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GREENING CAPE TOWN’S EVENTS SCENE
Tim Tompkins, president of the Times Square Alliance, in the Central City.
INTER-CITY EXCHANGE: LESSONS IN PUBLIC SPACE FROM TIMES SQUARE Healthy public space is not only used in a variety of ways by a diverse range of people, it also tells a multi-faceted story of the past and present. This was just one of the insights arising from the debates and discussions during Times Square Alliance president Tim Tompkins’s visit to Cape Town during July this year – the visit itself a collaboration between Cape Town Partnership, the CCID and the City of Cape Town, and an example of the power of an inter-city exchange. Over the course of five days, Tim was given the opportunity to explore a number of different faces of Cape Town, from a walking tour of the Central City to a visit to Langa and Gugulethu. Along the way he shared the history and success of the Times Square Alliance, an organisation dedicated to keeping New York’s iconic Times Square “clean, safe and fun”. Tim’s visit proved to be a catalyst for debate about the effective use of public space in Cape Town, encouraging a wide range of individuals from both the public and private spheres to join in the conversation around how best to harness the enormous potential of Cape Town’s public spaces. According to Tim, attention to detail, consistency and engaging with all stakeholders in order to build communities are some of the most effective ways
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that the Alliance has found to implement lasting and positive change. In the case of Cape Town, Tim lauded the work that the CCID does, saying that this on-the-ground approach was the foundation of positive change. “Supporting micro-attention to detail on the street is paramount. This is what people respond to daily.” Engaging with all stakeholders to build communities is equally important. “Speak with people,” Tim urged. “Engage with them on the grounds of their social and economic interests.” Lastly, the point that Tim underscored most heavily was the need for consistency. “Reaching a critical mass is vital. Very large interventions or interventions with no follow up and management will not result in success.” When asked what he would take away from his visit to Cape Town, Tim was enthusiastic about the future of the city, saying, “I’ve been overwhelmed by the energy of the people from the city, the CCID, the Partnership – by their commitment to fight the battle, not just for neighbourhoods, but for the soul of the city. Public space has always been about the alchemy of urban life, the friction and the tension that makes it work. During my trip to Cape Town I’ve taken inspiration from the large and the small.” The visit formed the basis of a public space think tank made up of city and Cape Town Partnership officials, and inspired the focus of Creative Week Cape Town 2012: unlocking and reimagining our city’s public spaces through the creative industries.
Public space has always been about the alchemy of urban life, the friction and the tension that makes it work.
SNAPSHOT OF CREATIVE WEEK 2011/2012 • Over 100 Creative Week events held in 2011 (more than three times that in 2010). • Over 150 Creative Week events held in 2012. • More than R2.7-million worth of media exposure achieved in 2012. www.creativeweekct.co.za
Cape Town continues to excel as an event host city, with a number of headline events bringing an influx of people and capital into the Central City. In the last year the Cape Town International Jazz Festival and the Design Indaba Expo each attracted 38 000 people, while Decorex and the Good Food and Wine Show enjoyed attendance figures of 40 000 and 35 000 people respectively. In addition, a number of successful events and concerts were held at the Cape Town Stadium. Not only do these major events make a significant economic contribution to the city, but they also play an important role as ambassadors for Cape Town, both within South Africa and abroad. Better yet, through the concerted efforts of both the private and public sectors, Cape Town is becoming a more sustainable events city, through the provision of relevant public transport and a safe environment in which people feel comfortable walking, together with the activation of the public spaces connecting key venues, such as the Fan Walk. The location of large environmentally minded events – such as the Green Buildings Council of South Africa convention and the Sustain our Africa summit – in the Central City, coupled with localised, ecoactivist events like Critical Mass and Moonlight Mass, help to set Cape Town on the path to a more sustainable future.
Above: Crowds gather for a concert on Greenmarket Square, as part of the Cape Town International Jazz Festival.
OPENING UP THE CITY THROUGH CREATIVITY Inspired by Tim Tompkins’s visit and his presentations on how the creative arts have been used to re-energise Times Square, Creative Cape Town decided to take its annual Creative Week celebration outdoors and into the city streets. A usergenerated series of events held from 15 to 23 September 2012, Creative Week became an opportunity to collaborate with other creative happenings taking place in Cape Town during the month of September – such as the Loeries, Open Book and Architecture ZA Biennial – by activating the spaces (in time and place) in between key events. Creative Cape Town, with
the support of its 10 000-strong Facebook support base as well as key partners like The Fringe and the City of Cape Town, facilitated street art exhibitions and creative gatherings to entertain and delight festival-goers and citizens alike. The theme of Creative Week was to celebrate the opportunities we have to enhance the use of public spaces – by using them for creative pursuits. This year’s festival built on the success of Creative Week 2011, which saw creativity celebrated through events as diverse as a graffiti walking tour through the streets of Cape Town, the launch of City Hall Sessions, and the transformation of urban parking spots into mini parklets.
Proudly South African dancers take part in the 2012 Cape Town Carnival celebrations in the Central City.
R690-MILLION EXTENSION FOR THE CTICC The Cape Town International Convention Centre is one of Cape Town Central City’s most glittering success stories. To date it has already created over 60 000 jobs and ensured that Cape Town is responsible for 50% of the market share for conferences held in Africa. What’s more, the CTICC already has over 850 conferences booked up until 2020. To ensure that the CTICC retains its place as one of Africa’s premier convention venues, the centre is investing in a R690-million environmentally friendly extension that will double its conference hosting capacity, adding an additional 10 000 square metres of new convention space, retail opportunities, a hospital, hotel and new office tower. The extension will also act as a catalyst for greater Foreshore investment and better connect to the rest of the city by creating a more pedestrian-friendly space.
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