INNER CITY
Bellville is the second metropolitan node of the City of Cape Town, and has significant potential to lead the City’ s efforts at stimulating a countercyclical post pandemic economic recovery, future growth and development. However, its potential is hindered by declining investor confidence resulting from urban blight associated with crime and grime, observed lawlessness, and ailing municipal infrastructure.
In response to this malaise, the City has initiated various initiatives aimed at arresting Bellville’ s decline. Recently, the Mayor announced the prioritisation of area stabilisation actions, which is being pursued on two fronts, namely: Precinct Management, and tactical urbanism initiatives of the City’ s local implementing partner, the Greater Tygerberg Partnership.
The City’ s efforts to stabilise the Bellville CBD is an important precursor to the implementation of the City’ s long-term spatial vision for the regeneration of the Bellville CBD. This long-term development vision
aims to build on the areas’ central location in the metropolitan area, and unique locational attributes, to unlock Bellville’ s latent potential through transit-oriented development( TOD) to leverage opportunities for greater investment and partnership.
Bellville continues to offer many positive attributes that could be harnessed and built upon.
These Include:
• it is an active commercial centre that attracts over 300,000 commuters daily;
• it is an established commercial, retail and industrial centre that services businesses from multinational corporates to small and medium-sized enterprises;
• it is a centre of academic excellence and a medical hub, hosting three of Africa’ s leading tertiary academic institutions;
• it is home to Cape Town’ s busiest public transport interchange;
• it is culturally and socially diverse; and
• it has well-established existing infrastructure.
SA Real Estate Investor Magazine NOV 2021 23