></p><span><figure class="subtopic-fullsize-img"> </figure></span> | 2021-06-15T22:00:00Z | | | | | | | 1 | | | |
| Technology aids the fight against crime | EPIC is a technology and communication platform that allows for an integrated approach for the City’s Safety and Security departments and emergency services | <p></p><p>EPIC is a technology and communication platform that allows for an integrated approach for the City’s Safety and Security departments and emergency services. One of the main advantages of EPIC is its incident registration and rapid response capabilities, which allows for fast and efficient knowledge sharing. </p><p>The EPIC system also assists with situational awareness for the City’s Safety and Security departments, thanks to the development of additional dashboards to visualise data and create insight to the different service priorities such as the national disaster act and lockdown compliance regulations and illegal land invasions. </p><p>During the national disaster act, EPIC used spatial dashboarding to accelerate development and support in the Covid-19 response. The development of the dashboards included the utilisation of the City’s Geographical Information System. </p><p>In addition to the above, heat maps were developed to visualise activity in a specific area, which allowed for the early detection of trends. The ability to gather, collate and disseminate information provided a useful tool for the city’s enforcement agencies. In this regard, EPIC developed reports of non-compliance with the Covid-19 regulations and these data sets were heat mapped and together with the City’s Vulnerability Viewer, departments used an integrated approach to address challenges in specific and vulnerable areas and responded to the risk. </p><p>As part of the City’s ongoing commitment to officer safety, EPIC also developed a mobile panic device that, when activated automatically, sends a panic signal to the Law Enforcement Command Centre as well as the control room of the department whose officer had activated the signal. The signal includes the information known about the unit such as crew, vehicle details, and most importantly, the location. </p><p>‘The EPIC system optimises our enforcement and emergency services response along with allowing easy integration between departments when attending to complaints. Through the use of EPIC, we addressed the many challenges, such as Covid-19 non-compliance that we experienced last year. It’s important that our emergency services and enforcement departments have the latest technology to assist them in providing the best possible service to our residents. With EPIC, our departments can adapt to the changing security environment so that we are able to respond rapidly to deal with possible security threats,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.</p><p>The first phase of the EPIC Contravention Project went live in July last year allowing officers to capture fines electronically on the EPIC device. A mobile printer allows the offender to be immediately issued with a fine at the location of the infringement. In the next phase, an additional 13 notice types will be added to the electronic capability of the handheld device. The ability to scan driver licences and vehicle licences in order to get access to driver and vehicle detail is also being built into the application. </p><p><br><strong>End</strong></p> | 2021-06-15T22:00:00Z | | | | | | | 1 | | | |
| City to report back on progress with spatial vision for District Six | Last year the City, together with residents and interested parties, embarked on a journey to refine the overall spatial vision or Local Spatial Development Framework (LSDF) for District Six | <p></p><p>Re-establishing the community of District Six is one of the most important redress projects the City of Cape Town is undertaking in collaboration with the National Government, the District Six community, and all other residents, interested parties, and stakeholders.</p><p>Last year the City, together with residents and interested parties, embarked on a journey to refine the overall spatial vision or Local Spatial Development Framework (LSDF) for District Six.</p><p><strong>We now invite residents, stakeholders, and interested parties to a meeting where the City will:</strong></p><ul><li><div style="text-align:left;">report back on the progress to date with the draft LSDF, or local neighbourhood plan</div></li><li><div style="text-align:left;">inform all what is to happen next – among which collaborating with residents about a vision for the public realm, or public open spaces, in District Six</div></li></ul><p>Given that we are now in a third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic the meeting will happen virtually, via Zoom. A recording of the virtual meeting will be available for viewing on the City’s website by those who are unable to attend.</p><p><strong>The virtual meeting will take place as follows:</strong></p><ul><li><div style="text-align:left;">Date: Tuesday, 29 June 2021</div></li><li><div style="text-align:left;">Time: 10:00 to 12:00</div></li><li><div style="text-align:left;">Link to the Zoom Meeting: <a href="https://uct-za.zoom.us/j/96556989845?pwd=b3Q4M2xYU3VqNGlROW1xclJzUkRnZz09" target="_blank">https://uct-za.zoom.us/j/96556989845?pwd=b3Q4M2xYU3VqNGlROW1xclJzUkRnZz09</a></div></li></ul><p>Meeting ID: 965 5698 9845<br>Passcode: 905257</p><p>‘The City is not involved with the restitution process, but we are responsible for creating an overall spatial vision for District Six in collaboration with the District Six community, and other residents. The purpose of this spatial plan is to re-establish this once vibrant neighbourhood, to create a sense of belonging, and to establish a multicultural community.</p><p>‘The next phase of this process is a public realm study, which will assist us in identifying the public open spaces in District Six. The public realm is the spaces between buildings such as streets, squares, green spaces, and pedestrian areas that are freely accessible to people.</p><p>‘We all know that a community forms over time. We become a community in the places where we meet, mostly outside of our homes, and most often by chance. A community is shaped on our streets where we stop and greet, where we pass acquaintances on our way to the shop or work.</p><p>‘A community does not exist in a building. Community happens outside of our homes, in the public space, in what is often called the public realm. A community is where we recognise each other as passing individuals, but also as one when we come together. </p><p>‘At this virtual meeting on 29 June 2021, the City will inform residents about how we intend to collaborate with the community about the public realm – how we can shape and form the future District Six community with public open spaces; what we want these spaces to look like, how we want to use them, and how we want them to connect us with one another, and the other surrounding neighbourhoods. All are invited to attend, and I am encouraging residents to please make use of this opportunity,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Marian Nieuwoudt.</p><p><br><strong>End</strong><br></p> | 2021-06-14T22:00:00Z | | | | | | | 1 | | | |
