Contextualizing TOD : fostering inclusive and integrated local spatial planning approaches in Cape Town, South Africa

Abstract

In 2017, the City of Cape Town released a version of its Municipal Spatial Development Framework, in which its principal statement positions Transit Oriented Development (TOD) as a key approach to redressing apartheid spatial legacies, with the intent of building a more inclusive, integrated and vibrant city Accordingly the City made the bold move of integrating the functions of its transport, urban development, and human settlements departments in order to effectively involve all lines of departments that will have the most impact on achieving TOD. While integrating transport infrastructure and spatial planning can be a promising long-term strategy as portrayed by other successful cities, its application in the global South comes with certain challenges. In Cape Town, this becomes especially visible at the local planning scale, where existing township contexts are comprised of fragmented urban and social forms that have suffered neglect since apartheid years, and thus present a challenging arena for a common spatial and urban vision to take place. This study takes the position that in order to truly build an inclusive, integrated and vibrant city, there needs to be a reciprocal conversation between local contextual planning at the township settlement scale, and the broader, metropolitan-scale TOD framework. The research therefore asks: What local spatial planning approaches and processes can foster inclusive TOD initiatives in previously neglected township areas? Using the Philippi Township, one of the city's prioritized station areas as a case study, the thesis employs process tracing, theory, and mapping to identify a series of contextual site elements pertinent to TOD, and then presents suggestions for alternative integrated urban approaches and inclusive processes that conceptualizes the regeneration of disadvantaged township areas like the Philippi in Cape Town.