Name your hood, Cape Town

Cape Town’s neighbourhoods deserve a name

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Think of Manhattan and London and the names of the cities’ iconic neighbourhoods immediately spring to mind, such as SoHo, TriBeCa and Mayfair. The ‘Name Your Hood’ project is doing the same in Cape Town’s ‘city bowl’, asking participants to explore the city’s distinctiveness, heritage and unique character. Two local entrepreneurs and passionate Capetonians, Bruce Good and Nic Lamond, have launched the campaign to unearth the most creative and functional names for the city’s neighbourhoods.

Capturing each neighbourhood’s unique ethos; city dwellers, commuters and tourists are invited to submit their suggestions for the new clearly-defined ‘hoods’. Areas around upper Kloof Street and Bree Street have been chosen as the two pilot hoods for the city.

An eclectic mix of vintage and modern, the Kloof Street hood has its own eccentric personality: a laid-back air fusing old-world charm and urban-cool. The Bree Street hood is a community abuzz with creative energy. Its traders of yesteryear have all but disappeared yet many of their historic storefronts remain and in their expertly restored buildings epicurean wonders abound. Bree Street is often described as the more famous ‘Long Street’s grown up sister’.

The coolest part? The names are set to endure with valuable support being offered by key stakeholders such as Cape Town Tourism, Cape Town Partnership, Accelerate Cape Town and Wesgro. Local businesses are also showing their support, with Pam Golding Properties, Mr Delivery, Groupon and Vida e Caffe as well as smaller neighbourhood establishments on board.

Bruce Good commented: “We’re celebrating everything Cape Town has to offer; its incredible landmarks, rich history and vibrant culture. We pulled in local heroes, architects, historians and city planners to create new, easy-to-navigate city hoods. Now it’s up to everyone to get involved – anyone could potentially name one of the neighbourhoods and leave a legacy.”

Submissions can be made online or through a number of voting booths which will be available in participating shops throughout the city. So visit www.nameyourhood.co.za and make sure you submit your neighbourhood name.

Navigating the city will never be the same again!

The Name Your Hood project aims to roll out across the entire city in time. It will also launch in Johannesburg and Durban in 2012.

Name Your Hood was officially launched on 30th June 2011.
We chatted to Bruce Good to get the low down on his project.

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