Designing for the Cape Town CBD today is fundamentally different from how we designed as recently as a decade ago. This reflects a broader evolution in how we understand inner cities in an African context, where resilience, adaptability and active urban life matter as much as form and aesthetics.

A significant part of this change has been enabled by the groundwork laid by several organisations that have consistently invested in the CBD. The work of various City of Cape Town administrations, the Cape Town Central City Improvement District (CCID) which emerged from the Cape Town Partnership, the newly formed Mission for Inner City Cape Town, thinktanks like Young Urbanists and Our Future Cities, and initiatives like First Thursdays and Open Streets, among others, has shaped the conditions that allow the city to function and thrive. Their efforts have created a stable and attractive urban environment that supports both daily activity and long-term investment.

a positive trajectory
Cape Town stands apart as the only well-functioning CBD in South Africa. It remains a primary destination for business, residents and tourism, and continues to attract premium-grade commercial tenants. While other city centres have experienced capital flight and declining conditions, Cape Town has seen the opposite. Consistency of management and a clear commitment to public space, safety and urban activation have delivered a positive trajectory.

This is most visible at street level. The revitalisation of the streetscape has supported a strong day and night economy. The growth of a dynamic restaurant scene, combined with arts and culture initiatives such as First Thursdays, have brought sustained life into the CBD beyond office hours. Consider too the success of the Fan Walk during major sporting events, the colourful textures of the Cape Town Carnival, Cape Town Pride, and the musical buzz in Greenmarket Square during the Cape Town International Jazz Festival. This layered urban experience has strengthened Cape Town’s global positioning as a destination for events, investment and lifestyle.

That positioning has a direct impact on investor confidence. Developers respond to certainty and momentum, and the CBD has demonstrated both. There is a sense of optimism which continues to unlock new projects and encourage reinvestment in existing assets.

stitching precincts together
At dhk, we recognise that we have benefited hugely from this groundwork. It has allowed us to contribute meaningfully to the ongoing success of the CBD, and our own approach to design has evolved alongside the city. The Cape Town CBD hosts multiple dhk projects, including Harbour Edge, Icon, Portside, 35 Lower Long and The Rubik. Over the decades we have embraced a stronger emphasis on active ground floors that engage directly with the street, creating permeability and supporting pedestrian life. Buildings are also being shaped to contribute to the skyline, with crown elements that relate to the sky in a more deliberate way.

In urban design terms, one of the most important shifts has been the growing connection between the V&A Waterfront and the CBD. The Canal District and Battery Park are key examples of how this interface is being redefined. Together they connect a network of public and pedestrianised spaces that extend the inner-city experience and stitch previously separate precincts together. This is an important move towards a more integrated and walkable urban environment across the inner city as a whole.

safeguarding heritage
At the same time, there is a strong focus on safeguarding heritage. Adaptive reuse has become a critical tool in ensuring that historic structures remain relevant. Other dhk projects such as Mandela Rhodes Place, Taj Cape Town, Battery Park, Longkloof Precinct in Gardens, and the current reconstruction of City Park as a contemporary evolution of the former Christiaan Barnard Hospital, as well as other CBD developments that are accommodating existing structures, demonstrate how existing buildings can be reimagined to support contemporary uses while retaining their character.

This approach strengthens the identity of the CBD and reinforces a sense of continuity. It also offers a more sustainable development model, by preserving the embodied carbon of existing structures, which is essential as the development sector, and cities generally, grapple with the challenges of the climate crisis.

The CBD’s evolution is ongoing. Framed by mountain and ocean, Cape Town has the advantage of an extraordinary natural setting. The challenge is to ensure that future development responds to this context while continuing to support a functional, inclusive and economically viable CBD. There is still significant work to be done. Areas such as the East City, the Grand Parade and its interface with Cape Town Station, the Government garages in lower Gardens and parts of the Foreshore all present opportunities for further development. In conceptualising plans for these places, the City, developers, architects and public and private sector stakeholders together can make clear statements about Cape Town’s priorities, particularly in relation to inclusivity, accessibility and sustainability.

This requires continued collaboration and a shared commitment to maintaining and building a city that responds to change and adapts in ways that strengthen both its daily life and its long-term resilience.

This essay was first published in the Cape Town Central City Improvement District's (CCID) State of Cape Town Central City Report 2025 – A Year in Review launched on 29 July 2026.

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