Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa July/August 2019 | Page 44

DEVELOPMENTS
Secondary cities
have an important
role to play
Bellville untapped potential
BY WARREN HEWITT
I
n his recent State of the Nation Address, President Cyril Ra-
maphosa outlined his dream for South Africa. The address
included a raft of suggestions designed to uplift urban
centres, including the creation of special economic zones,
reviving business parks, building digital hubs and forming
village enterprises where small and medium businesses can
trade their products. The speech also referenced special
packages of financial and institutional measures to boost
construction, upgrade infrastructure and build student ac-
commodation. It presented his vision for “the first entirely
new city built in the democratic era rises, with skyscrapers,
schools, universities, hospitals and factories…a new smart
city founded on the technologies of the Fourth Industrial
Revolution…”
Warren Hewitt, CEO of the Greater Tygerberg Partnership
(GTP) argues that we don’t need to build new cities but to
rather build on the strong foundations of our existing cities.
Foundations that already have special economic zones in
place, where business parks and trading centres are hives of
economic activity and urban centres are supported by strong
existing infrastructure with fast fibre and with all the facilities
for students and residents to thrive.
THE ROLE OF THE SECONDARY CITY
Cape Town is one of the most visited tourist destinations in
South Africa. On its outskirts lies its secondary city, Bellville, a
diverse financial, medical and educational urban centre that
plays an important role as a highly connected hub at the heart
of the metropole. Secondary cities have an important role to
play in supporting primary cities.
Like most major urban centres, Cape Town is facing pressure
from growing urbanisation, characterised by increasing
congestion, rising accommodation costs and limited space for
inclusive development. As a key node, given the City of Cape
Town’s strategy to bring people closer to their workplaces,
Bellville has an important role in supporting Cape Town, by
42
JULY/AUGUST 2019 SA Real Estate Investor Magazine
shifting towards a mixed-use centre with well-connected,
multi-modal transport linkages and well-established service
infrastructure.
“Bellville already has schools, universities, hospitals and
factories and more in terms of services, infrastructure and
transport connectivity. These assets are already in place, in
a crucial location that can serve not only Cape Town, but the
entire Cape Town metropole,” says Hewitt.
However, like many urban centres, Bellville has suffered the
negative effects of investor capital flight over the last 20 or 30
Bellville is an opportunistic city
that is ripe for development,”
says Hewitt. “I genuinely
believe that there is value to
be realised on the streets of
the city, not only for property
owners already in Bellville, but
also developers seeking early
opportunities that will deliver
value in return.
years. The GTP was created to enable Bellville and the Greater
Tygerberg region to fulfil its potential. The organisation is a
not-for-profit company operating with a mandate, supported
by the City of Cape Town to uplift and regenerate the northern
suburbs of Cape Town. Its role is to facilitate the transition of the
Bellville CBD and the Voortrekker Road Corridor by building a
thriving, prosperous and inclusive community within a more
compact, more sustainable and more affordable radius.
Hewitt explains: “The question that drives us is how