Changes in Urban Lifestyle and Culture As Compact Developments Emerge on Cape Town’S Public Transport Corridors
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Realising the density dividend?ty of Cape Town Changes in urban lifestyle and culture as compact developments emerge on Cape Town’s public transport corridors. Katharine McKenzieniversi U 60-credit Minor Dissertation Master of Philosophy specialising in Transport Studies, Centre for Transport Studies, Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineer- ing and the Built Environment, University of Cape Town June 2017 Supervisor: A/Prof Roger Behrens The copyright of this thesis vests in the author. No quotation from it or information derived from it is to be published without full acknowledgement of the source. The thesis is to be used for private study or non- commercial research purposes only. Published by the University of Cape Town (UCT) in terms of the non-exclusive license granted to UCT by the author. University of Cape Town I know the meaning of plagiarism and declare that all the work in the document, save for that which is properly acknowledged, is my own. This thesis/dissertation has been submitted to the Turnitin module (or equivalent similarity and originality checking software) and I confirm that my supervisor has seen my report and any concerns revealed by such have been resolved with my supervisor. Katharine Mary McKenzie MCKKT007 1 Abstract Local planning reform has facilitated the development of some higher density residential and mixed-use development on Cape Town’s transport corridors, laying the basis for more efficient and sustainable life- styles in areas of the city served by public transport and paratransit services. The research aims to explore the lifestyle changes that these new denser developments, viewed as a form of nascent transit-oriented development (TOD), have ushered in and their potential to contribute to the creation of inclusive urban communities. The research explores this through the development of four qualitative case studies, each in a different part of the city, with different transport and urban features. The case studies each focus on relatively new multi-storey residential developments exploring the intentions of the developers in relation to their target markets, as well as the lived experience of the residents of these developments. The key findings are that in areas with the features, services and amenities associated with transit-ori- ented development, residents are embracing new urban lifestyles based on walking and public transport use. Barriers to this include the failure of public transport, particularly the rail system, to adhere to exist- ing timetables and service levels, or to expand these beyond the traditional weekday peak service. The research concludes that in well-located developments on public transport corridors with good urban management, behaviour change on the part of residents can be observed. This shift to more sustainable lifestyles will be bolstered by further improvements in the provision of public transport services, non- motorised transport infrastructure and paratransit services, as well as the strategic management of parking policy and practice to support TOD lifestyles. 2 Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................... 2 1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 6 2 Research method .................................................................................................................................. 9 2.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 9 2.2 Case selection ............................................................................................................................... 9 2.3 Data collection ............................................................................................................................ 12 2.4 Data analysis ............................................................................................................................... 13 2.5 Limitations................................................................................................................................... 13 3 Literature ............................................................................................................................................ 15 3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 15 3.2 The origin and definition of transit-oriented development ....................................................... 16 3.2.1 Defining transit-oriented development .............................................................................. 18 3.2.2 Density ................................................................................................................................ 19 3.2.3 Bus transit-oriented development ...................................................................................... 20 3.3 Role players in transit-oriented development ............................................................................ 21 3.3.1 The public sector ................................................................................................................. 21 3.3.2 Developers .......................................................................................................................... 22 3.3.3 Residents ............................................................................................................................. 22 3.4 Transit-oriented development and the inclusive city ................................................................. 24 3.5 Parking and transit-oriented development ................................................................................ 24 3.5.1 City parking policy in Cape Town ........................................................................................ 28 3.6 Measuring the success of transit-oriented development ........................................................... 29 3.7 Summary and conclusion ............................................................................................................ 31 4 Case studies ........................................................................................................................................ 35 4.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 35 4.2 Church Square House, central Cape Town .................................................................................. 36 4.2.1 The development and its context ....................................................................................... 36 4.2.2 Local features of transit-oriented development ................................................................. 38 4.2.3 Parking ................................................................................................................................ 39 4.2.4 Behaviour ............................................................................................................................ 40 4.2.5 Walkability .......................................................................................................................... 41 4.2.6 Cycling ................................................................................................................................. 42 3 4.2.7 Insights from Church Square House .................................................................................... 43 4.3 Grand Central, Wynberg ............................................................................................................. 44 4.3.1 The development and its context ....................................................................................... 44 4.3.2 Local features of transit-oriented development ................................................................. 49 4.3.3 Parking ................................................................................................................................ 51 4.3.4 Behaviour ............................................................................................................................ 53 4.3.5 Walkability .......................................................................................................................... 54 4.3.6 Cycling ................................................................................................................................. 54 4.3.7 Insights from Grand Central ................................................................................................ 54 4.4 IHS residential developments, Parklands.................................................................................... 55 4.4.1 The developments and their context .................................................................................. 55 4.4.2 Local features of transit-oriented development ................................................................. 59 4.4.3 Parking ................................................................................................................................ 62 4.4.4 Behaviour ............................................................................................................................ 62 4.4.5 Walkability .........................................................................................................................