| Cape Town Municipal Spatial Development Framework | <span>
<h2 class="sectHeading">Read or download the CTMSDF</h2></span>
<p>On 25 April 2018, Council approved the City's revised Municipal Spatial Development Framework (MSDF), which pursues a new spatial form for Cape Town. It seeks to curb urban sprawl by focusing on inward growth and transit-oriented development, along with higher densities and mixed land-use. The revised MSDF is intended to transform Cape Town’s spatial form by bringing people closer to jobs, and jobs closer to people.</p><p>
<a href="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/City%20strategies%2c%20plans%20and%20frameworks/CT_Metropolitan_Spatial_Development_Framework.pdf" target="_blank">Access the full MSDF technical report here</a>.</p><p>This
<a href="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/City%20strategies%2c%20plans%20and%20frameworks/MSDF_Executive_Summary_ENG_16-05-2018.pdf" target="_blank">executive summary</a> also provides an overview of the MSDF.</p><h2 class="sectHeading">Legal framework of the CTMSDF</h2><p>The lifespan of an MSDF is ten years and the City reviews components of it on a five-year basis. This five-year mid-term review directly links with the new term of office IDP. </p><p>Section 35 of the
<a href="https://www.gov.za/documents/local-government-municipal-systems-amendment-act-0" target="_blank">Municipal System Act, Act 32 of 2000 (MSA)<i class="icon link-external"></i></a> states that a Spatial Development Framework, an integral component of the Council-approved IDP, serves as the principal strategic planning instrument to guide and inform long term planning and development in the municipality. </p><p>Additionally, the provisions of the City’s
<a href="https://www.capetown.gov.za/work%20and%20business/planning-portal/regulations-and-legislations/planning-by-law">Planning By-law</a> and the nationally enacted
<a href="https://www.gov.za/documents/spatial-planning-and-land-use-management-act" target="_blank">Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act (SPLUMA), Act 16 of 2013<i class="icon link-external"></i></a> have created a regulatory environment within which land development decisions are administered and advice is rendered. These provisions have strengthened the role of the CTMSDF in land development decision-making.</p><h2 class="sectHeading">What is the role of the CTMSDF?</h2><p>The role of the CTMSDF is to spatially coordinate, prioritise and align public investment in the
<a href="https://www.capetown.gov.za/Family%20and%20home/Meet-the-City/Our-vision-for-the-City/cape-towns-integrated-development-plan-%28idp%29">City’s five-year Integrated Development Plan</a>. </p><p>Complex political, economic, environmental and social “drivers” have shaped the existing landscape and livelihood of the city; they will continue to do so in future. These drivers include an estimated population in excess of 4 million citizens; a stagnating national economy; rapid urbanisation driven by migration patterns via formal and informal means; and climate change and resource depletion.</p><p>
<strong>Within this historic and contemporary context, the CTMSDF is required to: </strong></p><ul><li>provide a long-term vision for the desired spatial form and structure of Cape Town;</li><li>complement and inform the City’s
<a href="https://www.capetown.gov.za/Work%20and%20business/Planning-portal/Online-planning-and-building-resources/DAMS">Development Application Management System – DAMS</a>; </li><li>align the City’s spatial development goals, strategies and policies with relevant national and provincial spatial principles, strategies and policies;</li><li>analyse and contextualise the drivers of development and development trends;</li><li>inform proposals contained in the more detailed District Spatial Development Frameworks (DSDFs) which cover a shorter planning timeframes, and the preparation of Local Spatial Development Frameworks;</li><li>provide policy guidance to direct decision-making on the nature, form, scale and location of urban development, land use change, infrastructure development, disaster mitigation, and environmental resource protection;</li><li>identify strategies to prevent indiscriminate loss and degradation of critical biodiversity areas and to ensure the necessary level of protection for the remaining areas;</li><li>direct, guide and support private and public investment by identifying areas that are suitable for urban development, areas where the impacts of development need to be managed, and areas that are not suited for urban development; and</li><li>outline specific arrangements for prioritising, mobilising, sequencing and implementing public and private infrastructure and land development investment in the priority spatial structuring areas identified in CTMSDF. </li></ul><div class="notification with-heading dark-copy pink bg-light-grey"><div class="graphic with-border">
<i class="info note"></i> </div><div class="desc"><h4>Please note</h4><p>The MPBL emphasises the CTMSDF as the principal policy tool for evaluating applications for new or enhanced land use rights. Importantly, it does not create any land use or building rights, or exempt property owners/citizens from their rights and obligations in terms of the
<a href="https://www.capetown.gov.za/work%20and%20business/planning-portal/regulations-and-legislations/the-city-of-cape-towns-development-management-scheme">Development Management Scheme (DMS)</a> or any other legislation. </p></div></div><h2 class="sectHeading">Why is the CTSDF important for developers and planners?</h2><p>The Cape Town Municipal Spatial Development Framework (CTMSDF) is prepared to support and inform different spheres of public and private investment decisions that impact on the spatial form of the City. </p><p>It establishes a framework inclusive of a spatial vision, policy parameters and development priorities that supports a future spatial form and structure of Cape Town that: </p><ul><li>supports and inform future economic growth and development priorities;</li><li>addresses the historic apartheid geographical legacy that has created a fragmented and inefficient regional, metropolitan and spatial form through identifying current and future structuring and restructuring elements of the spatial form of the municipality;</li><li>addresses development corridors, activity spines and economic nodes where public and private investment will be prioritised and facilitated;</li><li>takes cognisance of the unique topography and ecological assets; and</li><li>balances competing land use demands and sectoral priorities (e.g. housing and transport initiatives, environmental asset protection and infrastructure provision). </li></ul><p>The provisions of the MPB-L and SPLUMA have created a regulatory environment within which land development decisions are administered and advice rendered and have strengthened the role of the CTMSDF in land development decision-making. </p><p>In terms of section 9 of the MPB-L and section 22 of SPLUMA: </p><p>“22. (1) A Municipal Planning Tribunal or any other authority required or mandated to make a land development decision in terms of this Act or any other law relating to land development
<b>may not make a decision which is inconsistent with a municipal spatial development framework.</b></p><p>(2 ) Subject to section 42, a Municipal Planning Tribunal or any other authority required or mandated to make a land development decision, may depart from the provisions of a municipal spatial development framework only if site-specific circumstances justify a departure from the provisions of such municipal spatial development framework.”</p><p>The Standard Operating Procedures are under review and will be available soon.</p><h2 class="sectHeading">See the entire (composite) CTMSDF map</h2><p>Our composite CTMSDF map shows the overall spatial direction of the city's future growth and development. It uses the land classification system established by the Cape Town Spatial Development Framework.</p><p>
<strong>PDF download</strong><br><a href="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/Maps%20and%20statistics/MSDF%20Consolidated%20Spatial%20Plan%20Concept%20February%202018.pdf" target="_blank">Download the map in PDF format</a>.<br></p><h2 class="sectHeading">Urban growth in Cape Town since 1862</h2>
<p>Watch the video below to see how suburbs in Cape Town have developed over the past 160 years. The video shows urban growth of Cape Town’s built environment between the years 1862 and 2020, captured from aerial imagery at a scale of 1:30000.</p>
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<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YDK53quu87M" frameborder="0"></iframe>
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<h2 class="sectHeading">Consult our individual, thematic CTMSDF maps</h2><p> You may want to consult our
<a href="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/Maps%20and%20statistics/MSDF%202018_thematic_maps.pdf" target="_blank">individual thematic maps</a>, which cover the following:</p><ul><li>Agricultural areas of significance</li><li>Biodiversity network</li><li>Consolidated spatial plan concept</li><li>Heritage resources</li><li>Precautionary areas reflecting natural and man-made potential development constraints</li></ul> | | GP0|#b2e4328d-e97b-4ea6-a50a-0d0d72515155;L0|#0b2e4328d-e97b-4ea6-a50a-0d0d72515155|Cape Town Spatial Development Framework;GTSet|#ef3a64a2-d764-44bc-9d69-3a63d3fadea1;GPP|#0bc23a93-205f-4046-b65f-182004fcf867;GPP|#78a56262-5d4a-460c-a3f2-af7bc1b69a54;GPP|#e88ff549-973f-4e3c-a46c-cfbe61bd6a24;GP0|#785d5cb1-c202-4b2d-a0b8-ccdf417b8705;L0|#0785d5cb1-c202-4b2d-a0b8-ccdf417b8705|Cape Town Spatial Development Framework;GPP|#3d42396e-0d97-4b5f-a91e-255a7361b69d | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | The Cape Town Municipal Spatial Development Framework strategically guides urban growth and change to ensure quality and sustainability | 0 |
