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Two Rivers Urban Park

A continuous urban landscape

Under the motto ‘From borders to bridges’ our team provides a vision for the TRUP area in which densification of the area is achieved by combining a multifunctional and accessible park area with a dense mixed urban configuration. At the same time, a park landscape is generated; not just of aesthetic value, it also offers qualities and attractions in support of and by the surrounding monosyllabic neighbourhoods. It offers prevention of flooding in the urban surroundings, a bio-based job economy for adjacent neighbourhoods, and a recreational spur to escape busy urban city life close to home. The densification of the TRUP offers an alternative to the problems resulting from the sprawl that characterises Cape Town’s growth pattern that all too often result in an entrenchment of its problems from traffic congestion and pollution to segregation and an unequal city.
The ’From borders to bridges’ urban landscape is therefore looked at as an intensified and productive land use, meanwhile establishing conditions for its broader surroundings to share in the development. The urban scale of the site prompted the design team to prepare responses at that scale. While it makes arguments and establishes principles that could be applied broadly across the city, it is a site specific response to its particular spatial, social and ecological nature.

Connectivity and accessibility
The nature of the site is one of exclusion where neighbourhoods are designed to be insular and the space between functions only as a barrier between them. Key to our strategy is the first step of providing numerous connections between functions and places. To generate accessibility and connection where separation and inaccessibility reign, we designed different scales of connection: the different existing neighbourhoods and functions are connected to each other, to the green area and also the city on the largest scale is logically connected to the green areas. Three different speeds are accommodated: that of the high speed from anywhere in town towards the park, of traffic between the surrounding neighbourhoods and of slow traffic (walking, cycling) through the park.

Quality of environment
The TRUP site is found at the point of convergence of the Black and Liesbeek Rivers, and therefore has a unique ecology, quality and environment. The dominant feature of the site is the intersection of the rivers with the surrounding adjacent landscape. However, the quality of water dramatically varies from river to river, while the water quality of the Black River is the most compromised. This poor water quality is mainly a consequence of the overflow of stormwater, open sewerage ditches into the river and polluted with street refuse. Our strategy to turn around the site is founded on the ability to improve management of water quality throughout the site and implement this into the larger riparian systems.

Diversity and density
Density has traditionally been measured by the number of people accommodated on a site represented in a ratio format. The prevailing narrative of good city making is that there is a density goal that will translate into better places. Our argument supports the notion that density is the appropriate intensity of use for any particular site. This includes intense functional use of many kinds, including functions not specifically intended to house people, like recreation and sports. A dense place therefore may not have many people residing on it and focuses on maximising qualitative and experiential opportunities in addition to traditional definitions.
The ecology of the site sets up the foundation for the spatial and morphological structure of the site. The functional overlay is driven by an attempt to build diversity over time. We propose an equal mix of social housing and market oriented housing projects where social housing opportunities are leveraged through the provision of additional development rights. Diversity is driven by the flexibility to interpret a rich variety of activity built into the fabric over time.
The model for development is a step-by-step approach where public incentives and investments evoke private initiatives and projects go hand in hand in each phase. With the existing activities in the TRUP area as a starting point, the first occupations of the area are set in motion, so that an incremental process of ‘opening up’ can take place in the coming period.

Participants
 dhk urban
 Japuka Architects and Urban Designers
 h+n+s Landschapsarchitecten
 Witteveen+Bos
 City of Cape Town Urban Planning Department
 Province of the Western Cape
 University of Cape Town



photo: Michelle Provoost



photo: Michelle Provoost



photo: Michelle Provoost



photo: Michelle Provoost



Two Rivers Urban Park (photo: Michelle Provoost)