City Development Strategy
SDI & GIS
Strategy & Planning
City Development Strategy (CDS)
Background information and process going forward
A City Development Strategy: What is it and why does Cape Town need one?
A City Development Strategy (CDS) is a strategic tool that has been developed and
used by cities in South Africa and around the world to create a long-term vision to
support and direct growth. It is uniquely developed and sustained through public
engagement in order to create a collective vision that paves the way for a better
future envisioned by the city’s leaders and residents.
A City Development Strategy (CDS) includes an over-arching long-term collective
vision, strategic levers and strategies and the identification of possible targeted
interventions. Using the CDS, key stakeholders, both inside and outside of city
government, act with deliberate intent and move forward in a consistent, deliberate
direction in pursuit of the collective vision.
The goals of a CDS include the development of a collective city vision and action
plan to increase investments to expand employment and services, and systematic
and sustained programmes to reduce poverty and to improve governance and
management.
Many developing cities, Cape Town included, face a challenging future unless better
strategising, incorporating long-term forward planning and foresight, becomes the
norm. Resilience is becoming as important as competitiveness in urban
performance.
Although a City is expected to lead the process, local ownership and inclusion is
essential. By involving a broad range of stakeholders to input to the long term vision
and strategy, this inclusion should inspire and motivate collective action.
Collective action by a wide range of stakeholders within their respective areas of
responsibility will also involve cross cutting interventions and most often, difficult
choices.
A CDS assists to drive Cape Town and its residents towards a prosperous future. It
is expected that a longer term focus and direction, a collective vision, a clear long
term strategy and plan – supported by new partnerships and outcomes will take
Cape Town from its current position to a more sustainable future.
CDS for Cape Town 2040 – Work done to date: 2010 / 11
In 2010, the City of Cape Town started a process to create a vision and strategy for
a long term plan for the City of Cape Town. A Mayoral Sub Committee and Task
Group, chaired by the Executive Councillor for Strategy and Planning prepared a
draft Strategic Framework for a CDS for Cape Town.
Using the draft strategic framework for a CDS as a starting point, the City of Cape
Town engaged late in 2010 with targeted city leaders, from business, academia and
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City Development Strategy
SDI & GIS
Strategy & Planning
professional bodies, to gather initial feedback and inputs. The result was the refined
document: A draft Strategic Framework for a CDS for Cape Town 2040 which was
presented to Strategic Mayco in April 2011. It was recommended that the refined
document form part of the handover process and documents for consideration by the
new Mayor, post the 2011 local government elections.
CDS for Cape Town 2040 – Alignment with Western Cape Government (WCG)
Future Cape 2040 and the Economic Development Partnership (EDP)
The CDS project team have also been working closely at aligning with the Western
Cape Government Future Cape 2040, which is a process for a vision and brand for
the Western Cape Province. This process is being managed through the newly
formed Economic Development Partnership.
CDS for Cape Town 2040: Way Forward January 2012 – June 2012
A way forward for the CDS for Cape Town 2040 was proposed and approved by the
Executive Mayor in November 2011, including a governance proposal and process
plan.
The main steps in the City of Cape Town CDS process and indicative timeframes are
summarised as follows:
January – February 2012: Step 1: Planning and preparation
February 2012:
Step 2: Context and Vision framework
February – April 2012
Step 3: Vision development through stakeholder
engagement
May 2012:
Step 4: Vision and strategy framework
June 2012:
Step 5: A draft CDS for Cape Town – Cape Town 2040 which includes a proposed draft vision and strategy with
some draft City and sectoral interventions
Post June:
July 2012 onwards:
Step 6 &7: This includes a broader public engagement for
the consideration of the daft vision and strategy
Once confirmed, an implementation plan is expected to
be prepared for the identified interventions and the
monitoring and evaluation thereof
In January 2012 a service provider was appointed by the City of Cape Town to
facilitate and develop a long term vision and strategy for Cape Town 2040.
The process for the implementation of steps 1 – 5 of the approved CDS process plan
for January / February – June 2012, involves four broad workstreams:
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City Development Strategy
SDI & GIS
Strategy & Planning
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a stakeholder engagement process that includes interactions with the
neighbouring municipalities
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a communications process
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a content building process
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an overall project plan and process management
The workstreams are being managed by the service provider’s team of experts
working closely together with the CDS project team, guided by the Executive
leadership and a City of Cape Town CDS Task Team as per the CDS project
governance.
There will also continue to be close interaction and alignment with the WCG Future
Cape 2040 process.
Follow Cape Town 2040 via:
Web: http://CapeTown2040.capetown.gov.za
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