Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa Real Estate Investor Magazine - October 2017 | Page 47

URBAN INNOVATION Before the ‘Big- Dig’ the highway, separated the city from the waterfront, and was a prime example of the dominance of a car culture. This was replaced by citizen-oriented design below. innovation. Fear of change and risk-tak- ing leads to institutional and cultural rigidity, uncreative stagnation. It is this rigidity that is ultimately the enemy of innovation.So how do we break this disingenuous path of development in South Africa? We have to shift our thinking to adopt new principles on the ways in which we envision our future cities. What goes hand in hand with shifts in thinking is, of course, doing. A great example of not only future-thinking, but future-oriented doing, is the Cape Town inner city. While exemplary, there are still two key ingredients that are missing: liveability and innovation. While it may be true that Cape Town plays host to the highest concentration of entrepeneurs as a city in South Afri- ca, it certainly doesn’t cater to them in terms of infrastructure and liveability. We remain a car culture, ‘biggly’ thinking society, and it shows in the way we continue to develop. Our ef- forts to really put in place alternative transport, bike lanes etc. is not bold enough. They remain pilot projects, with fading green paint where bikers are supposed to ride. MyCity does not seem to reduce traffic issues yet in Cape Town, and in JHB we know their sys- tem is not yet optimized. These are good attempts, but these attempts will remain just attempts, un- less we get serious about putting citi- zens first in our urban centres as well. It is not only about mobility and trans- port, but all the factors of liveability together that will mean the difference between success and failure. The old highway is replaced by a “Green Belt’ that now con- nects citizens of the city, which leads to Boston’s Innovation District. What needs to change? Putting the South African urban cit- izen first! It’s a vital move, and has implications for the way in which we develop as an entire nation going for- ward, with the majority of people in our country living in cities now. We are at a critical juncture in the history of our country, whereby the collective mindset of South Africans could be described as fragmented. While many see this as a threat to their identities based on race or culture, the fact is, we all too often forget that we are all South Africans before we are a colour or race. It is, in fact, our differ- ences that make us so unique, and we have not even begun to define collec- tively who we are as “the South African urban citizen”. An important culprit is the slow response South African cities have shown in the rebirth of their own identities, from a separate development spatial planning legacy. This has resulted in our cities’ cores becoming degenerat- ed and run-down, and hardly the places they could be in terms of liveability or productivity. The good news is that our cities, and especially inner cities, still have the power to shape our new South African urban identities. Where does one even start? The first step is developing innovation districts in our urban centres, and at least getting liveability right at a precinct level. Con- centrating efforts into one urban node is not a bad idea, as it enhances success, and provides momentum for doing it again. The opportunity for developing liveable, sustainable, and innovative precincts or districts in South Africa exists now. The ingredients are there – it only requires willingness of citizens and the leaders of our cities to do it. For more information on innova- tion district development, please con- tact the author, Dr. Pieter van Heynin- gen, at [email protected] THE BIG QUESTIONS • Can we walk around easily in our cities; • Are they enjoyable places to visit; • Is there public transport and good mobility; • Are they inspirational, clean, safe and fun; • Can one live there, work there, and find likeminded people in the vicinity; • Is there access to modern amenities (like co-working spaces); • Are there public spaces like parks, art galleries, sidewalk cafés, bars, and good coffee shops.