Estate Living Magazine Precinct Living - Issue 33 | Page 12

CapeTown’s
oceanfront precinct
Historically, Cape Town has always been associated with the sea, the
waterfront and the harbour – until the building of the Foreshore divorced
the city centre from the ocean. Well, that’s all changing back again.
Only from the air can you begin to understand why the locals
are obsessed with Table Mountain, and how this imposing slab
of rock impacts on everything from the history and urban design
of the city to the weather and lifestyle.
While Cape Town has major issues concerning water, affordable
housing, rejuvenation versus gentrification and general
inclusivity, what it is getting right is creating mixed-use spaces
for those with the financial means to enjoy them.
The CBD, V&A Waterfront, Mouille Point, Green Point and Sea
Point make up a narrow ribbon of exceptional natural beauty
confined by Table Mountain and the Atlantic Ocean.
In the late 1930s, when the city centre was the business and
recreation hub of Cape Town, the area known as the Foreshore
was reclaimed from Table Bay. Everyone lived and worked in or
near the city, and weekends were leisure time; people walked
daily for purpose and pleasure, shopped at local markets where
they bought fresh seasonal produce, cooked it slowly, and
ate everything in moderation. Sound appealing and vaguely
familiar?
The circle of lifestyle
It was a good life, but change is inevitable, and each generation
must leave its mark. Before we knew it, we were all happily
chasing the god called money.
Being a workaholic became a badge of honour as we
abandoned the city in favour of the suburbs. Commuting ate
into our time, fast foods and faster cars became a necessity,
and we frantically tried to keep up on the hamster wheel of
conspicuous consumption and ‘more is more’. We invented
computers and systems to make our lives easier, until screens
took over our existence and we needed an app for just about
everything to survive. Faster and faster spins the hamster wheel.