SA Affordable Housing September / October 2017 // Issue: 66 | Page 29

FEATURES
The location of the development is
crucial to ensure that the community has
access to basic services.
“The more people who use our facilities, the safer they
become as users provide increased surveillance and
monitoring, which deters criminals,” says Smith.
To ensure that facilities do not decay, the parks are
cleaned regularly. ‘This includes cutting the grass, painting
where and when necessary. We ensure that parks are kept
clean and safe always. The most important aspects of
managing our parks are security and cleaning. The parks
are open to the public to use and AFHCO must ensure that
no one is excluded from using them because of cleanliness
and safety,’ adds AFHCO.
Providing adequate security is a challenge. ‘There are
many people who frequently use the public spaces for
various reasons and by ensuring that these spaces are used
in the correct way, the reinforcement of safety and security
measures is of high priority,’ states AFHCO.
THE FUTURE
An Eco Park in Soweto.
well as to ensure that its environmental conservation
function is carried out, which includes the maintenance of
all street and park trees within the city’s borders. It
currently has a growing portfolio exceeding 20 000ha of
green open spaces and 3.2 million trees in public spaces.
JCPZ has a list of what is and isn’t permitted in its public
spaces and parks and it enforces the by-laws of how these
facilities can be used.
AFHCO has been contracted to maintain and manage
parks in the inner city. ‘AFHCO was approached by the city
[of Joburg] and volunteered that – with the resources that
they have and knowledge of managing property – they
would be the best candidates to manage the parks on their
behalf. Also, AFHCO will sponsor the maintenance of the
parks as part of its CSI initiative and secure it for the safety
of residents and commuters,’ says AFHCO.
As parks are in the city where opportunistic crime
happens, security must always be a step ahead. ‘It is
essential in every child’s development that they should
play and grow, as children should, because this enhances
their learning and experience of life. If these parks are
neglected then children and people living and working in
the city do not have a recreational facility for their use,’
says AFHCO.
Alderman JP Smith, Mayoral Committee member for
Safety and Security and Social Services in the City of Cape
Town, says, “It is important to note that keeping our public
spaces and facilities safe is a shared effort and we need
residents to partner with us by reporting criminal activity
and faulty or damaged infrastructure, so that we can create
a safer environment for residents.”
MAINTAINING A PUBLIC FACILITY
Scores of people use state facilities and their safety and
security can be compromised. AFHCO says that security
plays a huge role in the upkeep of the facility. ‘Public
spaces are shared by people from different walks of life
and with different needs. Security is important to ensure
that people’s rights are not violated so they can feel free
to use public facilities with no exclusions.’
The City of Cape Town says that it is trying to build
safety into their designs for future community facilities.
The City of Cape Town says that it is looking at innovative
designs that provide clear sight lines between the facilities
and the surrounding neighbourhoods.
“In future, we will not consider building stand-alone
facilities but rather plan to cluster sports facilities,
libraries and community halls together to share security
and increase usage,” says Smith.
This is the form that the Manenberg park project will
take; it aims to upgrade Marico Park and link the park to
the Greens Sports Fields and develop a play park next to
the field. The project is expected to be completed by
July 2018.
The City of Cape Town’s Recreation and Parks
Department has made great progress in incorporating new
and innovative thinking into how it provides sport and
recreation facilities for the enjoyment of residents. The
roll-out of spray parks and synthetic pitches are two
examples of how creative and sustainable principles are
incorporated into the design of community facilities.
“A spray park is an area of about 200 to 400m² designed
for water play without any standing water. It consists of a
series of spray features that create a safe play environment
for children by means of different spray nozzles,”
says Smith.
The water is recirculated and treated through a water-
wise system like a swimming pool reticulation system. The
child-friendly surface is either concrete with a non-slip
finish or rubber matting, which means that children can
play in a safe environment. Cape Town’s spray parks are a
first for the country and they are a triumph for design-led
water recreation. The first six spray parks were built in
Scottsville, Nyanga, Ocean View, Khayelitsha, Valhalla Park
and Dunoon.
The roll-out of synthetic pitches in communities for
soccer and hockey is one of the department’s key
investments. The pitches have enabled the city to
successfully meet the ever-growing needs of the sporting
community.
“The roll-out of spray parks and artificial turfs forms
part of the City of Cape Town’s ongoing efforts to build
world-class community facilities in areas that previously
experienced under-investment. These new facilities
emphasise the importance of creativity and sustainability
in designing facilities which people love to visit,”
says Smith.
AFFORDABLE
SA HOUSING
SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2017
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