High-rise housing for Cape Town

The City of Cape Town is planning to build tower blocks of up to 14 stories in a bid to beat its massive housing shortage.

City housing director Hans Smit said on Thursday the buildings would be grouped in a "town" around facilities such as shops, community centres, schools and recreation facilities.

"The idea of very high density towns hasn't been tested in this country," he said at a media briefing in Cape Town.

"A lot of people say it won't work. But I can't believe that it won't work, if you look in terms of how it works in other cities in the world. We would like to test it in Cape Town."

There would be about 200 housing units per block, and from 5000 to 6000 units per town.

"They'll be vibrant areas where people can actually live and develop as communities," he said.

"We definitely intend pursuing it. Most definitely. This is not pie in the sky: it's something that we definitely want to test, and the mayor is very keen to go along with us."

A senior city housing official, Basil Davidson, earlier told the briefing that the city's housing backlog now stood at 400,000.

Another 18,000 to 20,000 families were seeking accommodation every year, and the city was currently building 10,000 units a year.

Smit said 10,000 hectares of land would be needed to eliminate the backlog at past building density levels.

"If you look around the city, I don't know where anyone's going to find 10,000 hectares for housing development," he said.

It was also important to ensure investment on infrastructure was cost-effective.

The city was looking at a few possible sites for a pilot high-rise town, some of them in potential development corridors towards Atlantis and Malmesbury, but also in the eastern part of the city, in the Khayelitsha or Blue Downs area.

"When we actually put this town up, we want a model that can be tested with all different communities," he said.

He said the city was steering clear of the massive 40-storey buildings erected in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong officials had said that the micro-climate experienced by residents at that height had "some fairly negative effects".

"You can imagine, with 40 stories, here in Cape Town you'd be in the clouds a lot of the time," he said.

Beijing, on the other hand, had been putting up a mix of buildings of five to six stories, and of 12 to 15 stories.

"It works very well in Beijing. It also gives the kind of environment in which people are happy and communities seem to grow."

Smit said the planning process was complex, as it involved not only design and construction, but funding and social aspects.

His estimate was that building would start in four or five years.

"We have to do our job properly: we can't make a mistake in putting something together."

Is 14-storeys enough? Shouldn't we go higher to help get people out of shacks faster? Share your views below this article.

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Yes, good idea It's about time big blocks of flats were built. How about the old District Six? That land has been standing open for decades. Let's get people out of shacks and into flats in Zonnebloem, District Six and perhaps the Green Point common. by Cape lover on August 20 2009, 14:10 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Not a bad idea Works in Singapore. by CJ Says on August 20 2009, 14:47 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Yes ! I like I like by Terrence on August 20 2009, 14:58 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

high rises Green Point Common?! Are you nuts? Culemborg is what we need to free up and Trasnet need to strike a deal with the city over than land. by ctguy on August 20 2009, 15:53 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

If you can prevent them from becoming a ghetto... ...then yes, brilliant. Are South Africans slowly going to to start joining the 20th century in terms of using small spaces effectively? Have just been to Japan where they make 30m2 feel more sophisticated and satisfying than most . .more Saffer-designed shoeboxes of 60m2. We're still completely mired in the Anglo-Boer convention of an Ancestral Home with Entrance Hall, Dining Room, the ridiculous En Suite Bog, the holy Ancestral Lawn where you Play With Your Kids, and a big sodding wall around it to prevent Them from getting in. It's madness. Roll on high-rise living! . .less by Bean Counter on August 20 2009, 16:20 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

High rise Like a bird on the wire, Like a drunk in a midnight choir I have tried in my way to be free. Like a worm on a hook, Like a knight from some old fashioned book I have saved all my ribbons for thee. If i, if I have been . .more unkind, I hope that you can just let it go by. If i, if I have been untrue I hope you know it was never to you. Like a baby, stillborn, Like a beast with his horn I have torn everyone who reached out for me. But I swear by this song And by all that I have done wrong I will make it all up to thee. I saw a beggar leaning on his wooden crutch, He said to me, you must not ask for so much. And a pretty woman leaning in her darkened door, She cried to me, hey, why not ask for more? Oh like a bird on the wire, Like a drunk in a midnight choirhave tried in my way to be free. . .less by Tony on August 20 2009, 17:45 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Go East Good idea but will this work when we have laws that cannot evict defaulters. Singapore has done a wonderful job but ensuring that people who can afford such units is a priority. South Africa has a habit of rewarding the free riders at the expnse of the . .more people that pay. Maintaining high rise apartments are no joke and who will pay for this- ie elevators and common areas. we need to look at housing differnetly where people "graduate" from shack to RDP to high rise. This will give families time to get their finances in order. The obsession with owing land also needs to be addressed. In high density living the social spaces and security needs to be very tightly monitored and more importantly is we need to get our laws and culture regarding residential evictions straightened up like the rest of the world-then only will such schemes work. . .less by Muhammad Omar on August 22 2009, 09:37 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

The solution is more density Cape Town can partly solve its problem of needing more housing by allowing more density in existing homes and suburbs. I have tried on several occasions to rezone some of my freestanding properties into two dwellings only to get so much stick from the . .more council that it literally becomes impossible. There are properties which have 600 plus square meterage but yet only a single house is allowed to built yet in the townships, plots are as small as 60 square meters. This prolonged fight against densification by the city council has lead to cronic shortages in housing. . .less by WTF on August 24 2009, 05:07 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

High Rise housing Cape Consider all the social ills that goes with this type of residential setups.The Cape should know better. Housing should bring back peoples dignity.Please weigh the costs and benefits carefully by Mankweng on August 27 2009, 11:05 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

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