Historic co-design workshops under way for public spaces in District Six
16 September 2021
A group of community representatives or Caretakers has participated in the first co-design workshop for the public spaces and streets in District Six earlier today. The workshop has set the tone for a dynamic collaborative process between the community and the City of Cape Town.
The Caretakers who have participated in the first face-to-face co-design workshop were nominated by the community to participate in the Public Realm Improvement co-design workshops for District Six. The representatives are from various groups, communities, interested and affected parties, and stakeholders and those Caretakers who could not attend the workshop in person, joined the conversation online.
The co-design workshop was hosted by the District Six Museum’s Homecoming Centre and the City’s Public Realm Study consultants.
First off, the Caretakers were asked to participate in a ‘memory mapping’ of how they related to specific places in District Six. Then participants had to describe how these memories would resonate in the public spaces and streets of a future District Six, and what urban principles could be applied to realise this vision.
The purpose of the co-design workshops is to collaborate on developing a framework for proposed public spaces, priorities for these and design guidelines – the look and feel and uses – of the public realm of District Six. Importantly, the Caretakers will help identify the first projects to be implemented in District Six.
‘I want to thank the Caretakers for participating in the first workshop. I was told this was a very fruitful, honest, and productive session. I also want to request the Caretakers to please report back to their constituencies and to source more ideas and input from those who have nominated them. The more input we receive, the better the outcomes will be. The community of District Six has an inherent knowledge and experience of the public open spaces, and we want to draw on this wisdom as we are planning the future District Six,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Marian Nieuwoudt.
Another five co-design workshops are planned, three of which will take place in October and November and the remainder early in 2022. Open house meetings and an exhibition are planned to inform the public and community on the progress. The dates of these meetings will be announced closer to the time, pending Covid-19 limitations.
The Public Realm Study will inform the draft Local Spatial Development Framework (LSDF) for District Six that is currently available for public participation and comment until 31 October 2021. The plan is available on the City’s website at www.capetown.gov.za/haveyoursay.
The LSDF and related Public Realm Study are aspects that the City can implement. They are separate from, but will enhance the housing project of the National Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development that is currently under way as part of the restitution process.
Caption 1: Khalied Jacobs, project manager of the Public Realm Study, addressing the Caretakers who are participating in the co-design workshops for public spaces and places in District Six.
Caption 2: Some of the maps indicating the public open spaces and places in District Six are on the wall in the background. Khalied Jacobs, project manager of the Public Realm Study for District Six, explains the process and outcomes of the co-design workshops to the Caretakers who were nominated by the District Six community and organisations to participate in the workshops.
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City of Cape Town, Media Office
