>> page 11
The faces of Cape Town
>> page 3
The city as an ecosystem
Cape Town as an urban biodiversity hotspot
>> page 6, 7 & 8
Cape Town as aBIODIVERSE
CITYCLEAN | SAFE | CARING
CITYVIEWSYOUR FREE CAPE TOWN CENTRAL CITY PAPER May 2013
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City Views is a placemaking publication and free com-
munity paper co-published by the Cape Town Partner-ship and the Central City Improvement District. It
aims to grow and connect people and places – through storytelling – to help us, as a city, acknowledge our past, overcome our differences,
and shape our future.
SAVE THESE NUMBERS ON YOUR PHONE
If you live or work in the Central City Improvement District, be sure to save
these numbers on your phone.
CCID Security Manager: 082 453 2942
CCID Deputy Security Manager: 082 442 2112
CCID 24-hour number: 082 415 7127
SAPS Control Room: 021 467 8002
Social Department:082 563 4289
CITYVIEWS
Sharing City Views’ stories
All of the stories found in the pag-es of City Views are available for
syndication, for free. If you have a community paper or publication that you believe would benefi t from the use of these stories,
please contact [email protected]
Distributing City Views
If you’re an eager reader of City Views – and you know oth-ers who would enjoy reading it too – consider becoming a dis-tributor. All we need is your contact details, address and
how many copies you need each month. Or, if you would just like
to track down where you can obtain your FREE copy, send an
email to Aziza Patandin on [email protected].
Published by:The Cape Town Partnership and the Central City Improvement
District (CCID)
Created by:Judith Browne, Alma Viviers, Ambre Nicolson, Shannon Royden-Turner,
Lisa Burnell, Alex Latimer, Michelle Coburn
Contact:Judith Browne: 021 419 1881
www.capetownpartnership.co.za
Design: Infestationwww.infestation.co.za
021 461 8601
Telling your story in City Views
We’re always on the lookout for stories of people who are shaping their city, their community, their lives for the better. If you would like to be featured or know of
someone who is worth featuring, please send your story to [email protected]. We cannot promise to publish every
story, but we can promise to consider it.
T his month, in honour of In-ternational Day for Biologi-cal Diversity on 22 May,
we celebrate the abundance and variety of Cape Town, one of only three cities globally that rank as an urban biodiversity hotspot.
Being located in the Cape Flo-ristic Region, the smallest and richest of the world’s six fl oral kingdoms, means that our city is slap bang in the middle of one of the most varied ecosystems on the planet. And it’s not just about plants and animals: Cape Town boasts a rich diversity in its hu-man inhabitants too. Seeing the connections between these ele-ments, and their interactions with the non-living environment such as infrastructure, cultural sys-tems and economies, allows us to start seeing our city as an urban ecosystem – one that needs to be nurtured and developed in a way that increases its diversity, resil-ience and equality.
biodiverse cityCape Town as a
We asked talented Cape Town-based illustrator Alex Latimer to help us show the rich variety of our city’s systems for our May cover. We think his whimsical and intricate visual map, depicting the incredible diversity of Cape Town, does the trick.
Your city, your viewsSince March 2013, we have been experimenting with the format of City Views and asking readers for ideas on what the publication can become. What have you had to say?
“How about an issue for kids? What does the city look like from their perspective? What interesting things are on offer for children and also for adults who want to entertain their inner child? Just a thought.” Erika Carstens
Great idea: If you know a school or community group who can help us map the city from their perspective, we’d love to hear from you.
“I would get different people to write for the publication, kind of like an open mic section for anyone with an issue – serious or not – to be shared and discussed. I would also initiate conversations about the city. Ask a question and get people to respond. Perhaps do more photo essays.” Yazeed Kamaldien
We’re trying to include vox pops from people on the street in every edition (see page 11). Let us know what you think.
“I love reading about all the Cape Town city news around the different theme of each issue of City Views. Keep up the great work that you and your team do! I particularly enjoy the centrespread maps with key points of interest. While it’s great to keep these in a safe space at home, I increasingly fi nd that I want to refer to some of these places on the run during the day. Therefore I was wondering if it was possible to make a PDF of these maps available for download, so I can store it on my phone for example. Please let me know if this is possible.” Marc Cloete
If you go onto www.capetowncid.co.za and click on the “news” tab, the featured story every month is where you can download all the City Views maps – for free.
On Twitter: @City_Views
On Facebook: www.facebook.com/CityViewsCapeTown
By email: [email protected]
Through the post:Cape Town PartnershipThe Terraces, 34 Bree StreetCape Town 8000
Have your say
>> page 10&11
The community stories behindCape Town Carnival
>> page 4&5
Our journey to 2014 See your city turned inside out
>> page 6&7
Cape Town as aHAPPENING CITY
CITYVIEWSYOUR FREE CAPE TOWN CENTRAL CITY PAPER
March 2013
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Connecting Cape Town one story at a time
>> page 4&5
Our journey to 2014 See your city turned inside out
>> page 6&7
Cape Town as aHAPPENING CITY
CITYVIEWSYOUR FREE CAPE TOWN CENTRAL CITY PAPER
YOUR FREE CAPE TOWN CENTRAL CITY PAPER
Connecting Cape Town one story at a time
>> page 8
Children speaking out
on the airwaves
>> page 3
What we can
all learn from jazz
How Cape Town
got its groove
>> page 4&5
CITYVIEWSYOUR FREE CAPE TOWN CENTRAL CITY PAPER
April 2013
Phot
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a of
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Connecting Cape Town one story at a time
SOUNDING
OUT THE CITYof Cape Town
Get the help you need in the CBDON CALL
While the CCID aims to keep the Central City safe, clean and caring, we often get queries about where to report a faulty traffi c light or who to call when you see a burst water pipe. Here are some useful numbers for the CBD area. If you have a smart phone, you can also scan these useful QR codes to save the numbers straight to your phone.
New retailers in the CBD Coeval Contemporary Jewellery
A new addition to St George’s Mall, this jewellery store features contemporary designs in silver and natural gemstones.
Shop 5 Protea Assurance Building97 St George’s MallT: 021 424 1183
Urban Rural GrowersEmporium (URGE)
A mix of rural living and inner-city buzz, this eatery and deli provides fresh produce from local farms around Cape Town.
6 Buiten StreetT: 021 424 4951www.urgecapetown.co.za
Nuri Sushi FactoryThis new sushi joint takes a grab-and-go approach to sushi, focusing on fresh, innovative sushi combina-tions at reasonable prices.
8 Parliament StreetT: 021 461 8719
Motherland Coffee CompanyThis proudly African coffee com-pany aims to reclaim the conti-nent’s coffee heritage. Try one of their Mothercuppas, based on their house blend of Rwandan and Ethiopian blend or stick around to sample their food menu.
Corner of Wale Street and St George’s MallT: 021 424 8570www.motherlandcoffee.com
Alcohol & Drug Helpline
Prepaid Electricity Meters
Disaster Risk Management
Metro Police
Refuse Collection, Water Issues, Street Lights
and Electricity
Cable Theft
Traffi c Signal Faults
Law Enforcement
Social Development: Children
Traffi c Police
Social Development: Adults
Emergency Ambulance, Health, Noise
& Fire
SAPS Central City
021 467 8001/2 (24 hours)
107 (landlines) /021 480 7700
0800 435 748
0800 220 250 0800 872 201
0800 222 771 080 911 4357 / 021 597 6000 0800 220 440
0860 103 089
0860 001 948
0860 765 423 0860 765 423 021 596 1999 082 415 7127(24 hours) (24 hours)
(24 hours)
(24 hours)
CCID Safety and Security
Reader feedback
Get the help you need in the CBDGet the help you need in the CBD
>> page 11
The faces of Cape Town
>> page 3
The city as an ecosystem
Cape Town as an urban biodiversity hotspot
>> page 6, 7 & 8
Cape Town as aBIODIVERSE
CITYCLEAN | SAFE | CARING
CITYVIEWSYOUR FREE CAPE TOWN CENTRAL CITY PAPER May 2013
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2 CityViews May 2013about town
We would learn from nature, instead of trying to control it. One of the operating conditions of the earth is constant change, a phenomenon with which we aren’t always comfortable. As a species, we like to “fi x” the world around us so that it endures: we coat steel so that it won’t rust, we introduce preserva-tives into our food so that it lasts longer. Yet the systems and species that have survived on earth have been doing so for 3.8-billion years – learning to fl ourish despite constant change. During this time, nature has been developing a blueprint for sustainability and therefore has the potential to show us how we can live abundantly within the limits of the earth. We just have to start looking at nature in a new way, by quieten-ing our own cleverness and realising that nature is far wiser than all our current knowledge combined.
Thinking of the city as an ecosys-tem is a form of biomimicry, a new science that asks what we can learn from nature in order to emulate its genius. Biomimicry is the study of how nature can teach us to evolve and adapt to the changing condi-tions of earth, and so survive as a species.
We would understand that cities, like ecosys-tems, evolve.If you studied any ecosystem over time you would see a pattern of in-creasing complexity and intercon-nectedness evolving. You’d notice that while an ecosystem matures and climaxes, it also declines and decays: this, too, is part of its evolu-tion; out of decline and decay comes new growth and opportunity.
There are three distinct stages of ecosystem development:
/1 The fi rst stage is the pioneering eco-system: It’s when there’s very little material for life, so the ecosystem focuses on producing. Imagine that a great fi re has happened: the fi rst species you’ll start to spot in the burnt-out veld will be annuals and quick-growing plants (those that only survive for a season). Type one ecosystems have a short-term focus, mainly on the quantitative produc-tion of fast-growing plants.
/2 The second stage is when the eco-system has an established amount of vegetation that begins to attract other species – animals and birds – to the area. Type two ecosystems add an important layer to the sys-tem: consumers.
/3 As the system climaxes as a type three, or mature, ecosystem, it de-velops a high level of complexity and diversity, which provides the resilience needed to ensure a sys-tem’s survival. Key to this phase is
What if we stopped thinking of the city as a man-made system of moving parts, somehow separate from nature, and started thinking of it as an ecosystem: a community of living organisms dependent on and co-existing in the natural environment? What would change?
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llLook again at the characteristics of ecosystems at these three stages of development. Can you see the similarity between a pioneering ecosystem (type one) and a city ecosystem in its focus on produc-ing more and more goods?
What a relief! Perhaps we are not bad humans after all, but rather a pioneering species following the prescribed fl ow of nature’s path. Perhaps we’re still learning how to evolve ourselves and our ecosys-tems?
We would value diver-sity, decay and decomposition If our cities are pioneering eco-systems, then we should try to understand the characteristics of a mature ecosystem to ensure our survival. Once we have identifi ed these characteristics, we can work on including them in our systems to ensure that they continue abun-dantly.
So what are the characteristics of a mature ecosystem that can help us see a way forward as a species in our urban ecosystem? Firstly, diversity. This, coupled with re-dundancy, is vital for a resilient ecosystem that can survive con-stant change. Secondly, you need decomposers and recyclers that help to maintain the fl ow of materi-als within the ecosystem, allowing for new growth and the develop-ment of opportunities, in this way continuing to create conditions
conducive to more life. In my opinion, these recycling
champions are currently the resi-dents of informal settlements, who have built “cities” entirely by clos-ing the material loops in the city. They are an urban ecosystem’s repurposers, recyclers and upcy-clers. If a fridge in Sea Point stops working and no one there will fi x it, the fridge will quickly fi nd its way into an informal settlement where it will be skilfully upscaled and
given new life.So much time is spent thinking
about how to improve recycling in the city through top-down plan-ning, when in fact it is already being skilfully designed and tested by citizens from the bottom up in informal settlements. With-out these settlements, our landfi lls would’ve been full years ago.
We would become more attuned to the life around us.Thinking of the city as an ecosys-tem requires us to become more locally attuned to systems that al-ready exist around us: Can we let go of the idea that urban development and “progress” is best expressed in
the form of glass-clad skyscrapers – more new stuff that depletes our natural systems of their ability to sustain our lives abundantly? Can we rather think of urban devel-opment as evolution, and start to build from what already exists?
The emerging systems and ex-pertise we need to evolve our city into a mature ecosystem are al-ready around us – in nature and in our communities. What we need to change is our thinking.
the addition of decomposers and recyclers, creating circular metab-olisms and web-like food chains. In these systems there is no such thing as waste, only resources shared between the diverse spe-cies existing within a cooperative space. Type three ecosystems in-creasingly focus on quality, or the relationship between the various components, since the large accu-mulated stock of material means that quantity is no longer impor-tant for survival.
To read more about Shannon’s work and urban ecosystems, go to www.informalsouth.co.za.
“So much time is spent thinking about
how to improve recycling in the city through top-down planning, when in fact it is already being skilfully
designed and tested by citizens from the
bottom up in informal settlements.”
By: Shannon Royden-Turner
Shannon specialises in the planning of urban eco-systems: She studies the relationship between in-frastructure, equality and development to fi nd ways in which communities can live more abundantly, fl ourish in their surroundings and remain resilient despite changes that come their way.
Meet Shannon Royden-Turner
Imagine the city is an ecosystem, moving from production to consumption to maturity – similar to how a burnt-out fi eld changes and grows to become a lush forest. The more diversity and complexity the city then has, the more resilient it will be.
ecosystem The city as anecosystemecosystem
3 May 2013 CityViews about town
Can carrots teach us about building a community? If the Oranjezicht City Farm is anything to go by, growing food together is a great way to reconnect Capetonians with a part of the city’s heritage and with each other. The project is building social cohesion across communities, developing skills among the unemployed, educating citizens about food, and championing unused or under-used green spaces in the City Bowl. By: Alma Viviers
It’s a blazing Saturday morning. At the corner of Sidmouth Avenue and Upper Orange
Street in the leafy suburb of Oranjezicht, volunteers from across Cape Town have gathered from early morning. The cause? Farming. A couple with a toddler are put to task pulling up mustard plants to be dug back into the earth. Some volunteers cart wheelbarrows of soil to level a piece of ground, while others sift compost and plant seeds
The site, which was a bowling green constructed in the 1950s
and disused for many decades, was part of the original city farm, Oranje Zigt. Established in 1709, the farm grew to be the largest in the Upper Table Valley in the 19th century, supplying fresh vegetables and fruit to feed the growing settlement and colony, as well as passing ships, until the turn of the 20th century.
Through patient back-breaking yet rewarding work, this historic site in the City Bowl has now been returned to its original use as a farm under the watchful eyes of farmer Mario Graziani and Sheryl
Ozinsky who head the project. “This is the story of Cape Town; the story of Cape Town is the story of fresh water and food,” explains Sheryl, rake in hand. “I envision us establishing a museum in the old barn here that tells not only this story but also how, over time, we have lost some of these important connections to water and food, to nourishment and health, and how we can reconnect with them.”
If you look at it now, it’s diffi cult to imagine that six months ago the disused site was covered in Kikuyu grass and rubbish. The geometric design by landscape architect Tanya de Villiers radiates out from a pond, with stone pathways that divide the site into planting beds. Additional walkways are set out with recycled cement pavers unearthed on the site. The pathways are lined with perennial herbs such as sage and rosemary, as well as buchu, which will form hedges to protect young seedlings from the wind.
Mario applies organic farming principles that include interplanting and ensuring healthy soil by replacing nutrients with compost made on the farm and bokashi supplied by residents. He also likes to look at the ecosystem as a whole: “I had a
thing about having a pond on the farm because it brings dragon fl ies, frogs, lizards and predator insects that help control pests. You build up a little ecosystem that takes care of itself.” Currently, the biggest issue is squirrels and they are looking at introducing an owl box with the hope that a natural predator might keep the critters under control.
While the fi rst crop of radishes is ready for harvest, another crop is also starting to fl ourish: the community. The farm is becoming a living example of how we reconnect with food production and with each other. “People are coming from Sea Point, Claremont and even Hout Bay to work on the farm,” Mario marvels. “And
“This is the story of Cape Town; the story of Cape Town is the story of fresh water and food. I envision
us establishing a museum in the old barn here that tells
not only this story but also how, over time, we have lost some of these important
connections to water and food, to nourishment and
health, and how we can reconnect
with them.” Sheryl Ozinsky
Why not get your hands dirty? If you would like to volunteer at the Oranjezicht City Farm, you can report for duty every Saturday at 08h00 on the corner of Upper Orange Street and Sidmouth Avenue. For more information go to www.ozcf.co.za or their Facebook page.
While urban agriculture is taking off in the Central City, community gardens are already bearing fruit across Khayelitsha, Nyanga and sur-rounding areas on the Cape Flats. Abalimi Bezekhaya assists individuals, groups and community-based organisations to initiate and maintain permanent organic food growing and nature conservation projects as the basis for sustainable life-styles, self-help job creation, poverty alleviation and envi-ronmental renewal. Beyond just subsistence farming, the project has grown into one of abundance which is now shared in the form of Harvest of Hope, launched in 2008. Customers can now buy a box of fresh, reasonably priced and locally produced organic vegetables – deliv-ered weekly.
To fi nd out where your nearest collection point is for a vegetable box from Harvest of Hope go to www.harvestofhope.co.za
Sprouting Sprouting FOOD SYSTEM
community
next Saturday they are back with friends.” Cecil Rossouw and Nyatsa Clinton Masalesa, who fi rst came to the farm as part of a work team from local NGO, Straatwerk, have also found a permanent home with the project. Even the children from Stepping Stones Montessori Pre-School have dropped in to learn about planting vegetables and herbs.
The community also includes businesses that have contributed on multiple levels. To help make this a fi nancially viable endeavour, the farm will eventually sell the bulk of its produce to the Madame Zingara group of restaurants, which also provided the initial seed funding for the project. Reliance Compost, Michells Wholesale Nursery and New Plant Nursery have also contributed to the project. “Our motto is: If you eat; you are in,” says Sheryl. “Everyone has a contribution to make here.”
ABOVE LEFT: Farming in the middle of a suburb; Nyatsa preparing a bed for sowing.
BELOW LEFT: Cecil Rossouw,Nyatsa Clinton Masalesa and Mario Graziano.
According to Mario the pond helps create a more natural ecosystem on the farm.
Support localproducers
Phot
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around town 4 CityViews May 2013
3STEP
Fill the container to the top with soil. Good potting soil should be organic and loamy with a good mix of sand and compost.
If you are using a wooden container, use eco-friendly seal-ant such as Pro-Nature Exterior wood sealer to protect it from rotting. Your container should also be raised to ensure good drainage.
1STEP
Make a hole deep enough for the seedling. Put a teapoon of alfalfa meal in the bottom of the hole and mix it well with the soil. Loosen the roots of the seedling slightly, place it in the hole and cover.
5STEP
To prevent the soil from washing out, line the container with Weed Shield, or any similar landscaping fabric, or you can use two layers of hessian, using a staple gun or upholstery nails and a hammer to hold it in place. The edge of the fabric should stop approximately 10 to 20 millimetres below the edge of the container.
2STEP
First arrange your seedlings to get an idea of what the fi nal result will look like. Keep the eventual shape of the plant in mind, for example spring onions and leeks can be interspersed between bushy herbs or lettuce. Give perennial herbs some room to grow. Climbers such as peas and beans can be planted along the back edge of your container and supported by a trellis.
4STEP
Cover the soil between the plants with a layer of mulch, which not only helps the soil retain moisture and nutrients but also suppresses weed growth and adds organic material as it decomposes. Tarryn uses lucerne but you can also use straw or chopped up cuttings from the garden or autumn leaves. Water well.
6STEP
Grow your ow nMilk crate or car tyre; old bath or fl ower pot: you don’t need a lot of space to plant a food-producing garden. Tarryn Rice of OwnGrown demonstrates how to plant your own vegetable box in easy
steps6
✂
Don’t have green fi ngers or want professional help setting up and maintain-ing your garden? Give OwnGrown a call on 072 777 7897 or 084 812 8382, or visit www.owngrown.co.za.
Sunshine Your garden needs adequate sunshine to grow. Make sure it gets a good dose of morning light or afternoon sun. The benefi t of a potted garden is that you can move it if your plants get too much or too little sun.
Water Ideally you should be water-ing your plants twice a week in summer and only once a week in winter. The best indicator is to feel the soil with your fi nger. NutrientsFeed the soil once a month with a good organic fertiliser such as Seagro.
TLC As your plants grow and fl ourish, remember to check them for pests and diseases, and dead or damaged leaves. Manually removing bugs is pretty effective but you can also use an organic pest spray.
Harvest Don’t forget, most of your salads and herbs should be harvested regularly but you needn’t pull the whole plant out of the ground. The trick is to pick the older leaves and choose the salad leaves on the outside fi rst.
Succession In order to have a relatively continuous supply of fresh herbs and veggies, it is im-portant to plant often – every two weeks or so.
What to plantin May?
If you are planting your
vegetable box in the
month of May you should
be planting broad beans,
broccoli, lettuce, spring
onions, peas, radishes
and spinach.
Now what?
5 around town May 2013 CityViews
Granger Bay
Table Bay
DISTRICT SIX
VREDEHOEK
THE FRINGE
ORANJEZICHT
TABLE MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK
BO-KAAP
TAMBOERSKLOOF
WOODSTOCK
SEA POINT
HARBOUR
SIGNAL HILL
V&A WATERFRONT
GARDENS
MOUILLE POINT
GREEN POINT
Three Anchor Bay
Bantry Bay
Somerset
Queens Beach
M3
M3
N2
N1
N1
Barn
ham
BUITENGRA
GT
KLOOF N
EK
Kloof Nek
NEW C
HURCH
Buitensingel
ANN
ANDALE
JUTLAND
Queen
Victor
ia
Gover
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DARLING
ROELAND
ROELAND
STRAND
STRAN
D
ALBERT
Waterkant
COEN STEYTLER
SOM
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MAIN
MAIN
BEACH
BEACH RD
HIGH LEVEL
BREE
BREE
RoseChia
ppini
ADDERLE
Y
MILLMill
CHRISTIA
AN BARN
ARD
UPP
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UIT
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NT
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Church
Hout
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TENN
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Mui
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SelkirkSidn
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Keizergracht
Keizergracht
Constitution
ConstitutionDrury
Drury
Mckenzie
Bloemhof
Kent
Mckenzie
Bran
dweerSola
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Glynn
Glynn
Wesley
Roodehek
May
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Upp
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ayna
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Clar
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Harri
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Parlia
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Comm
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Hop
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Mol
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Myrtle
Prince
Berkley
Moray JagersfonteinMoray
Rosebank
Jasper
St. Quintons
Hid
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Wan
del
Glynnville
Barne
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Gor
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Dean
Burg
Jetty
Salaza
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Wharf
HEERE
NGRACHT
Prestwich
Duncan
Dock
Dock
Dock
Alfred
Mechau
Chiappini
Alfred
Jerr
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Schiebe
Dixon
Hudso
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Loader
Jarvis
Napier
Napier
HighfieldW
aterkantBoundary
Wesse
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Braem
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Vesp
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Ocean View
MerrimanCarreg
Chepstow
Skye
Uppe
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Cavalcade
Dysart
TorbayHaytor
Cheviot
Joubert
Roos
Ben Nevis
Springbok
Modena
Pine Sydney
Ravenscraig
Clyde
CroxtethAntrim
Hill
Richmond
Scholtz
Hatfield
St. Bede’s
Varn
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York
Ashs
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Exhi
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Wigtow
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Bay
Bertrand
Hillside
Ebenezer
Burg
New C
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Leeu
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Brow
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Devo
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BurnsideWoodside
Gilmour HillsBelle OmbreWarrenHastings
St. Michael’s
De HoopBay View
Cambrid
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Varsity
Leeuko
p
Quarry Hill
Cotswold
Constantia
Bellevue
Kew
Eskdale
Leeu
wen
hof R
d
Higgo Cresent
Higgo Rd
TO CAMPS BAY
TO CLIFTON
Regent
Camden
Bond
Byro
nCor
onat
ion
Rael
Albert
Upper Albert
Leeukloof
Kenmore
Brunswick
Poys
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Hillside
Whitford
Lion
CarisbrookPark
Milner
Eaton
Nicol
Union
WeltevredenDe LorentzKloof AveDerwent
Firdale
Leeu
wendal
Bath Camp
Malan
Wilkinson
Jam
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Victoria
UPPER
BUITE
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Buiten
grag
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GreenHelliger
Longmarket
Signal
Daw
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Dorp
Upper Leeuwen
Asta
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Military
Yusu
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Sach
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Buxt
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Rayden
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CurtisWandel
Barrack
LelieStal
BouquetM
useum
Albertus
Justisie
PlantationSaddle
Windburg
ClovellyUpper MillVan Ryneveld
AandbloemDerry
Derry
Chelsea
Luto
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Cliv
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Bedf
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War
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Virg
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Vredehoek
Vredehoek
Rugley
Wexford
LambertLudlow
Yeoville
Bradwell
DavenportHIGHLANDS
Exner
Bellair
St. James
Chelmsfo
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Flor
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Mel
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Gris
nez
Arum
DelphiniumGardenia
Gladiolus
Free
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Aloe
Agap
anth
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Noor
delik
Watsonia
Ixia
Peak
Kuyp
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Caledon
Caledon
Old Marine
Jack Craig
Mar
tin
Jan
Smut
s
D.F.
Mala
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Vasco Da Gama
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Clyde Clyde
Dickson
Salmon
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Mel
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Tafelberg Rd
FirmountConifer
Dover
Glengariff
Sea Point Civic Centre and Clinic
Glengariff
KortHall
Auror
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London
Marais
AlbanyBellevue
Heathfield
Herb
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Milner
Oliver
EllisMilton
The Glen
Worcester
Cassel
Surf
Kings
Queens
AlexandraBellwood
Brom
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Roches
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St John’s
GorlestonAlgakirkFrancaise
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Normandie
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FresnayeLe Croix
Prot
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St C
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Arthur’sDuncan
Barkly
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BEA
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Hospital
RuaBartholomeu Dias
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Uppe
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Castle
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Longmarket
STRANDPara
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Lower
Bur
g
LOW
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NG
Jord
aan
BuitenUpper PepperUpper Bloem
Wale
LOOP
WALE
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Castle
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Orphan
PepperBloem
Buiten
Dorp
Waterkant
Riebeek
KLOOF
KLOOF
UPPER KLOOF
Bay
Park
Kiewietlaan
Rothesay
Stephans Way
Surrey
DE WAAL
PORTSWOOD
Ocean View
Lower
Plei
n
BEACH
Port
Granger Bay BlvdAthletics
Track
Rugby
Rugby
TennisPrecinct Health and
Fitness
GreenPointPark
MetropolitanGolf Course
MetropolitanGolf Course
Fort Wynyard
Fritz
Son
nenb
erg
Green Point Track
Bill Peters DriveStanley
Avondale
CricketOval
TWO OCEANSAQUARIUM
FERRY TO ROBBEN ISLAND
CAPE TOWN
STADIUM
GREEN POINTURBAN PARK
Sea PointPolice Station
SEA POINT PAVILION
SEA POINT PROMENADE
Mouille PointLighthouse
Garfield
Roseberry
ChesterfieldGlencoe
Montrose
Rugby
Marm
ion
ForestH
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Strathcona
BelvedereAlexandra
Belmont
Marchmount
Felth
am
Chapel
Rocklands
Deerpark D
rive West
Deerpark D
rive East
Fran
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Clifford
Fitzherbert
Conduit
Sidmouth
Lincoln
Serpentine
Beulah
Bridle
Gros
veno
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Sidmouth
Culver
Soph
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GladstoneSir George G
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Wyngard
Belmont
Rose
Mou
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Fore
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Vriende
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Peppertree
Ash G
rove
Pinoak
Pinetree
Oaktree
Pine
Anem
one
Crassula
Pypies
Rosm
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Kens
ingt
on
Glen Ave
Woodburn
Cairnmount
Trek
Rustic
Summerseat
Wes
tmor
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Chris
tiaan
BlindeVogelgezang
Gloucester
Cauvin
Heere
Christiaan
Perth
Ben
Highlan
dUpland
Upp
er N
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Hill
Searle
Chester
Mila
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Bridge
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Princess
Cambridge
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TO MUIZENBERG
Beresford
Upper Cambridge
Eden
Chester
Upp
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dela
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Selbo
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an V
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Holmfirth
North
umbr
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Friars
Dass
en
Donk
in
Irwinton
Trafalgar
St John’s
Squa
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ClarensHanover
De L
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Leinster
Thornhill
ClydebankSt. G
eorges
Romney
Sollum
Leicester
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Braeside
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Fountainbleau
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Mar
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St D
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Seymour
LONG
St. G
eorg
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Shortmarket
ChurchBureau
SpinM
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Leeuwen
LONG
Breakwater
Kreupelhout
MH GoldsmidtHomeleigh Ave
Braemar
Invermark Cres
Gle
n C
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Warwick
SIR LOWRY ROAD
Tana
ba
ru
Vern
on
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HELEN SUZMAN BLVD
SIGNAL H
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KLOOF
NEL
SON
MAN
DELA BLV
D
CHU
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TO PAARL
TO CAMPS BAY
N2
HERTZOG BOULEVARD
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VICTORIA WHARF
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pier
East pier
BUIT
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HELEN SUZMAN BLVD
Blackheath
Bant
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Bennington
Hild
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Lodge
Sylv
an
Montreal
Clair
woo
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CT CentralPolice Station
Castle ofGood Hope
CivicCentre
De Waal Park
North WharfSquare
HeritageSquare
ChurchSquare
Pier Place
Founder’sGarden
CTICC
CPUT
Artscape Theatre
HarringtonSquare
ThibaultSquare
Company’sGardens
Grand Parade
City Hall
City Library
Greenmarketsquare
Cape TownRailway Station
Mini Bus Taxi Rank
Bus services
Cape Town is home to about 3 000 indigenous plant species, of which 190 are endemic – found nowhere else on earth. City Views took a stroll with CapeNature botanist and self-confessed fynbos fanatic Rupert Koopman, who pointed out some of the amazing plant life we often overlook in our daily lives. In a two-hour walk from the foot of Table Mountain to the Foreshore, we discovered a myriad species. Here are just a few of particular interest.
14
15
16
18
1 Bukshardeblaar Phylica buxifolia This woody shrub fl owers in clustered heads of white blooms with a sweet fragrance.
Wild almondBrabejum stellatifolium
Although not related to the almond tree, the common name of this protea is owed to the almond-shaped, velvety seed pods. It is
signifi cant in Cape Town’s heritage as it was used to grow Van Riebeeck’s hedge, the Cape’s fi rst formal boundary. Parts of the original hedge can still be seen growing at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. The fruit is edible and the seeds were used by the Khoi people to brew a traditional coffee.
Erica leaf climber’s friendCliffortia ruscifolia This prickly fellow, part of the rose family, is everything but a climber’s friend and often occurs next to the foot paths.
4 Cape sumac or coastal tannin bushOsyris compressa This plant is particularly adept at survival in the harsh conditions of the Cape. It is a hemiparasitic plant, meaning that beyond producing its own food through photosynthesis, it can also “feed” on a suitable host plant. The blue-green, leathery leaves enable it to withstand intense heat and wind conditions. The fresh leaves were once used to tan leather a light brown colour, while the bark was used to tan leather dark brown by layering it with hides and weighting it down for up to two weeks before drying. In the days before nylon, a decoction of fresh leaves was also used to tan cotton, fi shing lines and nets to make these items more durable. These fruits are edible and were an important food of the early inhabitants of the Cape. The stones were removed and the fl esh part compressed and stored for lean times.
Autumn pipes Gladiolus brevifolius This delicate gladiolus is commonly found on sand-stone slopes and shale fl ats. It blooms between March and May, hence its common name.
17
1920
Flora on foot
1-13
By: Alma Viviers
BlombosMetalasia cephalotes
Blombos can be regarded as an indicator species; an over-abundance of it indicates that there has been a disturbance of the natural habitat either by fi re or development.
Wild oliveOlea Europaea (subsp. africana)
This indigenous tree bears small, round, edible fruit. Medicinally, the dried leaves in a decoction or infusion are meant to lower blood pressure and enhance the functioning of the kidneys.
Boneseed orbietouChrysanthemoides monilifera
This shrub produces daisy-like yellow fl owers and fl eshy edible berries that were a food source for the Khoi and San. Other uses include an
infusion of the leaves as an enema to treat fevers.
Christmas berryChironia baccifera This shrub produces bright-red round berries that were traditionally used by the Khoi as a purgative and to treat boils. A decoction of the whole plant can also be taken as
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56 87
Phot
os: L
isa
Bur
nell
Rupert Koopman
Celebrate the city’s biodiversityMark your calendar with these signifi cant days and fi nd a way to celebrate the world around you – at home, with your family, or in your workplace.
22 May 2013 International Day for Biological Diversity: Water and Biodiversity *Did you know: You can visit Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden – which is celebrating its centenary this year – for free every 22 May. T: 021 799 8783
3-7 June 2013World Environment Week
5 June 2013 World Environment Day
9
HATFIEL
D
Paddock
STRAND
HoutCastle
Castle
Castle
Shortmarket
Shortmarket
Shortmarket
HeritageSquareSquareSquare
Bouquet
Bouquet
Bouquet
Bouquet
Vrede
Paddock
Paddock
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Leeu
wen
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Leeu
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Glen Ave
Glen Ave
Summerseat
Rayden
Rayden
Lingen
Lingen
De Waal Park
Glynnville
Glynnville
ScottScott
Schoonder
Schoonder
on the town 6
Granger Bay
Table Bay
DISTRICT SIX
VREDEHOEK
THE FRINGE
ORANJEZICHT
TABLE MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK
BO-KAAP
TAMBOERSKLOOF
WOODSTOCK
SEA POINT
HARBOUR
SIGNAL HILL
V&A WATERFRONT
GARDENS
MOUILLE POINT
GREEN POINT
Three Anchor Bay
Bantry Bay
Somerset
Queens Beach
M3
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N2
N1
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BUITENGRA
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Jack Craig
Mar
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CricketOval
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CAPE TOWN
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GREEN POINTURBAN PARK
Sea PointPolice Station
SEA POINT PAVILION
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Mouille PointLighthouse
Garfield
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ChesterfieldGlencoe
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Rosm
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Cax
ton
Plum
Cornwall
Gym
pie
Page Her
cule
s
Stat
ion
Suss
ex
Cave
ndis
h
Cave
ndis
h
Wright
William
Grey
West Q
uay
South
Arm
Fish Quay
South
Arm
De Berrange
Drelingcourt
Fountainbleau
Bordeaux
Mar
seill
es
St D
enis
Seymour
LONG
St. G
eorg
es
Shortmarket
ChurchBureau
SpinM
ostert
Leeuwen
LONG
Breakwater
Kreupelhout
MH GoldsmidtHomeleigh Ave
Braemar
Invermark Cres
Gle
n C
res
Warwick
SIR LOWRY ROAD
Tana
ba
ru
Vern
on
Ter
HELEN SUZMAN BLVD
SIGNAL H
ILL
RD
KLOOF
NEL
SON
MAN
DELA BLV
D
CHU
RCH
TO PAARL
TO CAMPS BAY
N2
HERTZOG BOULEVARD
MAI
N
ORA
NGE
VICTORIA WHARF
CLOCK TOWER
Vlei
Haul
East
pier
East pier
BUIT
ENKA
NT
HELEN SUZMAN BLVD
Blackheath
Bant
am
Bennington
Hild
ene
Lodge
Sylv
an
Montreal
Clair
woo
d
CT CentralPolice Station
Castle ofGood Hope
CivicCentre
De Waal Park
North WharfSquare
HeritageSquare
ChurchSquare
Pier Place
Founder’sGarden
CTICC
CPUT
Artscape Theatre
HarringtonSquare
ThibaultSquare
Company’sGardens
Grand Parade
City Hall
City Library
Greenmarketsquare
Cape TownRailway Station
Mini Bus Taxi Rank
Bus services
21 22
NOTE : Although every care has been taken to ensure that this information is correct, we recommend that you consult an expert or credible fi eld guide before eating any wild plants or using them for medicinal purposes. You are not allowed to pick plants or fl owers without written approval from the land owner or a permit from CapeNature. Apply for a permit at www.capenature.co.za
a blood purifi er to treat acne, sores and boils. A combination with bitterbos and wildeseldery (Notabubon galbanum) is a well-known Cape remedy for arthritis.
Grey-tree pincushion or kreupelhoutLeucospermum conocapodendron(subsp. conocapodendron)
ENDANGERED
As there are very few trees endemic to the Cape, these proteas, which can be found on lower hills and mountain slopes, were often chopped down for fi rewood during the early years of the Dutch settlement. The leaves are covered in dense, woolly grey hairs to prevent rapid moisture loss, especially during the warm berg winds and southeaster. This subspecies is endemic to the city, Devil’s Peak and Llandudno.
Silver treeLeucadendron argenteumENDANGERED
This large silver protea is naturally confi ned to a tiny area in and around the city; its main population grows on the slopes of Table Mountain. As one of the few trees endemic to the
region, it was often used for fi rewood. In the face of urban development, inappropriate fi re management and invasive alien trees such as pines and gums, silver trees have been driven from about 74% of their natural range.
12 Wild sageSalvia africana-caerulea
This woody shrub with blue fl owers can be used to treat several conditions. Decoctions or infusions are used to treat coughs, colds, chest troubles, stomach pain and fl atulence.
Vygie Erepsia anceps
This perennial with fi ne magenta blooms often fl owers after fi re.
14 Fennel Foeniculum vulgare
Native to Europe, fennel was imported and planted as feed for cows to encourage milk production. Plants still occur in areas where dairies or pastures used to be.
15 BuchuAgathosma ovata
Spotted at the Oranjezicht City Farm (read more about OZCF on page 4), several varieties of buchu were donated by New Plant Nursery and planted as a hedge around planting beds. The varieties include Agathosma ciliaris (citrus or lemon buchu), Agathosma apiculata (garlic buchu) and Agathosma cerefolium (chervil-scented buchu).
Yellowwood Podocarpus latifolius
Found in forested areas from Table Mountain to Simon’s Town, this tall tree was often used in construction and for making furniture during the early Dutch settlement in the Cape. Few mature specimens are left.
Kooigoed Helichrysum patulum
This perennial herb was traditionally used as bedding material by the Khoi and San people. Its soft grey-felted foliage is used to treat several ailments including coughs, colds, fevers, infections and headaches. Taken as a tea or boiled in milk, it is one of the most widely used medicinal plants.
Kei appleDovyalis caffra
This thorny shrub bears small edible apple-like fruit that are yellow when ripe. They can be eaten raw or used for jams or jellies.
BuchuAgathosma ovata
Buchu is part of the cultural heritage of the San and Khoi people. It was used to anoint the body (after mixing powdered, dried leaves with sheep fat) probably both for cosmetic reasons and as antibiotic protection. The leaves were also chewed to relieve stomach pains. Early Dutch settlers steeped it in brandy for stomach problems, while buchu vinegar was highly regarded for cleaning wounds. It is still widely used in modern South Africa.
Geranium Pelargonium
Pelargonium species are evergreen perennials indigenous to Southern Africa and can survive in drought and heat. They are popular
garden plants that come in several scented varieties including rose, cinnamon, almond, apple and nutmeg.
Num-num ornoem-noem Carissa macrocarpa
The little-known fruit of this traditional African food plant are very nutritious. The fragrant white starry blooms turn into fruit that redden as they ripen and can be eaten raw or made into pies, jams, jellies and sauces.
Sour fi g or perdevy Carpobrotus edulis
This fl eshy succulent produces edible fruit and has medicinal value. The leaf juice is traditionally gargled to treat mouth and throat infections, and can be taken orally for dysentery, digestive troubles and to act as a diuretic. The juice can also be topically applied to treat eczema, wounds and burns. Its ripe, dried fruit are sold at street markets in Cape Town and are popular for jams and curry dishes.
10
11
13
16
17
18
19
20
21
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SOURCES: Wild Flowers of the Table Mountain National Park by Terry Trinder-Smith and Medicinal Plants of South Africa by Ben-Erik van Wyk, Bosch van Oudtshoorn and Nigel Gericke
Russ
ell
Russ
ell
Vogelgezang
Vogelgezang
Russ
ell
Russ
ell
Russ
ell
HEERE
NGRACHT
HEERE
NGRACHT
Old Marine
HERTZOG BOULEVARD
HERTZOG BOULEVARD
HERTZOG BOULEVARD
Cape TownRailway Station
Bus services
DARLING
DARLING
Good Hope
JUTLAND
Clar
eCl
are
Scott
WembleyWembley
7 on the town
We often think of cities and nature as being worlds apart. But in Cape Town, the proximity and co-existence of the urban and natural are unmatched: This is one of only three cities globally that rank as an urban biodiversity hotspot. We are located in the Cape Floristic Region – the smallest and richest of the world’s six fl oral kingdoms.
capitalNature
By: Alma Viviers
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“Economically, a study of Cape
Town’s ecosystem ‘services’ puts the
value conservatively between R2- and
6-billion per annum, without even taking
into account the health and wellbeing
benefi ts. We need to conserve our biodiversity to
provide healthy living conditions and build a
sustainable city.” Dr Patricia Holmes
W hy does the western leopard toad cross the road? To meet his mate
on the other side. Unfortunately, this often means he ends up as roadkill. The western leopard toad lives in Cape Town and the Agul-has Plain, sharing its home with the rest of us Capetonians. As toads go, it is larger than most and sports distinctive chocolate to reddish-brown patches with bright yellow or black edging – which is why it’s named after leopards. For the most part, this endemic¹ amphibian citi-zen happily co-exists with humans in the suburbs, but for a few days in August, thousands of toads mi-grate from their garden homes to suitable ponds to mate. This would be perfectly natural were it not for the fact that we have built roads and highways around their breed-ing ponds in wetlands. As a result, potentially thousands of toads end up as roadkill: The western leopard toad is an endangered species on the International Union for Conser-vation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List².
“So what if another species be-comes extinct, we’ve got plenty more,” you might say. Dr Patricia Holmes, a biophysical specialist in the biodiversity management branch of the City of Cape Town’s environmental resource manage-ment department, explains why the well-being of every species is signifi cant, drawing on the words of leading conservationist Paul Ehrlich: “All species are part of the web of life – like the rivets holding an aeroplane together – and while it may not make an obvious difference to the functioning of an ecosystem if one or two are lost, at some stage the ecosystems stop functioning well and will rapidly degrade. Similarly, if too many rivets fall off the aero-plane, at some stage it will break up and fall from the sky. Our natural
ecosystems are our life-support sys-tems that provide us with essential ‘services’, such as clean water, fl ood control and pollination for crops, as well as the genetic resources of individual species that could be the basis for anti-cancer drugs and other medicines. Many benefi ts are diffi cult to quantify in fi nancial terms, but we will be much poorer without our rich ecosystems and humanity will not survive long-term without them.”
Cape Town is unique in that we have particularly rich and diverse ecosystems. The three big factors that contributed to this biodiversity are time, place and fi re: The region has a history dating back more than 60-million years to the Gond-wana supercontinent – and didn’t experience a major glacial period, which would have eliminated all plant species. This means our local plants and animals have had a long time to evolve. The high diversity in landscapes, geologies and micro-climates here promoted the evolu-tion of new species that adapted to these place-specifi c conditions. Fire also played an important role in the fynbos biome ecosystems, by driving the growth of new plants, without which biodiversity would diminish over time.
Six national vegetation types are endemic to the city and can only be conserved here: Penin-sula Sandstone Fynbos, Peninsula Granite Fynbos, Peninsula Shale Renosterveld, Cape Flats Sand Fynbos (classed as the “most un-fortunate ecosystem nationally”, with hardly any conserved and many threatened species), Cape Flats Dune Strandveld and Lou-rensford Alluvium Fynbos. Ac-cording to the latest National Bio-diversity Assessment (2011) these are all threatened to some degree.
“Cape Town has a unique biodi-
versity that cannot be conserved elsewhere; we have an interna-tional and legal obligation to do it,” says Patricia. “When it comes to our citizens, several studies have demonstrated how important ac-cess to nature is for all people – it is fundamental to our existence and is especially important for healthy development in young people. Eco-nomically, a study of Cape Town’s ecosystem ‘services’ puts the value conservatively between R2- and 6-billion per annum, without even taking into account the health and wellbeing benefi ts. We need to con-serve our biodiversity to provide healthy living conditions and build a sustainable city.”
The City of Cape Town is one of the few cities in the world that has a biodiversity strategy. You can read more about how the city tries to protect important areas, balance development and conservation, and address invasive species, as well as what you can do to help. Go to www.capetown.gov.za/environment
The City of Cape Town man-ages 16 nature reserves across the metro that you can visit. To fi nd out more, go to www.cape-town.gov.za/naturereserves
Also stop by the biodiversity garden at Green Point Park for more local fl ora.
¹Endemic: Only found in the particular area re-ferred to, for example the Cape Town metro area.
²IUCN Red List: An international list of species threatened with extinction.
SOURCE: City of Cape Town Biodiversity Report 2008: Local Action for Biodiversity by Patricia Holmes, Julia Wood and Clifford Dorse
Bite-size biodiversity facts
The Cape Floristic Region is richer in plant species than any other site of the same size
in the world.
70% of the 9 600 plant species in the Cape Floristic Region are found nowhere else on earth. About 20% of these are on the IUCN Red List.
There are 27 amphibian species in Cape Town, ofwhich two are endemic and 10 are on the IUCN Red List.
fi sh species are dependent on Cape Town’s estuaries.
There are 18 different major national terrestrial vegetation types found in Cape Town, of which 14 are threatened because of habitat transformation.
2 285 plant species (of which 158 endemic) are supported in 471km2 of the Cape Peninsula Mountain chain
Of the 83 mammal species that remain in Cape Town, 24 are on the IUCN Red List and eight have recently
become extinct.
Of the 361 bird species that live in Cape Town, 22 are on the IUCN Red List and at least nine species have recently become extinct.
There are numerous
invertebrate species in Cape Town; approximately 111 are endemic to the Cape Peninsula Mountain Chain.
Cape Town is home to: about 3 000 indigenous plant species: 190 are endemic, 318 are considered threatened and 13 are extinct or extinct in the wild.
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57 reptile species of which eight are on the IUCN Red List and three are locally extinct, are found in Cape Town.
around town 8 CityViews May 2013
biofuels and treated waste on-site to ensure that we were disconnected from the sewage system. But on a business trip to Indonesia, I realised that I was buying a biodegradable product that was being farmed on destroyed rainforest. I, “the green guru”, was responsible for the destruction of the habitat of the orangutan – shocking! I could not tolerate the thought that I had caused this collateral damage and knew I had to rethink my business model.
CV You have developed 100 case studies for the blue economy. Are there any that apply specifi cally to Cape Town?One case study involves convert-ing offal from abattoirs into feed for fl ies. The fl ies in turn produce larvae that are an excellent food for livestock and fi sh, replacing traditional protein sources from land-based soya plantations and marine fi shmeal. Agricultural protein requires vast amounts of land and water, while the sea-caught alternative has material consequences for marine life. In 2012, AgriProtein, headed by Da-vid and Jason Drew, replicated the business model in Cape Town in collaboration with Stellenbosch University and initiated the com-mercial sale of this protein.
The second case study particular-ly relevant to Cape Town is double-sided photovoltaic cells. The solar conditions in the Mother City are ideal for introducing double-sided photovoltaic cells that are cooled with water, subsequently generat-ing both electricity and hot water in a two-in-one system, rather than the two separate installations cur-rently used.
CV Why do we fi nd it so hard to break away from linear thinking to more systems-oriented thinking? In the industrial age we are trained to think rationally, focusing on one thing at a time. In addition, MBA-trained managers are taught to translate everything into cash fl ow and market share. Once you are accustomed to making money regardless of the consequences,
Look around you and see what you produce as waste or consider to be waste: How can it be converting into something of value?
For more on Gunter’s fables and case studies go to www.guntersfables.org or www.zeri.org
From scarcity to abundance
We often use linear language when talking about the economy, speaking of production lines and value chains. Hout Bay resident and author of The Blue Economy, Gunter Pauli suggests that we should think more organically. In ecosystems, for example, there is no waste because the by-products of one process are inputs to another. By: Alma Viviers
Illus
trat
ion:
Infe
stat
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CV In a nutshell, what is the blue economy?In the cur rent economic system, everything that is good for you and the environment – organic food, biodegradable soap and solar energy – is expensive, while everything that is bad for you and the earth is cheap. Most of us simply can’t afford it. We have also been mistaken about some of the things we thought would be good for us and the planet – for example, the bioplastics used for packaging compete with land-use for food production. In the blue economy, the idea is to use what you have, respond to basic needs, and ensure that you generate multiple revenues and benefi ts, so that what is good for you and the environment is long-lasting and affordable.
Take your morning coffee: you only use 0.2% of the beans to produce a cup. Instead of throwing the “waste” away, it can be used to grow mushrooms. Farming mushrooms requires bacterial control at high energy cost. However, the exposure of ground beans to hot water when brewing a cup reduces bacteria to a minimum. Along with other bacteria-reduction methods, this helps make farming mushrooms on coffee grounds 80% more energy effi cient than using traditional substrates. Because caffeine is a stimulant, some varieties of mushrooms grow faster, meaning increased production. The leftovers after harvesting mushrooms are rich in essential amino acids, including lysine, traditionally commercially derived from sugar beets for use as an animal-feed additive. A by-product without any value is thus converted into quality animal feed. Animals produce manure, which in turn can be used to create biogas.
CV What was the “light-bulb moment” that changed your own thinking?As the president of what could well have been the fi rst ecologically sound factory in Europe, I constructed a green factory with wood and grass, converted the car fl eet to using
you are not willing to change. We need to get our hands dirty, to learn by doing. It seems that we have too many engineers who only do what they know and too many MBA graduates who are averse to taking risks. Society should realise that change is the only constant and if we don’t create an environ-ment of adaptation based on mak-ing things happen – taking 1 000 small steps at a time, all the time – then we will remain stuck with high unemployment and injustice in the economic system. We need to open ourselves up to possibility and go for it; learn from mistakes and duplicate successes.
CV You’ve published a series of fables for children. Why did you feel it was important to get the message across to a younger generation?If children are to learn how to think, design, create and dream
in systems, they must be exposed to systems thinking at an early age. The beauty is that children don’t yet know the difference be-tween fantasy and reality. We have to wake up that child in all of us. Three years ago, I couldn’t have im-agined that it would be possible to convert an old petrochemical plant into a bio-refi nery but now we are building one in Italy in partnership with ENI, the eighth-largest petro-leum group in the world, based on technology from Novamont, one of the typical blue economy start-up companies. Tell a dream to a child and they dream along with you.
From scarcity SYSTEMS THINKING
IN BUSINESS
“Society should realise that change is the only
constant and if we don’t create an environment
of adaptation based on making things
happen – taking 1 000 small steps at a time, all the time – then we will remain stuck with high unemployment and injustice in the
economic system. We need to open ourselves
up to possibility and go for it; learn from
mistakes and duplicate successes.”
Gunter Pauli
Then, when you show them that it can come true, they start to value their own.
The blue economy is based on the idea of creating a mutually benefi cial system for people and the planet.
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9 around town May 2013 CityViews
A better business
cycle
A BUILDINGAS A SYSTEM
To learn more about what else Woolworths is doing as part of its Good Business Journey, go towww.woolworths.co.za
Running hot and cold: Heating, ventilation and air conditioning are among the largest energy consumers in any building. Installing energy-effi cient systems, maintaining and upgrading these systems, as well as educating employees, are crucial for keeping this fi nancial and environmen-tal cost down. Avoid heating unused spaces such as corridors and storerooms. Make sure that the building is only being heated during the hours that it is occupied.
Light it up: Use natural light whenever possible. Ensure that windows are clean and encourage staff to open blinds be-fore switching on lights. Use compact fl uorescent or Energy Star light bulbs,
which require less frequent replacement, saving money and energy. Use motion-de-tection to activate lights in bathrooms and boardrooms that aren’t in continuous use.
Travel and transport: With parking at a premium in Cape Town, incentivise employees to share a ride by offering them a reduced parking rate. Follow Woolworths’ example and provide bike-parking and lock-er facilities for cyclists. Locate offi ces and events close to public transport wherever possible. Before calling a meeting, consider whether a teleconference or Skype call will be an effi cient alternative to everyone com-muting to a central meeting point. Also offset offi cial fl ights by making a contribution to NGOs such as GreenPop (www.greenpop.org) or Trees for Africa (www.trees.co.za).
Flip the switch: Switch off your computer when you leave for the day. Switching off the monitor over tea and lunch breaks or during meetings prevents excessive heat build-up in a room and contributes to sav-ing energy. Don’t leave printers or copiers on standby mode as they will continue to use up to 70% of their normal power consumption.
Daily commute: More than half of all the energy used in Cape Town is for transport. Around the world, trans-port is responsible for 11% of all human-in-duced emissions, making it a huge contributor
to climate change. By taking public transport, cycling or sharing a ride with a colleague, you can signifi cant-ly reduce this percentage.
Grazing habits: Consider the amount of waste you cre-ate when you buy a daily takeaway cup of coffee and a packaged lunch: paper cup, lid and stirrer, paper nap-kin, wrapping, packing and carry bag. Now multiply that by 240 annual working days. Rather bring your own lunch in a reus-able container and ask your coffee shop to fi ll a reusable cup instead.
Paper cut: Although it is diffi cult for most offi ces to go completely paperless, thinking before you print a document saves paper, electricity, ink
and money. Alternatives to print-ing include displaying agendas for meetings digitally and circulating digital monthly reports via email.
As an offi ce worker:
As a building owner:
Three things Woolworths is doing:
Waste:Carbon emissions
Solution:Install locally manufactured solar panels on a disused roof space, and make the most of free sunlight. Retrofi t the air condition-ing to be as effi cient as possible and change all lighting fi xtures to accommodate CFLs or LEDs.
Imagine a sea of 3.2-million compact fl uorescent light bulbs. Now fl ip the switch and leave them burning for an hour. That equates to 48 000 kilo-watts per hour, which is the amount of energy Woolworths expects to save with the installation of the new solar panels on the roof of one of its Central City buildings.
“Making an old building as effi cient as possible has been challenging but rewarding. We have looked at light-ing, refrigeration and air condition-ing, but it’s only possible to reach a certain point in terms of effi ciency. As a result, we felt we needed to pilot clean energy opportunities,” Justin says. “We opted for a solar-panel installation because the technology is established and we can monitor the electricity production and con-sumption directly. This is a learning opportunity for us, helping us to look at what we can do on a larger scale in the future. Currently, solar power pro-vides 10% of our electricity needs.”
Electricity
Waste: Unused natural water from Table Mountain’s springs
Solution:Install a water-treatment plant and tap into ground water below the building.
“A number of springs run down from Table Mountain, fl owing under the city and into the sea. One of them fl ows beneath our building and we wanted to tap into this precious resource. We negotiated permission from the municipality to install our own water-treatment plant in the building. It is saving us and the city a huge amount of municipal water – 27-million litres per year that would simply have run, unused, into the sea. The spring water is used to fl ush toilets and for air conditioning. It also supplies water to the fountain and to a small car wash in the parking lot.”
Municipalwater
Waste: Solid waste
Solution:Change employee behaviour through education and awareness.
“At head offi ce we aim for 0% waste to landfi ll. Currently we are at between 90-92% recycled or composted, so we are getting pretty close,” Justin says. “Instead of having dustbins at their desks, staff use centralised recycling bins and organic waste goes into composting bins in the kitchens. The canteen only uses compostable takeaway containers and has banned the sale of plastic bags. People must bring their own bags, or buy a reusable bag. We want staff to model the behaviour we would like to see everywhere.”
Other initiatives include paper reduction targets that encourage everyone to cut down on printing. The printing system, FollowMe, doesn’t release prints without a staff access card, so employees don’t leave forgotten prints in the tray and also receive detailed reports on their printing. Lastly, we support and encourage staff who choose to cycle to work by ensuring we provide suffi cient bike parks and locker facilities.
Paper and pedal power
“We opted for a solar-panel installation because the
technology is established and we can monitor the electricity
production and consumption
directly. ” Justin Smith
What can you do?
From the roof to the basement and the canteen to the printer, Woolworths is looking at ways to break the cycle of needless energy consumption and waste at its Central City
headquarters. Alma Viviers talks water and kilowatts with the retailer’s head of sustainability, Justin Smith.
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These solar panels are manufactured by a South African company based in Bellville whose solar technology capabili-ties are rated as one of the best in the world.
around town 10 CityViews May 2013
Frist Cool“T he trick with this game, Bawo (also known as Bao), is that you have to have your meditation right. If you can do this then you can think easily and you will win, like me! I come from Zanzibar and am in Cape Town for the business opportunities. I think there are a lot available but people need to understand that if there are no jobs, they must make their own.”
Cape TownFaces of
When it comes to human diversity, the streets of the Mother City tell their own story about the rich variety of people who call this place home.
Latifah Abduramin
“I have lived in Schotsche Kloof since I was fi ve years old, when
we moved here from District Six. Now I am 71. If someone
had to ask me to describe this place I would tell them it’s a good place to be, especially if you are Muslim and love to pray because there are fi ve mosques nearby.
The best time is at the end of the year for Tweede Nuwe Jaar.”
Penelope Frog“This is the best city ever. The other day I rode into town on my scooter to get to work. I had the mountain on one side and the sea on the other and I thought, ‘We have everything in this city!’ I have been here for 19 years and I am not going anywhere. Just one thing: can we please get the bike parking in town sorted out?”
“I arrived fi ve days ago from Sin-gapore. I think people are friendly, more so than at home where everyone is more reserved. I think Singapore can learn something from Cape Town about being relaxed, although everything is very effi cient there.”
Andrew Choong
Jarrud van der Merwe“I love living in Cape Town
because it feels like a mixed, con-nected city and it also feels Afri-
can. I came here from Durban two years ago, which I think is a far
more boring city in comparison, so I have no plans to go back.”
Frank Kwitana“I came here from Malawi 15 years ago and Cape Town has been good to me. There are more opportunities here. This is now my home and the place where I run my curio business. I do sometimes miss Malawi though – especially the fi sh, which was very delicious. But here there is pizza, and that is my favourite.”
Vean Edwards“I have worked in the fresh pro-duce business in Cape Town for my whole life. I have been in this spot for four years and, over time, have seen how this place has changed. Crime has gone down and there is more life on the streets than there used to be. If I could change one thing it would be to help the homeless because there are some really good guys out there, but they need help.”
Thangaraj Andi“I have lived and worked as a chef in Cape Town for three years. I come from Chennai in India and I think that I will go home when I fi nish my contract in 2016. It’s not that I am homesick, although I think it’s bad that in Cape Town there is no masala chai avail-able, but the truth is, I think the weather here is really terrible. It’s always changing: one day good, one day bad, the next day… who knows?”
Ashley Martin“I have lived in Cape Town my whole life, mostly in Mitchells Plain, except for when I was in jail. I got out in 1999 and since then I sometimes stay with my mother and sometimes I stay on the streets. I have a permit to do street performance but what I would really like is to carry on in the footsteps of my aunt who was a famous ballroom dancer here.”
By: Ambre Nicolson
Claudia Goncalez“I came to Cape Town to study and I live and go to school in the Central City. I love the entertain-ment here – and Table Mountain, of course.”
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Joel Lumbamba“I have been in Cape Town for one year. I was studying international human rights in Kinshasa and was involved in organising protests there. Things got very dangerous for me because I became a target, so I fl ed to Cape Town. I think immigration is good for a city because it brings cultural diversity. In any case, we are all human beings, right? I think Cape Town can help im-migrants more by fi xing the Depart-ment of Home Affairs. South Africa has very good laws about immigrants and refugees but in many cases they are not executed properly.”
11 May 2013 CityViews around town
Luyanda: I think the streets must be made safer because venturing out on a bike with your children is a terrifying experience. There’s a hier-archy to the street in which buses and taxis are on top, then drivers, followed by other users of the road. Pedestrians come last. We need to realise, as they have in other cities, that forms of movement other than cars need to be focused on, especially elevating the importance of non-motorised forms of transport – bicycles, rollerblades, wheelchairs and prams need to be integrated into the public transport network. For example, in 1999 in Paris, we heard a strange humming noise one evening, which we realised was the sound of approximately 10 000 rollerbladers coming down the street because the roads had been closed for car-free day. I think we can learn from this approach to use streets to accommodate new urban experiences and movement patterns.
CV So, is Cape Town home?Luyanda: We are optimistic about this city but I think too many urban decisions are made to please certain constituencies; too much is political. It will still take South Africa a long time to create its own inclusive urban identi-ties. It should be about what is best for the life of people in our city and not just around its periphery.Uli: Yes, absolutely! We like to engage in debates about the city because, in our imaginations, we see what this place could be. We are urban planners and optimistic visionaries, after all. I think this is the most beautiful city in the world.
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Berlin to Cape Town
Cape Town is where husband-and-wife architecture team Luyanda and Uli Mpahlwa have chosen to live, work and raise their two sons. We asked them about their journey to the Mother City and how they think it could become more family friendly.By: Ambre Nicolson
CV Uli, you are from Stuttgart in Germany and Luyanda, you were born in Mthatha and first experienced Cape Town as a prisoner on Robben Island. How did you both come to call the city home?Uli: We met in Berlin and fell in love. I am adventurous by nature and so came to Cape Town in 1997 while Luy-anda completed his studies in Berlin. Luyanda: Before I arrived here in 2000, my only experience of Cape Town had been when
I was released from Robben Island in 1986. I spent a day in the city before catching a train back to the Transkei. I went to Cowley House (where the families of prisoners stayed when they came to visit their loved ones on Robben Island) and the comrades there took me on a tour of all the flash-points of the time – to places like Crossroads, which at that time, of course, was burning. After that, with the help of Amnesty International, I went into exile in Berlin. After 1994
there was a strong temptation for me to return, but I was in the middle of my degree and, when talking to people, and other South Africans who understood what lay ahead after the end of apartheid, I was advised, “Dude, you’d better finish what you’re do-ing. Stay where you are and get some work experience.” So when she left to enrol for a post graduate course at UCT, I completed my degree and became a freelance architect in Berlin … well, this was a big test for our relationship, which was just starting. In 2000 I
decided it was time that we were together, so followed her to Cape Town.
CV Luyanda, you spent 15 years in Berlin dur-ing the unification of Germany. You’ve now been back in Cape Town for almost as long, and this too is a spatially divided city. What do you think Cape Town can do to reintegrate its commu-nities?Luyanda: It’s the differences between the two cities that interest me. Berlin’s reintegra-tion focused on the no-man’s-land between the east and west, in areas like Potsdamer Platz, Brandenberg Gate and the Reichstag, where it was possible to engineer reintegra-tion. We recently returned to Berlin for a visit and found that spaces we hadn’t imagined working have succeeded in knitting the city together. So, on the one hand we have Berlin with ideas about high-density mixed-use spaces, and on the other hand we have Cape Town, where the centre remains predominantly white, the periphery black, and where we continue to de-velop these areas separately. It is on record that the Central City is home to only 50 000 people but the population of Cape Town is 3.5-million. It is also on record that 300 000 people travel in and out of the Central City to work each day. This is not a sustainable situation. I think one area that does encourage integration, and which I am proud to be associated with, is Cape Town Stadium. I stand by my belief that it is a good idea to bring people in from outside to experience soccer and other international events in the city,
not to create a separate place for that to happen.
CV You have said that township areas work because of the inti-macy and density of the spaces. What lessons from these areas can be applied to the Central City? Luyanda: In my opinion, the inner city is not dense and diverse enough and caters largely for the exclusive resi-dential market. I always use the example of my staff, young professionals who can’t find residential places to stay in town because it’s out of their price range. If we had more middle-income rental housing for young professionals and creatives, I think the city would have more life. In short, the city needs people.
CV How can Cape Town become more family friendly?Uli: There is potential but not enough has been done to create family-friendly spaces that combine inside-outside areas successfully. We have two boys, aged 9 and 11, so look for places where we can eat a meal and enjoy the view while they play safely. Sadly, there are not enough of these spaces in the city. Somewhere like Deer Park works well, for example, because all parties derive mutual benefit. This re-mains an isolated example, the rest are indoor spaces in malls and casinos. There are hardly any playful recreational areas integrated into the urban fabric of the city, and compared to other world cities, like Paris, Berlin, New York or Copen-hagen, where you find either water fountains or creative kids’ play areas, Cape Town certainly has a deficit.
“We like to engage in debates about the city because, in our imaginations, we see what this place could be. We are urban planners and optimistic
visionaries, after all. I think this is the most beautiful city in the world.”
Uli Mpahlwa
with love
Learn more about |Luyanda and Uli’s projects at www.designspaceafrica.com.
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Check your phone for the link &SEE HOW YOU CHANGE
THE STORY
?TO BE CONTINUED ...
TO 38088SMS ‘DIGNITY’TO 38088
www.giveresponsibly.co.zaBY SMSING, YOU HELP
OUR CITY’S NGOs HELP
SMILEY
GiveBASED ON A TRUE STORY
GO BACK TO FRAME AND REPEAT THE CYCLE.
3
2 WEEKS LATER2
Wale ST
I still can't find a job and I have no more money
Please sir?Oh, you
poor guy
3
THE CYCLE BEGINS:PART ONE:
FINALLY, I've arrived
in the city of
opportunity
1
D IGN I TY
THIS IS MYSTORY of
HELP BREAK THE CYCLE?
OR...
HELP BREAK YES?
DO YOU...
KEEP GIVING HANDOUTS?
YES?
65
4
You again?I’m not
hiring you
looking like that!
12 May 2013 CityViews our town
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