Between the devil and the deep blue sea: Functional conflicts in Cape Town''s Victoria and Alfred Waterfront

The global phenomenon of waterfront revitalization is a planning strategy commonly employed by city and port authorities eager to overcome the redundancy and associated urban decay of their docklands. The spatial transformation that generally accompanies such initiatives often results in functional conflict. Focusing on the redevelopment of the traditional dockland precinct of the South African portcity of Cape Town, this paper shows how attempts to rationalize pre-existing harbour activities resulted in conflict between the developer, the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront Company, and its largest industrial tenant, the fishing industry. The utilization of existing harbour space and, more specifically, questions of tenure and affordable rentals are identified as the principal elements of the contentious negotiations between these parties.