Background and objectives

The Mayor's Portfolio began in 2013, inspired by the 2014 World Design Capital. Stakeholders in the Environmental Management Department sought to understand how the City was implementing design solutions through tangible, creative projects that deliver real results to the people of Cape Town. 

Since then, we have published a number of editions, including a joint edition with the City of Aachen in 2021.

The Mayor’s Portfolio showcases innovative projects that address socio-economic and environmental challenges, fostering a more sustainable and resilient city for current and future generations. Since the launch of the first edition (2014), the Mayor’s Portfolio programme has profiled over 120 City projects.

Dunoon Library (2020 Edition) - In light of the limited space available in Dunoon, the library was designed as a three-storey, steel-framed concrete-and glass building to optimise usable land, while delivering a fully equipped smart facility.

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The programme serves as a tool for mainstreaming implementation of the City’s Environmental Strategy, highlighting the City’s commitment to meeting Capetonians’ social and economic needs without compromising the natural system on which we all rely.

The main aim of the Mayor’s Portfolio is to mainstream sustainability thinking, and guide and incentivise project managers to incorporate sustainability principles into their project planning and implementation processes, with a range of supporting aims, including:

• To identify particular projects managed or supported by the City with a clear commitment to sustainability. 
• To build collaborative processes and facilitate the continued mainstreaming of sustainability throughout the City administration. 
• To engage with officials across line functions regarding aspects of projects and integrated thinking. 
• To identify project elements (economic, social, ecological or institutional) that demonstrate best practice. 
• To encourage project leaders to incorporate sustainability ideas from other projects, which could contribute to their own projects’ increased success. 
• To assess projects according to a defined set of indicators and provide feedback on their strengths and weaknesses via an objective, expert panel. 
• To provide a useful resource to demonstrate how to implement sustainability principles. 
• To distribute the final product to all project managers and directors across the City to encourage best practice. 
• To ensure accessibility to a wider audience through media coverage of the publication via online media, print media and other networks. 
• To encourage project management that maintains a vision for sustainability and a commitment to Cape Town and its inclusive development.

The Mayor’s Portfolio provides a reference point for project managers in terms of what others have tried and learnt from; a networking platform for collaboration; and an opportunity to showcase work to internal and external stakeholders. 

Since 2020, the Mayor’s Portfolio of Urban Sustainability has been included as a category in the annual Project Managers’ Forum project excellence awards, using the assessment algorithm as a basis.

Programme support

The Mayor’s Portfolio has benefited substantially from the support and guidance of an advisory forum and an expert review panel of sustainability practitioners.

The advisory forum is comprised of representatives from various City directorates, established to provide high-level strategic input to the Mayor’s Portfolio.

The expert review panel is made up of external stakeholders that represent Western Cape government, the academic sector, private-sector professionals and civil-society leaders. The panel plays an important part in reviewing the processes and moderating the assessment of the projects included.

Evaluation process

Projects featured in the Mayor’s Portfolio need to:

• Be in the implementation phase or recently completed. 
• Address socioeconomic and environmental issues in an integrated manner and within a framework of good governance.
• Be making a positive change in their sector, while crossing sector boundaries and working transversally. 
• Be innovative or original in their approach. 
• Demonstrate collaboration and partnership building. 
• Definitively contribute to the implementation of high-level City strategies, notably, the City’s Environmental Strategy.
• Empower the communities in which they operate or the greater Cape Town community, for example with skills, employment, connections and networks, or knowledge transfer. 
• Encourage replication through ease of process, creative or cost effective use of material, and strategies that position the project as a true example of practical ways to achieve sustainability. 
  

Selected projects undergo a rigorous evaluation process. Each project is evaluated on 12 sustainability criteria, identifying best practices and areas for improvement, driving continuous progress towards sustainability.

While projects differ in scale, resources, timelines, aims and objectives, they all offer lessons to be learnt.

Contact us

If you have any questions or need more information about the Mayor’s Portfolio of Urban Sustainability publication, kindly contact the following representatives:

Muofhe Pedzai - PO: Environmental Strategy Implementation

Email:
Muofhe.Pedzai@capetown.gov.za

Saul Roux – Head: Environmental Strategy Implementation

Email:
SaulAlexander.Roux@capetown.gov.za

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