Ilisolethu Precinct Plan, Thembalethu
A precinct plan for Thembalethu's gateway node that plans with informality rather than against it, protecting trading livelihoods and pedestrian space along Nelson Mandela Boulevard.
2023 · George Local Municipality · Precinct planning and urban design · 12 months duration
Key contributors: Annemarie Loots, Jorinda Steenkamp
The George Local Municipality, with the Department of National Treasury as sponsor, appointed Cadre to prepare the Ilisolethu Precinct Plan for the apex of Thembalethu. Nelson Mandela Boulevard is the only access road into the township, and most formal and informal trading concentrates along it, with neighbourhood retailers within a 250 m walk of residents.
Cadre recognised that encroachment is a structural feature of townships and that forcing compliance would fail. The plan instead maximises pedestrian space by paving the road reserve continuously from the road surface to the encroaching property line, and protects remaining public spaces with space-defining elements such as trees, paved walkways and pocket sports facilities. The redesign and widening of Nelson Mandela Boulevard was arranged to displace as few traders as possible, with dedicated trading stalls, lock-up facilities and shared ablutions provided where relocation was unavoidable.
The plan establishes Ilisolethu as a pedestrian-orientated gateway node that formalises where possible while preserving township identity and sustainable livelihoods.
Key figures: 250 m walking access to neighbourhood retail | Pocket parks in all project investment sites | 12-month programme