In 2011 the City of Cape Town started the process of developing a Strategic Framework for a City Development Strategy (CDS), of which I was part of the consulting team.

The Strategic Framework was intended as a leadership statement, signalling the City’s intentions and plans for the future environment and economy, and the long-term sustainability of the city and its region.

Neither a strategy nor an implementation plan, instead the Framework gives direction to the development of the CDS, and provided an important starting point for engagement and discussion with city leaders and others around an eventual City Development Strategy for Cape Town. The Strategic Framework therefore includes:

• the principles underpinning the development of the Framework;
• the long-term vision for Cape Town, as well as
• key strategic focus areas for change, and
• a number of draft strategic thrusts and interventions.

As a result of this process, the City developed a draft vision to, ‘by 2040, turn Cape Town into one of the world’s greatest cities in which to live and learn, work, invest and discover – a place of possibility and innovation, with a diverse urban community and all the opportunities and amenities of city life, within a natural environment that supports economic vibrancy and inspires a sense of belonging in all.’