Abstract
This study sets out to explore the effects the dual processes of urban planning and tourism development have on the inner-city, heritage precinct of the Bo-Kaap (BK), Cape Town. Holding substantial significance for slave and struggle narratives, the area is a microcosm of Cape Coloured and Muslim culture, with a demonstrable socio-religious and community life. A profound physical and social restructuring of the neighbourhood is underway. This transformation, driven by expansive neoliberal policies, large-scale urban developments and unregulated tourism growth reveals several contrasting tensions inherent in developing economies. The findings here intend to contribute to the limited urban tourism and gentrification scholarship, in a post-colonial, African context.
Local government appears desperate to address its broader development goals of economic growth and job creation. Despite democratic processes and seemingly progressive policies, the market decides where and what gets built. The approval of several, large-scale developments underscore the contestation of rights. For residents, these approvals stand as symbols of injustice on the landscape. Oppressive historical legacies and successive land grabs are still a vivid memory for many residents. Rather than address this spatial injustice, findings show development is geared for consumption by an affluent, transient class. Heritage policy and conservation planning tools (Heritage Protection Overlay Zone) present overwhelming complexity, has undefined rules and is open to manipulation. The responsibility of safeguarding cultural heritage will increasingly fall on the shoulders of the community. However, an exploration of the student economy (studentification) was found to be largely positive.
While general gentrification processes in the BK are better understood, the gentrifying effects of rapid, unregulated tourism growth is underacknowledged, and requires urgent research attention. Displaying the hallmarks of overtourism, recent “tourist-phobia” has resurfaced (Bourliataux-Lajoinie et al., 2019). Urgent action to improve current operational conditions in the short term are required. The effects of the lucrative sharing economy and short-term rentals are less understood. The Draft Tourism Development Framework (CoCT, 2021) rebuked by community representatives for its superficial participation processes and its neglect of addressing issues of inclusive growth, gentrification and overtourism. Pervading narratives such as “the community doesn’t know what they want and cannot agree on anything” strains progress and planning coherence. However, the results identify several points of community consensus, underscoring the pressing need for an integrated, grassroots, tourism and heritage plan. A conceptual framework of “neoliberalism” was employed to operationalise broader political economic influences. The findings include the views of various interest groups, garnered from 35 semi-structured interviews, supported by a historical study, document analysis, participant observation and social media content analysis. The lack of current tourism-based research, quantitative data and participant refusal are acknowledged as limitations to the study.