Ilana Steenkamp URBAN DESIGN + PLANNING + ARCHITECTURE
Two Rivers Urban Park,
Cape Town
Two Rivers Urban Park ,
Cape Town
The Two Rivers Urban Park (TRUP) is located at the confluence of the Saltriver and Black River in Cape Town. The TRUP tender was initiated as a programme led by the City of Cape Town Municipality (CoCT) and the Western Cape Government (WCG).
Surrounded by different neighbourhoods with differing socio-economic and demographic characteristics, this 300ha area has the potential to serve as a link between neighbourhoods, instead of a divider. In doing so it can aid in undoing the Apartheid Planning legacy of the city and build towards a more inclusive city structure. Bisected by highways, railways, waterways and wetlands, the area has served as a buffer-zone, creating a divide between communities and restricting interaction. Considering the Two-Rivers Urban Park as a junction between any diverse areas, the park can become a space of interaction and positive social transformation,
The area is home to the The Oude-Molen Eco Village, The SA Astronomical Society, The Valkenberg Psychiatric Ward and the Maitland Garden Village and is served by 7 railway stations that surround the area.
The project involved a reassessment of a previous frameworks, and gathering of specialist studies, an extensive Public Participation Process. During the initial 6 months of the project, 10 workshops were held in locations across the site where community members were invited to participate, share their desires for the space. Various stakeholders and commuinty organisations were asked to present their work and were involved in Co-Design Workshops, Design Scenario Construction and initial draft framework for the site, through a highly iterative process.
