Located between Parliament and Plein streets, Spin Street is one of the shortest thoroughfares in the Cape Town CBD. But this one-block “stretch” recently became home to the realisation of a big idea.
As part of its ongoing revitalisation of the street's centre island, the Cape Town Central City Improvement District (CCID) started an urban garden in August. Conceptualised by the CCID's Urban Management department and planted by members of partner NGO Straatwerk, the garden has a variety of vegetables, which are free for any member of the public to pick.
We shared the image above on the CCID Facebook page on 2 September and it soon became the most popular of all our posts. It garnered 226 reactions (likes, loves and wows) and 287 individuals and organisations shared it.
The idea seems to have struck a chord with our community, with one of our Facebook followers noting: “This should become the norm throughout the city, including planting good yielding fruit trees in public places. Congrats on these initiatives.”
This is good news. And the even better news is that the Urban Management department was, in turn, inspired by the kudos. It has begun identifying other similar spaces in the Central City that could be foundations for more productive projects. It has also approached CCID Social Development partner Khulisa Social Solutions, which started the StreetScapes garden in Roeland Street, to lend its expertise.
Find out more about the CCID Urban Management department.
Meet Jesse Laitinen, manager of strategic partnerships at Khulisa Social Solutions.