Cape Town Partnership
The Cape Town Partnership is a collaboration between the public and private sectors working together to develop, promote and manage Cape Town Central City as a place for all citizens. The Partnership was formed ten years ago when the City of Cape Town, the South African Property Owners Association (SAPOA), the Cape Town Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry and other stakeholders came together to address issues of urban degeneration, disinvestment and the social problems in the Central City.
The Central City’s regeneration process has been built upon the strength and pillars of successful private-public partnerships at both operational and strategic levels.
The Cape Town Partnership is an independent non-profit organisation (Section 21 company) governed by a Board of Directors. Andrew Boraine was the Chief Executive of the Partnership until 2013.
The Partnership promotes inner-city investment (CBD), promotes sound urban planning principals and aids developers and investors in their Cape Town CBD projects. Founded in the late 1990s to stop the flight of investment and businesses to the Northern and Southern Suburbs, the Cape Town Partnership has since secured numerous multi-billion rand projects and has enabled Cape Town to become a world class city and lowered inner-city crime tremendously.
In October 2008, the Partnership announced a 30 billion rand development plan for the city.
The Cape Town Partnership – having worked to ensure that the 2010 FIFA World Cup is the best event ever of its kind – is already working hard at consolidating the gains from this legacy and at developing and integrating the city even further.
The partnership is convinced that a key factor in re-connecting the city is the Integrated Rapid Transport System. This is a city transformation project with the potential to drive the necessary city densification processes, with more compact development clustering around stations and along public transport corridors. It has the potential to link isolated communities to the mainstream urban economy.
A further strategy which will take the City into the future is the Central City Development Strategy (CCDS), a ten-year framework to guide public and private planners, investors and developers in the Central City.
The Central City Improvement District (CCID) is a private-public partnership formed in November, 2000 by the property owners within the central city to provide complementary services over and above what the City of Cape Town provides. The CCID arose from the Cape Town Partnership.
Two new projects which the CTP believes will impact hugely on the future development of the city are the Land Use Change Management project – a path-breaking planning project which could be used to guide development in the city – and the Inner City Regeneration Project, which involves a process whereby all Provincial assets in the Central City will be evaluated in terms of their development potential.
In an effort to help take the city forward after 2010, the CTP is throwing its weight behind the City of Cape Town’s bid to become the World Design Capital Bid 2014 a title which would keep the city on its trajectory towards becoming a leading global city.