City scoops international urban design award
21 September 2019
The City of Cape Town’s Urban Sustainability Unit has won the 2019 Human City Design Award at a ceremony held in Korea.
The award recognises projects that contribute to a more harmonious and sustainable relationship between people, society, the environment, and nature. It is hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, in partnership with Human Cities Network, the World Design Organisation, the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (of which the City of Cape Town is a member) and the Korean Federation of Design Associations.
During a site visit to Dunoon on 20 September 2019, head of the award steering committee and CEO of the Korean Future Design Research Institute in Seoul, Professor SoonJong Lee, praised the City project team for a job well done.
“I am impressed, very impressed,” said Lee after a guided tour of the precinct, led by City officials Liezel Kruger-Fountain and Ashley Hemraj.
The municipality is trying to make a difference in the lives of the people here. They care for the citizens and want to bring about change. Something that comes through strongly is the love and warmth of the community, says Professor Lee
The Dunoon Learning and Innovation Precinct boasts a sports centre, which includes a skate park, and a state-of-the-art library, opened by Mayor Dan Plato in April 2019.
Speaking at the opening, Mayor Plato said that the library had the potential to become a centre for learning and resource excellence.
“I am so excited about this award and proud of the City officials who worked on this for over three years,” said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Marian Nieuwoudt.
“What makes this even more remarkable is that our project was designed and implemented by City professionals only. They have beaten entries from Italy, France, Finland, Indonesia, Korea, Thailand, China, Vietnam, and Singapore.”
By scooping this award, the City has received prize money to the value of approximately R1,2 million.
“The Learning and Innovation Precinct in Dunoon provides a blueprint for urban design in dense neighbourhoods. It demonstrates that it is possible to create a harmonious and sustainable relationship between the people and the urban environment; and that good design adds to the general well-being of the surrounding community. We will use the prize money to fund the next phase of the Dunoon project,” said Alderman Nieuwoudt.
