Rashiq Fataar

The #cocreateDESIGN FESTIVAL is collaborative public design festival that seeks to celebrate and examine the power of design as a solution driven process for innovation and problem solving to address current socio-economic and environmental challenges. Our Future Cities curated and developed the programme of speakers, installations, films and supported the overall project communication.

One of Durban’s landmark streets, Florida Road attracts locals and visitors alike with its vibrant food and bar scene all located in a safe environment.

Future Durban was commissioned to conduct a study of potential opportunities to improve the street and its surrounding spaces and buildings. We produced a report that made 10 key recommendations for improving the road to be more vibrant, inclusive, and pedestrian friendly.

Cape Town is becoming increasingly crippled by growing traffic congestion, and the city-region is in need of innovative solutions to solve this.

The Transport Project Office is an initiative led by the business think-tank Accelerate Cape Town and operated in partnership by Future Cape Town. Its purpose is to co-ordinate corporate leadership and action in relation to the transport challenges and opportunities in the city-region.

Future Cape Town studied data and conducted research into the land use character and average property prices and rentals across different land uses along the Voortrekker Road Corridor over a 10-year time period. This included a comparison of property prices between different zones, being the Bellville/Parow Urban Development Zone (UDZ), and the PT1 and PT2 areas demarcated by the City of Cape Town.

A first in South Africa, the 80:20 Inclusionary Housing Model grants private property developers 1 sqm of additional bulk rights for every 1 sqm allocated to affordable units. Future Cape Town was commissioned by BLOK to provide research and public engagement during the creation of the model and its implementation in FORTY ON L, the model’s pilot project.

BLOK’s FORTY ON L integrates both market-priced and affordable units into the same development, an unprecedented step forward for Cape… Show more

A first in South Africa, the 80:20 Inclusionary Housing Model grants private property developers 1 sqm of additional bulk rights for every 1 sqm allocated to affordable units. Future Cape Town was commissioned by BLOK to provide research and public engagement during the creation of the model and its implementation in FORTY ON L, the model’s pilot project.

BLOK’s FORTY ON L integrates both market-priced and affordable units into the same development, an unprecedented step forward for Cape Town’s city centre. Show less

Future Cape Town’s Constructing Future Cities artistic residency and installation selected 5 women artists for a two-city studio in Durban and Cape Town to explore and study women-led visions for cities. The project culminated in a exhibition in Cape Town where the artists were able to showcase their work in a public forum.

The Sea Point Promenade is a a popular location for people across Cape Town, yet the promenade has few if any places to conveniently park a bicycle.

Future Cape Town, in cooperation with Blok, produced an implementation framework for an innovative parking pilot called BLADE to solve these challenges. We also provided post-installation monitoring and review of the project.

Future Cape Town was commissioned by the V&A Waterfront Company to conduct research and engage the public about the potential uses and programming of the new 3,000 sqm Battery Park within the Canal District.

Future Cape Town was commissioned to produce a placemaking framework to find solutions to reinvigorate the space and bring it back into the hands of the community. As part of this process, Future Cape Town facilitated a design competition to help reimagine the space and CoA Architects were selected as the winners of the competition.

Regent Road is a busy arterial road through Cape Town’s Sea Point neighborhood. Future Cape Town, in collaboration with Blok, sought to create a parklet to soften the road’s impact and provide respite for pedestrians during the busy summer season. Previously, the road offered few places to rest without paying. Solving this was a key aspect of the project’s mission.

Future Cape Town facilitated a design competition for the parklet itself, and spearheaded the project’s compliance and… Show more

Regent Road is a busy arterial road through Cape Town’s Sea Point neighborhood. Future Cape Town, in collaboration with Blok, sought to create a parklet to soften the road’s impact and provide respite for pedestrians during the busy summer season. Previously, the road offered few places to rest without paying. Solving this was a key aspect of the project’s mission.

Future Cape Town facilitated a design competition for the parklet itself, and spearheaded the project’s compliance and government permit application processes. After the parklet was installed, Future Cape Town conducted post-installation monitoring. Show less

This Future of Public Space research project and lecture series was a collaboration between Future Cape Town and The Urban Design Institute of of South Africa. The project aimed to promote discourse on the contemporary challenges of the public realm against the backdrop of deepening inequality, fast urbanising cities and increasing socio-economic volatility. It also seeked to explore challenges of the future, where the changing nature of public-private ownership, aritificial intelligence, space… Show more

This Future of Public Space research project and lecture series was a collaboration between Future Cape Town and The Urban Design Institute of of South Africa. The project aimed to promote discourse on the contemporary challenges of the public realm against the backdrop of deepening inequality, fast urbanising cities and increasing socio-economic volatility. It also seeked to explore challenges of the future, where the changing nature of public-private ownership, aritificial intelligence, space travel, 3d printing and manufacturing present scenarios that few working in the field have grappled with. Show less

Future Cape Town developed a framework for successful community parks to guide Blok’s improvement and investment into the Thornhill Community Park in Green Point. We also worked on the public engagement and the formation of a collective, Friends of Thornhill Park, which was formed in 2015 to support the daily operation of the park and lead new initiatives.

The upgrade was made possible mostly through private funds, with public funds for lighting and basic maintenance.

Department of Design was a three-week event held at Cape Town’s Provenance Auction House comprising workshops, exhibitions and lectures. As the Dutch contribution to World Design Capital, Cape Town 2014, it served as a laboratory for South African and Dutch designers and companies to co-create solutions to local urban challenges. Future Cape Town played the role of the local partner, operating the building, events and exhibition, co-developing the content for the main programme, and organising… Show more

Department of Design was a three-week event held at Cape Town’s Provenance Auction House comprising workshops, exhibitions and lectures. As the Dutch contribution to World Design Capital, Cape Town 2014, it served as a laboratory for South African and Dutch designers and companies to co-create solutions to local urban challenges. Future Cape Town played the role of the local partner, operating the building, events and exhibition, co-developing the content for the main programme, and organising communication for the events. Show less

The Design Africa Symposium, with the theme ‘Design Visions for African Cities of the Future’, comprised of
a series of conversations with international and local voices on the contemporary condition of African cities. It featured design practitioners from across the African continent and diaspora which included Angela Mingas (Angola), Joe Addo (Ghana), Sithabile Mathe (Botswana) and – from South Africa – Edgar Pieterse, Iain Louw, Ruben Reddy, Rashiq Fataar and Luyanda Mpahlwa. The… Show more

The Design Africa Symposium, with the theme ‘Design Visions for African Cities of the Future’, comprised of
a series of conversations with international and local voices on the contemporary condition of African cities. It featured design practitioners from across the African continent and diaspora which included Angela Mingas (Angola), Joe Addo (Ghana), Sithabile Mathe (Botswana) and – from South Africa – Edgar Pieterse, Iain Louw, Ruben Reddy, Rashiq Fataar and Luyanda Mpahlwa. The objective was to analyse the urban development challenges facing African cities and to map out possible visions to re-shape African city environments into the future. Show less

How can mega events act as key drivers of design and city making and ultimately in forging a greater South African society?

Co-hosted by Rashiq Fataar and Matt Griffiths of Echo Ledge Productions, the live radio show available as podcasts episodes, took a deeper look at the way in which cities are changing, and the people, stories, events and ideas shaping them. Broadcast from the Assembly Radio studios on Harrington Street in Cape Town, the show also connected with correspondents in Johannesburg, London and Lagos, bringing a global view to the way citizens and cities interact and engage.

Rashiq Fataar's Future Cape Town partnered with the UCT School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics to explore and share possible, and impossible re-imaginings of the Foreshore area within Cape Town. The Vertical Studio Project is an annual workshop involving under- and post-graduate students fromthe school, tackling a different theme or focus area each year. How can mega events as key drivers of design and city making and ultimately in forging a greater South African society?

Pidgin Perfect and arts producer Natalia Palombo, in a collaboration with the British Council’s Connect ZA project, and Creative Scotland created the project, ‘The Power of Film to Transform Lives and Communities: A Festival of African Storytelling, Film & Design’ – as part of World Design Capital 2014 in Cape Town.

From Johannesburg to Cape Town, the project engaged with some of the most talented Africans in the creative arts and design in South Africa’s 20th year of democracy, to… Show more

Pidgin Perfect and arts producer Natalia Palombo, in a collaboration with the British Council’s Connect ZA project, and Creative Scotland created the project, ‘The Power of Film to Transform Lives and Communities: A Festival of African Storytelling, Film & Design’ – as part of World Design Capital 2014 in Cape Town.

From Johannesburg to Cape Town, the project engaged with some of the most talented Africans in the creative arts and design in South Africa’s 20th year of democracy, to explore and document, the power that creative practices across Film; Visual Art; the Performing Arts; and Architecture & City Making have in bridging divides and transforming culture in post apartheid society. Show less

#citytalk is a monthly tweetchat exploring issues and trends affecting cities around the world. We host the discussion with a different organisation each month, with our list of clients and collaborators to date including the Berkeley Group, Social Life, Transport for All, BMW Guggenheim Lab, Siemens AG, New Cities Foundation, Ecobici, European Cyclists’ Federation and Philips Livable Cities.

The Hangberg Revitalization Project is a community led social space that aims to provide a symbol of pride and peace for the community. Central to the design are ideas incorporating concepts of safety and violence prevention; community interaction, gathering and expression; and a beacon of hope, peace and community identity.

The design focuses on providing a space for positive development and interaction of children. The main infrastructure is therefore aimed at them. Standard playground… Show more

The Hangberg Revitalization Project is a community led social space that aims to provide a symbol of pride and peace for the community. Central to the design are ideas incorporating concepts of safety and violence prevention; community interaction, gathering and expression; and a beacon of hope, peace and community identity.

The design focuses on providing a space for positive development and interaction of children. The main infrastructure is therefore aimed at them. Standard playground attractions will be included as well as structures and games that enhance learning and cooperation. As a part of this thinking it is vital that children are partaking in the entire development process of the space, so that it best embodies their wishes. Show less

Rashiq Fataar's Future Cape Town completed a design concept for the introduction of a High Street in the community of Mfuleni. An overall pedestrian and public transport focus underpins this roll out programme supported by community work groups and communications programmes. This proposal is a design-led strategy intended to promote the development of a coherent and safe, pedestrian-centred High Street in the area around the Mfuleni Taxi Rank.

Rashiq Fataar's Future Cape Town created the Young Urbanists community in 2012 to provide social opportunities for young professionals to connect and collaborate on urban topics.

Today, Young Urbanists is a voluntary community seeking to engage with the public and urban professionals on a variety of themes relating to South Africa’s built environment. The Young Urbanists Group is a platform for engagement, debate, and critique across all spheres of urbanism.

How can the Cape Town city centre be reconnected with the sea, overcoming the barriers of the Foreshore Freeways?

CITYLIFT is a vision for Cape Town which proposes removing the elevated freeways, replacing it with an at-grade (ground level) road, and lifting the city grid over and above it towards the harbour. This would create a dense, vibrant, green new city district at the harbour’s edge, to act as a ‘grand urban balcony’ providing the public with views of the ocean and harbour, as… Show more

How can the Cape Town city centre be reconnected with the sea, overcoming the barriers of the Foreshore Freeways?

CITYLIFT is a vision for Cape Town which proposes removing the elevated freeways, replacing it with an at-grade (ground level) road, and lifting the city grid over and above it towards the harbour. This would create a dense, vibrant, green new city district at the harbour’s edge, to act as a ‘grand urban balcony’ providing the public with views of the ocean and harbour, as well as Table Mountain.

CITYLIFT comprises three parts: the city extended to the harbour (at upper levels), sub-surface strategic movement systems, and a new linear park.

The first step involves demolishing the Foreshore Freeway Bridge, dropping the working freeway to the ground and then gradually lifting the city up over this, creating a raised ground that extends the grid of the city at a height of approximately 7 to 10 metres above the existing ground level – lifting it over the public transport and cars moving below. This would allow the CBD to expand, providing more mixed-use space for commercial, residential and cultural facilities and deliver a brand-new city district. A four-lane road in both directions, including dedicated BRT bus lanes, along with parking and other services infrastructure to support the developments above, and a future interface with the harbour, would be built beneath the raised city ground. Show less

Over 10 years ago, Cape Town’s historic Church Square was transformed from a parking lot into a public space. In subsequent years, however, it saw little public life.

In 2016, Future Cape Town was commissioned to conduct research and provide recommendations on how to bring public life back to Church Square. In 2017, Future Cape Town facilitated the installation of a Water Crisis Awareness Park in the square, which catalyzed a return of vibrant public life to the space.

Future Cape Town was commissioned by the Greater Tygerberg Partnership to gain insights into everyday social and cultural practices of the immigrant population in a focussed area of Bellville’s CBD. The goal was to integrate cultural expression into the processes which will inform future placemaking initiatives.

Our Future Cities’ work in the area remains ongoing, with a focus on informal traders, walkability, and regeneration.

The project has been made possible due to collaborative efforts with partners HOTT 3 Dimensional Marketing.

This initiative will be an opportunity for the citizens of Cape Town to voice their opinions on urban issues in their city by casting their vote into a bright yellow ballot box. Visitors will have the chance to vote on two urban questions, with four options to choose from. The options will be displayed as images or future visions for Cape Town, presented in four pigeon… Show more

The project has been made possible due to collaborative efforts with partners HOTT 3 Dimensional Marketing.

This initiative will be an opportunity for the citizens of Cape Town to voice their opinions on urban issues in their city by casting their vote into a bright yellow ballot box. Visitors will have the chance to vote on two urban questions, with four options to choose from. The options will be displayed as images or future visions for Cape Town, presented in four pigeon holes.

The installation was initially designed as a temporary urban intervention as part of the build-up to the upcoming Spaza Urban Innovation Festival during Cape Town’s year as World Design Capital in 2014. Show less