Foreshore, Cape Town

The Foreshore is an area in Cape Town, South Africa, situated in the city's central business district (CBD), between the historic city centre and the Port of Cape Town.^[2] It is built on land reclaimed from Table Bay in the 1930s and 1940s, in connection with the construction of the Duncan Dock, to replace the old harbor.

Foreshore
Aerial view down Heerengracht Street in the Foreshore
Map showing the Foreshore and the approximate location of the original coastline
Foreshore Show map of Western Cape Foreshore Show map of South Africa Foreshore Show map of Africa
Coordinates: 33.92°S 18.43°E / -33.92; 18.43
Country	South Africa
Province	Western Cape
Municipality	City of Cape Town
Main Place	Cape Town
Area [1]
• Total	2.34 km2 (0.90 sq mi)
Population  (2011)[1]
• Total	268
• Density	110/km2 (300/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) [1]
• Black African	43.3%
• Coloured	11.2%
• Indian/Asian	6.3%
• White	34.0%
• Other	5.2%
First languages (2011) [1]
• English	78.3%
• Afrikaans	14.5%
• Other	7.2%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)	8001

Satellite image of Cape Town's City Bowl, with the Foreshore area highlighted in yellow

Aerial view of the then-newly-completed foreshore, in the 1940s

Because of its development later on, many buildings in the Foreshore have more modern architecture than those situated in older parts of Cape Town CBD, closer towards District Six, Table Mountain, and De Waterkant.

Much of the Foreshore area is occupied by transport infrastructure for the port and Cape Town Railway Station. Other notable buildings in the area are the Cape Town Civic Centre, the Artscape Theatre Centre, and the Cape Town International Convention Centre. The area is also home to the regional office of Standard Bank, located in The Towers.

When the area was reclaimed, the Government undertook a detailed study (the Szlumper Commission) to decide how to use the land not needed by South African Railways. This resulted in the issuance of a detailed proposal - The Cape Town Foreshore Plan.^[3]

External links

• The Cape Town Foreshore Plan 1947