De Lille pushes ahead to ‘transform spatial planning’
OUTGOING mayor Patricia de Lille’s days in office might be numbered, but her plans to transform apartheid spatial planning coupled with social housing in the innerCity are set to continue.
The City announced yesterday that the it had plans to build social housing in rundown council-owned buildings in Parow that are attracting criminal elements. They are to be revamped and converted into affordable housing rental units.
De Lille also said a key intervention was for the City to decisively address apartheid spatial planning.
“It keeps the majority of our residents away from opportunities for jobs, good education and health care,” De Lille said.
She said the investment in MyCiTi was an example of how communities could be connected to economic opportunities.
“This is unlocking more opportunities for our residents. In 2011, MyCiTi provided just 3 million passenger journeys in its first year, and within five years we have seen 20 million passenger journeys,” she said.
But De Lille said challenges still existed with the City’s poor commuter rail system.
“Many of our challenges require the City to work with provincial and national government. In addition to building a better transport network and enabling economic opportunities through attracting investment and training, we are also delivering on our promise to provide housing to those most in need,” she said.
On the social housing project in Parow, City mayoral committee member for transport and urban development Brett Herron said the sites identified for development had been grouped into four sub-precincts, and were situated close to the railway stations at Parow, Tygerberg and Elsies River.
The units would be made available to families with a household income of between R1 500 and R15 000 a month.
“Local residents from Parow will benefit because it will halt the antisocial behaviour and crime and grime that are associated with these unused sites.
“The new investment will halt the further degeneration of the areas surrounding the stations, it will lure investment from the private sector that could regenerate the greater Parow area, and we could provide households with affordable rental units in complexes that are well-managed and conducive to family life,” Herron said.