{"id":3886,"date":"2026-01-04T23:44:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T23:44:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/3886\/"},"modified":"2026-01-04T23:44:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T23:44:10","slug":"a-welcoming-heartbeat-is-throbbing-in-cape-towns-inner-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/3886\/","title":{"rendered":"A welcoming heartbeat is throbbing in Cape Town\u2019s inner city"},"content":{"rendered":"

The drab substation at Riebeeck Square in Cape Town\u2019s inner city has been transformed into a vibrant public gallery featuring murals by local artists.<\/p>\n

Along St George\u2019s Mall, through which 120,000 people pass daily, pedestrians can pause to peek through a pinhole into a repurposed \u201cKiosk of Curiosities\u201d packed with artwork. Cross traffic-congested Strand Street, and pedestrians step on a canvas of cheerful daisies designed to remind motorists to be courteous. After dark, the pedestrianised sections of Shortmarket Street and Church Lane are lit up with strings of festoon lights.<\/p>\n

These small interventions led by the Mission for Inner City Cape Town, a not-for-profit launched eight months ago, aim to make the city more welcoming and walk\u00adable. Describing the group\u2019s aims, cofounder and executive chair Tim Harris said: \u201cWe are building a platform that unlocks energy and ingenuity by supporting locals who have their own vision.\u201d<\/p>\n

The mission works hand in hand with the Cape Town Central City Improvement District (CCID), on whose board Harris serves. Over 25 years, this government-business collaboration has helped to arrest inner-city decay and the exodus to suburbia.<\/p>\n

Yet Harris and cofounder Brad Armitage were \u201cshocked by what we saw\u201d as 117 businesses vanished from the CBD during \u00adCovid, revealing a need for additional interventions to unlock local potential and private investment. \u201cWe realised that we needed to supplement the CCID\u2019s efforts, for instance, to fast-track approvals from the City of Cape Town, ease facilitation, provide funding now and then, and offer support.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unlike the CCID\u2019s broad mandate and 750-person organogram, the mission is focused and lean, tapping into the energy of people working and living in the city.<\/p>\n

One example: \u201cInner-City Saturdays\u201d were launched after retailers sought help to boost weekend trade.<\/p>\n

\u201cInspired by the format of First Thursdays, we created an activation and supported them, but it was their effort; they led it. That\u2019s the model: we unlock passion across the city. That is how we achieve scale.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"P21Long Street is also being spruced up as part of the place-making process. (Photo: Janet Heard) <\/p>\n

The mission has secured three years of City funding, matched by private contributions, with more sponsors in the pipeline.<\/p>\n

Harris, a former MP and Wesgro CEO, believes Cape Town is a \u201cfunctional inner city in the face of serious social challenges\u201d. Inclusivity and diversity underpin the mission\u2019s model, with a concept called \u201cplacemaking\u201d \u2013 collaborative public space-building for living, working, playing and learning \u2013 at the core.<\/p>\n

Place-making enhanced Riebeeck Square\u2019s Bree Street Gallery with murals, concrete seating and planters. A giant mural appeared on a Long Street wall. Nearby, Shortmarket Street is lit at night and being semi-pedestrianised, hosting two new boutique hotels opposite the iconic 1980s late-night Cadiz takeaway caf\u00e9. Church Lane also boasts lighting, benches and retail curation plans, all key mission interventions alongside walking routes, wayfinding and public events.<\/p>\n

At Church Lane\u2019s Burg Street entrance, the \u201cPurple Shall Govern\u201d plaque, which commemorates the 1989 anti-apartheid protest that police doused with purple water-cannon dye \u2013 has been cleaned up for visibility.<\/p>\n

Balancing heritage and innovation, the mission also addresses very modern needs. During a walkabout, public art project leader Shani Judes highlighted the delivery bikers clustering around St George\u2019s Mall and Riebeeck Square.<\/p>\n

\u201cTogether with Young Urbanists and Takealot and Mr D, we are going to be piloting safe mobility hubs where drivers will have a place to sit, charge devices and have access to a toilet and hand washing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Harris sees Greenmarket Square\u2019s potential as the city\u2019s traditional heart, though it is saturated by tourist trinkets.<\/p>\n

\u201cMarket products need to be more diverse. The key to creating functional public spaces is to cater to locals. They live here year-round, and tourists want to experience what locals experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

The mission is working with the City to curb unregulated parking around the square by erecting bollards, then adding seating, lighting and greenery.<\/p>\n

Harris acknowledges the \u201cbinding constraints\u201d in the city, like public transport and housing challenges, but these fall outside the mission\u2019s scope.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose are problems others are working on. We are working to make the inner city more livable, visitable, functional and commercially viable.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the \u201cAirbnb effect\u201d of out-of-reach high-end short-term rentals, Harris is optimistic about a shift. Thousands of student units around Cape Town Station are shifting dynamics, spurring retail changes. \u201cStudents bring a different energy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The 90-year-old Jack Lemkus sneaker store recently opened a Jack\u2019s burger joint to cater to the emerging student market. The 50-year-old Golden Acre\u2019s overhaul will convert a 24-storey office tower into 414 affordable rentals.<\/p>\n

\"P21Art at Riebeeck Square substation. (Photo: Janet Heard) <\/p>\n

Harris welcomes the controversial influx of digital nomads as \u201cpart of the mix, but they cannot be the dominant one. That is why we say: locals first. That is our priority.\u201d<\/p>\n

Acknowledging perceptions of a criminal underbelly, including extortion, Harris said opportunities exist to \u201ccrowd out bad elements to create a more diverse, legitimate economy\u201d. To share its long-term vision with developers and landlords, the mission runs an \u201cInner-City Voices\u201d dialogue. Landlords, lured by short-term gains such as upfront annual rental payments, are encouraged to consider aspirational, diverse and curated retail alternatives.<\/p>\n

Drawing from the V&A Waterfront as a \u201cmasterclass\u201d in place-making, the mission aims to achieve something similar, \u201cbut in a public, not a private, controlled space. If we can get that working, in the face of poverty and inequality, we can create viable, inclusive spaces.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unlike the V&A\u2019s high-end rentals, the inner city\u2019s \u201csecret weapon\u201d is a mix of more affordable retail spaces that could attract authentic, independent retailers, not global chain stores.<\/p>\n

To pinpoint user needs, the mission is conducting extensive data research, including surveys that ask: \u201cWhat\u2019s your mission?\u201d and \u201cWhere do you feel unsafe?\u201d<\/p>\n

A \u201cpram index\u201d is being conducted, with the Company\u2019s Garden being reimagined as a family-friendly space. The public park took a knock during Covid, exacerbated by the devastating fire at Parliament, which sucked life out of the neighbourhood. But it is now showing signs of a pick-up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have been to 34 African countries and never seen an inner city that has the potential to do what we can do,\u201d said Harris.<\/p>\n

\u201cInner cities are difficult… We toured Johannesburg. The extent of urban decay is staggering.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the tour, Jozi My Jozi\u2019s Robbie Brozin was asked what was being done about place-making in their shared mission to revitalise inner cities.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe laughed and said right now they are trying to take back hijacked buildings. It is a different level,\u201d said Harris, who expressed optimism that Joburg\u2019s inner city would get back on track. DM<\/p>\n

This story first appeared in our weekly DM168 newspaper, available countrywide for R35.<\/p>\n

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