KHAYELITSHA RE- DEVELOPMENT BLUEPRINT – Arthur Pickering 5b
Introduction
Khayelitsha is located in West Cape Town, bordering False Bay, and to the south-west of the Central Business District. and it is the largest ‘township’ (squatter settlement) in South Africa, and one of the fastest growing in the world. With a population of c. 400,000 people, and with an area of just 15 miles2, it has a population density of 26,000 people per square kilometre, a very high density for even an urban environment. Khayelitsha has a very good infrastructure for a squatter settlement, with three metro stations in the settlement, and a bus route linking the settlement to the centre of Cape Town, as well as 37 primary schools and 21 secondary schools. At the moment, the beach on Monwabisi, which is the largest beach in Khayelitsha, is a rough beach because of a failed project to make the beach calmer than it already was. In fact, all calming the beach consists of is removing an artificial wall causing waves to become choppy. Overall, Khayelitsha has good scope for red-development because it is in a BRIC nation, which means that the public infrastructure is far more developed than it would be in other squatter settlements, as well as being in one of the most important cities on its continent, so that business flock to this centre, as it is desirable and is a good focal point for any businesses that wish to set up outposts or headquarters in the area. Furthermore, Khayelitsha also has a thriving tourist industry, set up for those who want to experience life in Khayelitsha, and in doing so, promote the overall development of Khayelitsha. Therefore, Khayelitsha shall be able to benefit from the planned hotel, yet there shall be the added attractiveness of the redevelopment, and the huge swing in fortune for the residents of Khayelitsha.
QUALITY OF LIFE
While the quality of life in Khayelitsha may be higher than the quality of life in many other squatter settlements around the world, it is still considerably lower than what should be acceptable for an urban area in a BRIC country. The vast majority of the houses are self-made, out of corrugated metal and timber, and some don’t even have basic utilities like water and electricity. In the more established parts of town, much like other townships in South Africa like Soweto, and other squatter settlements further afield, like Roçinha in Rio de Janeiro, there is running water, the houses are connected to the national grid, and the houses are also more permanent. However, this isn’t enough. These facilities available to the people living in these houses may be functional, however they are of high enough quality to be viable for use elsewhere but in these squatter settlements. This therefore means that the people of Khayelitsha live in conditions that are simply not acceptable in the 21st century, and something needs to be done about it. The main negatives of living in a squatter settlement like Khayelitsha are, as already outlined, the lack of home security, the lack of secure utilities, and the cramped and dirty nature of these houses: in most of the settlement, there is no sewage, so the organic waste is chucked onto the streets, and left there to rot and attract flies. Furthermore, crime is prevalent; Khayelitsha has one of the highest murder rates in a country with one of the highest murder rates in the world. This is probably due to the lack of policing and emergency services, because there is little to no police presence in Khayelitsha. Furthermore, there is no fire or ambulance service that can easily reach those living in Khayelitsha, so injury is common, as well as fires that may destroy multiple houses at a time. The hygiene is also bad, because animals roam around the dirty streets, and are then killed for meat, and eaten. However, there are small positives to living in a settlement like this: there is greater sense of community spirit, and those who live there are more connected with the nomadic presence of our ancestors, therefore they are not diluted by the consumerism of today’s world. sHowever, these are small gains, and are worth losing to make up for the huge benefits that come as a result of this redevelopment.
PROPOSAL
The proposal is to have a completely new, rejuvenated settlement, rehousing all the current inhabitants of the squatter settlement into new, more permanent settlements, at minimal cost, primarily in medium-rise apartment blocks along the coast, as well as averagely heighted buildings as one gets closer to the mountains. The main aim of the redevelopment is to house the inhabitants in more permanent settlements, with the space available to them of less importance. Ergo, the ethos of safety & security before luxuries comes into play in this proposed redevelopment. The city shall be primarily designed as a sectorial civilisation, with different areas having different primary uses. This is so utilities, such as gas, water, sanitation etc. can be centred on the points that need them the most, in a hub and spoke model, to minimise costs. The Beachfront area, complete with 10 high-rise tower blocks, park, covered market, a state of the art hospital, two nursery schools, four primary schools and three secondary schools, resort hotel and sandy beach, is perfect for recreational use for both residents and tourists, as well as boosting the economy, because of the increased employment opportunities available due to the huge amount of shops and restaurants that spring up around beaches, as well as the covered market and the hotel. Schools in the area shall be equipped with a sports hall, two computer rooms and a playground. All schemes shall be provided by the government, however the pay from the residents to live in the accommodation, and the revenue from the shopping mall and hotel shall make up for the cost of the project over time. Beachfront High-Rise – These high-rise apartments are the most expensive houses, costing approximately £45,000 for a 3-bedroom apartment, which is either divided up into rents from the government, or bought outright. Designed with efficient space use in mind, each one is 120m tall, and 30m wide, allowing for 40 floors. This therefore means that there are, in each tower block, 273 3-bedroom apartments, each designed to house nine people. However, because the new development is sustainable, it is important to focus on renewable energy to therefore make the city as self-sufficient as possible. Therefore, there is, on top of each tower block, a roof farm with, in the middle, a 20m wind turbine, elevating the height of the building to 140m. Because each tower block houses a huge 2457 people, it is only necessary to have 41 to house 100,000 people. However, because of the increased cost of this apartment style, there are only 10 of these high-rise apartment blocks, which still allows 21570 people to be housed in 2397 apartments. The costs shall be kept down by using a modular construction system from BSB consortium in China, which shall allow a 40-storey skyscraper to be built for a fraction of the cost and in a fraction of the time of an apartment block built conventionally. These skyscrapers serve the purpose of making the area more attractive and beautiful, while managing to house people in more comfortable apartments. Mid-Rise Apartment Blocks – These apartment blocks are considerably cheaper, with an outright cost of £25,000 but still come with a premium over the basic housing. They shall be built using the aforementioned techniques, but shall only take up 25 floors, over 75m. The tower shall be 25m wide. Again, on the top of each building, there shall be a roof farm. Each apartment shall be a two-bedroom apartment, however, it shall be designed to house only six people, and there shall be 5 apartments per floor. This therefore allows for 125 apartments in each tower,
therefore housing 750 people. Because 45 of these buildings shall be built, 33,750 shall be able to be housed in each of these tower blocks. These tower blocks serve the purpose of housing people in comfortable apartments, yet in dense population. Average, 4-floor apartments – These are the cheapest apartments available, at a cost of £10,000 per apartment, although they are only four floors tall, they are 30m wide, therefore allowing six 3-bedroom apartments, housing nine people, to be built on each floor, so there are therefore 24 of these apartments per building. This means that each building shall house 216 people. These buildings shall be closely packed together, only separated by streets, with no garden space on the ground. However, there is, once again, a roof farm on top of each building, however, there shall be no wind turbine to keep the costs to a minimum. There are therefore 1500 apartment blocks, housing 324000 people. This therefore accounts for the whole population of Khayelitsha, while allowing for a future influx of up to 100,000 people. These tower blocks form the bulk of the accommodation, and are basic, yet they have amenities that were not available before: sewage, clean water and legal electricity, to name a few. Infrastructure – The transport infrastructure of Khayelitsha, as aforementioned is very good already, as it has access to 3 metro stations serving the Cape Town metro, with good connections to the city centre. Therefore, little expensive work is needed on infrastructure. However, a cheap bus route between the beachfront of the new development, the other areas of the redevelopment, and the city centre of Cape Town. In terms of health, the main sources of healthcare shall be the two hospitals with ambulance facilities, in addition and advanced medical infrastructure, e.g. MRI scanners, incubators etc., situated on opposite sides of the settlement. The settlement shall finally be linked up to the 24-hour ambulance system in entirety, so that the houses might be able receive the optimal healthcare. Similarly, the settlement shall get a new
police and fire station to provide similar control of crime and to prevent mass damage from fire. Furthermore, all of the high-rise and mid-rise blocks shall have security from 7am to 7pm. Industrial Area – On the western edge of the settlement, there is a large area dedicated to industry. Cape Town is a large manufacturing centre, focussed on bringing products to most of Sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, this area shall be designed with manufacture of products such as Johnson & Johnson, and GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals, Bokomo Foods, a multinational food corporation, and Levi Strauss and Adidas clothing. The companies shall be attracted to this area specifically because of its huge population ready to work for any sum of money. Furthermore, there shall be tax benefits to the relocation of each factory into this industrial area. Vertical Farm – The Centrepiece of the whole industrial area shall be a Despommier Skyscraper, at a height of 160m designed with the sole purpose of farming. Energy shall be sourced primarily from three integrated wind turbines at the top of the skyscraper, as well as a small amount of energy from a coal generator in the nearby industrial area. Although the project is expensive, it is worth it, because it can act as a showcase for the rest of South Africa, and the more global picture, on how to turn an area infamous for its low quality of life completely around, making it a city open for
huge future development. Sustainability – This settlement strives to be a sustainable one by being as self-sufficient as possible. In the industrial area, there are coal generators, as well as wind turbines on top of all factories and skyscrapers. Furthermore, the Despommier skyscraper is a showcase for what can happen in the future for new levels of sustainable farming in an urban environment. The economy shall be sustained by the industrial area, and its attractiveness to manufacturing companies. In terms of other sources of income, on the beachfront, there shall be a huge tourist complex, with hotels, cinemas, playgrounds, parks, a zoo, an adventure park, as well as, of course, a beach designed for tourism and the ultimate relaxation during the long South African summer. All waste that can be recycled shall be, in large plants in the industrial area, and the majority shall go back into the community after it has been recycled. Furthermore, within each home, to keep energy efficient, most hot water is solar-powered, and all windows are double-glazed. Construction – The construction shall be done in phases, so as not to force relocation en masse of those in the areas that need to be vacated for new construction. Those who do need to be relocated shall move into temporary accommodation in the uninhabited wasteland in Electric City nearby, as well as the uninhabited areas to the east of Khayelitsha along the coast. First, the mid-rise apartment blocks shall be constructed, and then the bulk of the average apartment blocks, and finally all the factories. All the while this is happening, the development of the beachfront and the Despommier skyscraper shall occur. Aim – The overall aim of this project is to bring security to those living in the area to live in permanent, secure accommodation with legal, reliable utilities, while making the settlement as self-sufficient and sustainable as possible, as well as providing a huge economic boost to those living in the area. As an added bonus, the redevelopment shall hopefully become an inspiration for other areas that are in need of redevelopment, like Dharavi in India and Kibera
in Nairobi.