In an attempt to show it’s innovative design potential, just one year ahead of when we are supposed to be the World Design Capital, the City of Cape Town entered the PLAYscapes competition- which saw various cities around the world competing for the most creative and restorative use of space through design.

The City proposed a skatepark to be built beneath an old, unused underpass in Mill Street, Gardens. The proposal and subsequent design plans won the competition, thanks to the Cape Town’s Urban Design Departments “intelligent re-use of space, transforming an under-used underpass into a community-led skate park”.

Though Cape Town has a higher number of formal and informal skating areas than most cities in SA, it’s nice to see this stuff being purposely implemented and community-driven.  Why we had to wait for a competition to come along before doing this, seems a bit wrong though.

[Source : The City of Cape Town]