The project set out to develop a detailed low carbon programmatic development path to augment the current Central City Development Strategy such that it supports Cape Town’s Energy and Climate Change Action Plan in partnership with other organisations that strengthen the principle of cooperation, both between the key organisations and those involved in the broad arena of climate change.

In 2013 SEA, in partnership with the Cape Town Partnership and the Stockholm Environment Institute, produced a low carbon central city strategy for Cape Town. The year-long strategy development
initiative included the development of new approaches in policy and action that encourage stakeholders to work in synergy with one another to reduce overall carbon emissions in the central city. The project involved developing a carbon profile of the central city area which forms a baseline against which changes can be measured in the long-term. Understanding the carbon profile enabled the identification of key areas for prioritised intervention across all the sectors consuming energy, such as transport, building (private and public), residential and commercial sectors. This in turn led to the development of implementable carbon-reduction strategies that support specific components of the Cape Town Central City Development Strategy (CCDS), such that the carbon profile is improved while simultaneously promoting the larger vision for the central city outlined in the CCDS. An important component of the strategy was the formulation of a viable implementation plan that details suitable funding sources, implementing agents and stakeholder roles and responsibilities. New communications initiatives and toolkits were also developed to provide practical solutions for people to reduce their carbon footprint on a daily basis.

Donor: Swedish International Development Agency
Project timeframe: January - December 2013
Project Manager: Peta Wolpe