A community in trouble? The impact of gentrification on the Bo-Kaap, Cape Town

Bibliographic Data

ID19401334
AuthorsNICO KOTZE (0000-0003-1218-7004, corresponding author)
Year2013
Volume24
Issue2
Pages124-132
Publication date2013-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueUrbani izziv (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0353-6483 • E-ISSN: 1855-8399
PublisherUrban Planning Institute of the Republic of Slovenia (PUBLISHER • SI)
DOI10.5379/urbani-izziv-en-2013-24-02-004
OpenAlexW2333616752
LanguageEN
Citations received15
References cited27

The Bo-Kaap is an older inner-city, working-class neighbourhood in Cape Town, South Africa. By the 1930s, the area had degenerated into an overcrowded and run-down neighbourhood, consisting largely of dilapidated houses, but by 1941 about 150 housing units had been expropriated by the local authority for redevelopment in a comprehensive renewal scheme for the area. However, the process was halted with the formation of the so-called "Group for the Preservation of the Malay Quarter", which fought against the demolition of the houses. At present, the area with its colourful housing units and 11 mosques is part of Cape Town's cultural heritage and a very im-portant tourist attraction. As in the case of De Waterkant, a gentrified neighbourhood adjacent to it, the area has seen a large number of housing units renovated and upgraded. Property prices have increased dramatically, although they are still relatively low, while the number of properties sold is also on the rise -so much so that the community leaders and especially the Muslim residents are in a constant battle to preserve the neighbourhood's cultural identity

Archaeology · Cape · Civil engineering · Environmental planning · Gentrification · Geography · Engineering · Legal Issues in South Africa · Local Economic Development and Planning · Urban and Rural Development Challenges

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access