Development constraints in a growing city

The City of Cape Town has recently released the freshly approved Metropolitan Spatial Planning Framework. It a lengthy, and I am sure, costly tome describing the grand vision for development in our fair city. The crux of which is densification, resolving spatial injustice, and curbing urban sprawl.

Form the document it would appear that the key actions to be taken are:

? Revising and adapting master plans of utilities;

? Developing a prioritised Infrastructure Investment Programme to support the activation of the Urban Inner Core and the maintenance of the City’s built footprint;

? Prioritising, planning and implementing TOD precincts;

? Reviewing district plans to interpret the reviewed MSDF;

? Producing Social Facility Optimisation Plans;

? Reviewing and adapting the City’s housing plans;

? Developing a land acquisition strategy to include a section for transit accessible/well-located residential development;

? Initiating high level assessments and predictions on the future demand for industrial land;

? Supporting initiatives in the Voortrekker Road, Blue Downs and Metro South-East Integration Zone aimed at diversifying land use;

? Identifying underutilised opportunities to create special/destination places;

? Collaborating, and leading where applicable, in initiatives relating to emergency planning and urban growth management surrounding Koeberg and the Cape Town International Airport;

? Motivating for the continuation of Urban Development Zones under National Treasury Regulations and actively promote the incentive; and

? Executing the Freight Management Strategy.

As an architect focused on the commercial/ development market, I believe this to be a great policy that would strive to deal with the massive growth of our City and surrounds. Unfortunately, as seen on almost every project that checks the boxes of this policy, fear that it is all well meaning but toothless. 

The city has created toy, but has not provided the batteries. This framework is still controlled by the Cape Town Zoning Scheme and the endless lists of historical overlay and local policies. The effect of the tail wagging the dog is that almost every new development requires a departure of some form. Developments are increasingly under pressure from the market forces of demand, land costs, building costs, etc, and now more increasingly political pressure from socialist minded lobby groups. 

The City needs to grant more delegative authority to its planning officials instead of simply kicking the problem down the road to the Municipal Planning Tribunal. This Tribunal should be reserved for complex cases, not every single minor objection. Alternatively, the MPT needs to respond to the growth it appears to be committed to and hold these meetings on a more regular basis. The validity of objections should be challenged more vigorously and much earlier on in the process. No city is going to solve its growth challenges when relatively simple applications take 9-12 months in order to secure rights. The costs of these delays will also simply be passed on the the market. 

Certain aspects of the zoning scheme also need urgent revision. Areas highlighted for densification along active corridors, in a large number of cases are constrained by General Residential Zones. The setbacks of these zones need review as sloped setbacks are extremely liming and inefficient. Historical road widening schemes need to be addressed and removed, where appropriate, not dealt with when an application is received. Transport zones linked to the Road Widening should be reverted back to the adjacent zoning, not when the application is received. 

Parking requirements, again, need revision. The majority of sites in the city still require 2 parking bays per unit (even a bachelor). Let the market dictate the parking requirement and charge people to park on the street.

Local area policies are mostly completely outdated. Sites that are constrained by policies drafted 20 years ago and proposing height limits of 2 storeys along active development corridors the are now highlighted for densification. These 2 concepts, policy versus framework, must begin to align themselves.

In my view this new framework will only have relevance when the levers that control the development application process begin to align with it, which is currently not the case. Many of the planning officials in the City are highly skilled, competent professionals, who are working under severe strain trying to deal with demand. Unfortunately they are not being given the tools to keep up with a rapidly changing environment. When a legislative environment becomes too onerous, the market will naturally shrink, placing more pressure on our growth constraints.