Transport Oriented Development

As the convener and technical lead of the TOD Technical Working Group, we designed and executed a rigorous, multi-criteria process to identify and prioritise catalytic TOD projects from a longlist of 27 City-owned properties.

Strategic Mandate Activation: Operationalised the approved Cape Town TOD Strategic Framework as the primary tool to guide land use planning and public investment, mandating its use in all City strategic reviews.

Analytical Project Assessment: Developed and applied a dual-lens assessment model combining:

Quantitative Data: The TOD Comprehensive (TODC) land use scenario to model optimal future development locations for jobs and housing.
Qualitative Criteria: Including implementation timeframes, support for mixed-use/income development, potential for economic trigger effects, nodal development leverage and bulk infrastructure unlocking.

Project Categorisation & Prioritisation: Classified projects into three strategic categories (Transit (T), Oriented (O), Development (D)) based on their relationship with existing or future public transport. This led to the selection of a Top 5 Priority Catalytic Projects:

T – Transit: Bellville/Paint City/PTI; Gallows Hills/Ebenezer/Three Anchor Bay
O – Oriented: Paardevlei; Foreshore Freeways
D – Development: Athlone Power Station

Detailed Project Scoping: Created comprehensive project information sheets for each priority project, defining development objectives, TOD emphasis, status, resources, and intended private sector partnership models.

Cape Town faced persistent spatial inequality and inefficient urban and rural form, exacerbated by a lack of coordinated, catalytic investment around public transport nodes. A portfolio of publicly owned development projects existed but was unprioritized, lacking a strategic framework to align them with the city's TOD objectives, maximise their transformative potential and leverage private sector investment effectively.

The Challenge

Our Role & Action

Transformed the TOD Strategic Framework from a policy document into an actionable investment pipeline, directing the City's catalytic capital towards the projects with the highest potential for spatial and economic transformation.

Provided a clear, evidence-based roadmap for public-private partnership and investment, specifying where City investment should lead as the catalyst and where City mechanisms should facilitate private-led investment.
Established a replicable model for TOD project prioritisation that balances data-driven modelling with strategic qualitative goals, ensuring investments are targeted, impactful, and aligned with the principles of inclusive, transit-oriented urban growth.