An Investigation into the Adaptive Re-Use of Commercial Buildings in Satisfying the Demand for Residential in the Central Business District of Cape Town, South Africa, an Emerging Market by Michael Russell RSSMIC017 October 2018 A minor dissertation, prepared in partial fulfilment of the requirements University of Cape Town for the award of the Masters of Science in Property Studies Degree, Department of Construction Economics and Management, University of Cape Town Minor Dissertation – RSSMIC017 Page i 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 DECLARATION I know that plagiarism is wrong. Plagiarism is to use another’s work and pretend that it is one’s own. I have used the Harvard convention for citation and referencing. Each contribution to, and quotation in this report from the works of other people has been attributed, and has been cited and referenced. This report is my own work. I have not allowed, and will not allow, anyone to copy my work with the intention of passing it off as his or her own work. I acknowledge that copying someone else’s report, or part of it, is wrong, and I declare that this is my own work. NAME: Mike Russell STUDENT NUMBER: RSSMIC017 05 October 2018 Minor Dissertation – RSSMIC017 Page ii TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................... 11 1.1. Background to the Study ................................................................................................................... 11 1.2. Problem Area ..................................................................................................................................... 13 1.3. Research Question ............................................................................................................................. 13 1.4. Research Aim ..................................................................................................................................... 14 1.5. Research Proposition ......................................................................................................................... 14 1.6. Research Objectives .......................................................................................................................... 14 1.7. Research Methodology...................................................................................................................... 15 1.8. Limitations ......................................................................................................................................... 16 1.9. Structure of the Research Report ...................................................................................................... 16 2. CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................................................................................. 17 2.1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 17 2.2. BACKGROUND TO THE REVIEW ......................................................................................................... 20 2.3. THE URBANISATION OF THE WORLD ................................................................................................. 21 2.3.1. Trends in Urbanisation .............................................................................................................. 22 2.3.2. Urbanisation and South Africa .................................................................................................. 23 2.4. THE ROLE THAT CITIES PLAY .............................................................................................................. 25 2.4.1. The changing role of a Central Business District ....................................................................... 27 2.4.2. The importance of Residential Accommodation in Central Business Districts ......................... 28 2.4.3. The continued development of Central Business Districts........................................................ 29 2.5. THE ADAPTIVE REUSE OF BUILDINGS ................................................................................................ 31 2.5.1. The adaptation of existing buildings vs. demolition and new-build ......................................... 33 2.5.2. Global examples of when adaptive reuse of buildings occurs .................................................. 35 2.6. FACTORS THAT AFFECT THE ADAPTIVE CONVERSION OF BUILDINGS ............................................... 37 2.6.1. The prevailing vacancy in the office market .............................................................................. 39 2.6.2. Improved sustainability and lower carbon emissions ............................................................... 40 2.6.3. Traffic congestion in CBDs ......................................................................................................... 41 2.6.4. The Affordability of Accommodation in CBDs ........................................................................... 42 2.6.5. Feasibility of the conversion project and access to funding ..................................................... 43 2.6.6. Conversion costs are reliant on the design of existing buildings .............................................. 46 2.6.7. Incentives and planning schemes that improve feasibility for private developers ................... 47 2.6.8. Lack of support from the Economic / Political environment .................................................... 52 Minor Dissertation – RSSMIC017 Page iii 2.7. THE CAPE TOWN CENTRAL CITY ................................................................................................ 53 2.7.1. An Inclusionary Cape Town Central City.................................................................................... 55 2.8. CONCLUDING THOUGHTS ................................................................................................................. 57 3. CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................... 59 3.1.1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 59 3.1.2. Methodology ............................................................................................................................. 59 3.2. Research Methodology...................................................................................................................... 59 3.2.1. Justifications for a Qualitative Approach .................................................................................. 59 3.3. Research Methods ............................................................................................................................. 60 3.3.1. Overview .................................................................................................................................... 60 3.3.2. Case Studies ............................................................................................................................... 60 3.3.3. Interviews .................................................................................................................................. 61 3.3.4. Document Analysis .................................................................................................................... 63 3.3.5. Justification for a Case Study Approach Combined with Semi-Structured Interviews.............. 63 3.3.6. Research Design ........................................................................................................................ 65 3.4. Population & Sampling ...................................................................................................................... 65 3.4.1. Overview .................................................................................................................................... 65 3.4.2. Justification for Sampling Technique Employed ........................................................................ 66 3.4.3. Research Participants – The Case & The Interviewees .............................................................. 67 3.5. Data Quality ....................................................................................................................................... 67 3.5.1. Overview .................................................................................................................................... 67 3.5.2. Data Quality Applied .................................................................................................................. 69 3.5.3. Data Collection Process ............................................................................................................. 70 3.6. Data Analysis ..................................................................................................................................... 71 3.6.1. Overview ...................................................................................................................................