'Open streets, open city' idea worth spreading

Between 13:00 and 15:00, on Lower Main Road in Observatory, TEDxCapeTown will be hosting a free, outdoor screening of a selection of TED and TEDx Talks with a theme of 'Open Streets, Open City'. The theme is inspired by Open Streets Cape Town, an initiative which is about reclaiming public space for more democratic use, even if just temporarily, by closing key streets to motorised traffic and opening them up as walkways, bike routes and community spaces.

"When we think of public space we often forget that streets are also part of the public domain, simply because they're generally dominated by motorised traffic," says Marcela Guerrero Casa, founder of Open Streets Cape Town.

This Saturday, 25 May 2013, Lower Main Road in Observatory/Salt River will be collectively transformed from a car-dominated road to a people-friendly public space by Open Streets Cape Town in collaboration with Cape Town Partnership and the City of Cape Town.

Inspired by Bogota's Ciclovia and projects in other cities like San Francisco and Jakarta, the aim of Open Streets is to enable all citizens to move and use streets freely and safely.

The event is free and activities planned for the day include skateboarding, bicycle, Zumba and yoga lessons, street theatre and music performances as well as art installations. Residents have also organised a family corner with street football, giant chess, puppets, folk circle dancing, chalk-drawing and a braai area.

Serendipitously, the 100in1day initiative not only takes place on the same day in Cape Town around the city, but it also stems from the vibrant city of Bogota in Columbia. It is a citizen-driven festival of doing where over 100 urban interventions, as lead by citizens to improve their city, will take place across Cape Town. 100in1day Cape Town is part of a global movement for city driven city development that on one day changes cities around the world by empowering citizens to construct spaces and manifest actions that improve the quality of life and create better cities.

The 100in1day idea was born last year, where more than 250 dreams were manifested through urban interventions in Bogota, and more than 3,000 people engaged in their implementation. Within one year, it has spread to various cities in Costa Rica, El Salvador and Denmark, and now Cape Town as the first city in Africa.

Saturday 25 May also happens to be Africa Day, celebrating exactly 50 years since the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), now known as the African Union.

www.tedxcapetown.org | @TEDxCapeTown
www.openstreets.co.za | @OpenStreetsCT
www.100in1day.co.za