Cape Town’s iconic Bree Street is becoming the testing ground for a bold new approach to urban design, with South Africa’s first live street experiment officially launching in the CBD today, 7 May.
The Bree Street “Safe Passage” Experiment, located between Wale and Shortmarket Streets, aims to create a safer, greener and more people-focused public space while still allowing traffic to move through the busy corridor.
Temporary changes introduced as part of the six-month pilot include narrowed traffic lanes, public seating, planters, safer pedestrian areas, improved loading zones and dedicated cycling infrastructure.
But organisers say the project is about far more than physical upgrades.
The initiative brings together a broad coalition of public and private partners, including Young Urbanists NPC, the SDI Trust, the City of Cape Town, the Cape Town Central City Improvement District (CCID), The Mission for Inner City Cape Town, local businesses and community organisations.
Roland Postma from Young Urbanists described the project as a major example of collaborative urban innovation.
“This is what happens when the civil, private and public sectors come together to rethink streets in a practical, agile way.”
Postma noted that implementing a street experiment of this scale was a first for both Cape Town and South Africa, requiring cooperation across multiple city departments and stakeholders.
The experiment forms part of the Safe Passage Programme, which focuses on improving safety, accessibility and economic activity along key urban routes. It also acts as a live test for the City of Cape Town’s CBD Mobility and Accessibility Plan, which identifies Bree Street as a future “Special Activity Street”.
Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis attended the launch and said the project reflects the city’s commitment to creating more liveable and people-friendly public spaces.
“Today’s launch of the Safe Passage Precinct as a street experiment is an exciting step forward in making our streets more friendly for their actual users, people and pedestrians, not just cars.”
Hill-Lewis added that the project builds on the success of the popular Open Streets Sundays previously hosted along Bree Street during summer.
The City of Cape Town played a key role in the project’s rollout, with departments including Parks, Roads, Infrastructure Management and Transportation Planning contributing to approvals, landscaping and implementation. More than 40 planters have already been installed along the route.
Public art installations are also expected to be introduced in the coming months as part of a broader activation programme.
The Safe Passage Programme is supported by SDI Trust, while additional placemaking investment comes from partners, including Ninety One through The Mission for Inner City Cape Town.
Brad Armitage, co-founder of The Mission for Inner City Cape Town, said the project demonstrates what is possible when multiple sectors unite around a shared vision for the city.
“Cities are complex systems, and meaningful change only happens when stakeholders work together,” he said.
The pilot project will run for six months, during which traffic movement, pedestrian activity and public feedback will be monitored to help shape future decisions around Cape Town’s public spaces and mobility planning.
