Cape Town’s CBD is an accessible and popular pedestrian zone for residents, office workers and visitors so in November 2014, The Cape Town Partnership announced that they would be facilitating the development of a City Walk; a community placemaking project and storytelling route through the heart of urban Cape Town to enhance this experience.
Starting in the Company’s Gardens, continuing down St George’s Mall to Waterkant Street, and progressing up the Fan Walk to St Andrew’s Square, the City Walk connects significant places and offerings at the core of Cape Town’s city life.
The route will be delineated through way-finding signs and supporter decals and will feature public art, walking tours and retail offerings to bring these public spaces to life.
The Cape Town City Walk will seek similar energy to that which ignited happenings such as First Thursdays, Moonlight Mass and Open Streets; giving the citizens of the city a platform through which they can participate and contribute. Unlike these events, the City Walk Cape Town is not limited to a specific date and time but it will be activated for the monthly City Walk Saturday when the public will be invited to come and celebrate their city.
Says Cape Town Partnership CEO, Bulelwa Makalima-Ngewana; “The Cape Town City Walk is not a complete work, nor does it belong to the Cape Town Partnership, we are just initiating and activating the idea. The streets of a city are the ultimate public unifier; the base unit of public space that belongs to every single citizen. We recognize that Cape Town still often presents its history in ways that many of its citizens don’t recognise as their own. The City Walk will see us surfacing the different storylines to create a more inclusive city, acknowledging the important role that history and memory plays in the life of our city and will help citizens to find spaces to share their own stories and interact with each other.”
Capetonians and visitors will be able to experience the City Walk in a number of ways:
WALKING TOURS
There are several guided walks through the city by tour guides. Some of them are free of charge. The facilitators of these tours have recognised the City Walk and will be including perspectives of the walk on their tours.
The Cape Town Partnership will also be developing a self-guided audio tour for download and will encourage other vested parties to do the same.
MAPS
Clearly designed, informative maps will be placed at retailers, restaurants and points of interest all along the route, as well as at Cape Town Tourism.
WAY-FINDING MARKINGS
Businesses along the route can collect free supporter branding from the Cape Town Partnership but will also be encouraged to come up with concepts that will add to the experience of the City Walk.