“In compact city apartments, city rooftops can also maximise - and at times even double - the living space. They also offer opportunities for residents and city workers to find fresh air, to escape amongst the stars, or to hone their green thumbs,” says Bulelwa Makalima-Ngewana, CEO of the Cape Town Partnership.
One example (while not exactly a rooftop), is from the Cape Town Partnership, which has used its balcony to create a garden that helps feed staff who pick the leaves or tomatoes to supplement their lunchtime salads - or harvest plump aubergines for home-made pâtés, moussaka and even pickles.
Makalima-Ngewana says that this encourages their team to eat healthily while also thinking about where their food comes from. “With rising food prices, home-grown, or, in this case, office-grown, vegetables and herbs represent a cost saving too.”
Another example of how a Mother City business embraces the space it is given is the legendary Grand Daddy Hotel, which offers its visitors the chance to camp out in style, as it uses its rooftop space to house seven vintage trailers, so that you can experience the 'American trailer park' without leaving the city. It also regularly hosts open-air movie screenings, bringing attention to the opportunities that rooftops pose to a wider audience.
However, Makalima-Ngewana says that they most encourage developers and existing residents who have the space to create rooftop gardens. “I like how in a place like New York, Central Park is regarded as the green lung of the city. There is already an abundance of green spaces in Cape Town, but what city can have too much green space?”
