We focus on the services below. Please click a link for more details.

• SPATIAL PLANNING, URBAN DESIGN AND ASSOCIATED POLICY
• PUBLIC SECTOR POLICY AND SUPPORT
• ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Spatial planning, and its associated policy context, has been central to MCA’s business since our inception.  Over the last ten years we have developed and deepened our experience in working at a variety of scales from regional policy plans to site specific development applications. Indeed, MCA has built a reputation for its innovative and leading approaches to planning and development.  MCA’s strength is its ability to take government policy and legislation and translate it into specific spatial plans and strategies.  We have thus been involved in policy development and deepening for all spheres and scales of government.  Our range of spatial planning and policy expertise and knowledge is complemented with urban design skills.  MCA sees urban design as an important part of enriching spatial planning work, and as such uses these skills on any job which would benefit from this input. Our range of experience and competence includes the following.

Knysna SDF: Knysna Town Development Framework

MCA has experience in the formulation of spatial development frameworks in a variety of contexts across South Africa, ranging from the Southern Cape (Knysna), to the Cape Winelands,Kimberley(Sol Plaatje Municipality) and Khayelitsha Mitchell’s Plain in Cape Town.  These SDFs incorporate the requirements of the Municipal Systems Act and its regulations as well as the direction established by the Draft Land Use Management Bill.  In particular we believe that

• SDFs should be underpinned by normatively driven principles
• SDFs should respond to unique context
• SDFs should be strategic, i.e. achieve the maximum benefit for the least amount of public resources
• SDFs should develop strategies at the appropriate scale
• SDFs should be implementation and outcomes oriented, providing a strategic tool for the implementation of IDPs

Urban design plays an important part in the SDFs produced by MCA, both at content and at a graphic level.

MCA has developed expertise in land use management and land use guidelines aimed at implementing land use proposals found in national, provincial and local policies and plans and managing daily land use pressures to achieve long term spatial goals.  In this regard we have made contributions to the Integrated Zoning Scheme for Cape Town, initiated a complete land use management system for the Sol Plaatje Municipality including the formulation of an integrated zoning scheme, formulated a new zoning scheme for the Cape Agulhas Municipality and are undertaking a similar project for the Sedibeng District Municipality.

MCA is also experienced in formulating policy for land use management.  Our ability to consider and integrate a range of considerations in land use management, has lead to our appointment as lead consultants to formulate Guidelines for Golf Course and Polo Field Developments for the Western Cape Provincial Government in 2005.  More recently we have completed Guidelines for the Assessment of Development Applications in Rural Areas for the Cape Winelands District Municipality.  Our particular experience in dealing with rural issues, have also lead to an appointment by the National Department of Agriculture to formulate a National Policy on the Preservation of Agricultural Land.

Victoria Park Phase 3: Zoning & Subdivision Plan

MCA has considerable expertise in undertaking rezoning, subdivision and removal of restriction applications at any scale or level of complexity.  This has included a complex application for the rezoning of Cape Town Station in 2002, numerous township development applications for Garden Cities and smaller yet challenging applications for subdivision, rezoning and land use rights regularisation in Constantia, Green Point and University Estate (Oasis Group).  MCA is also involved in a renewed effort to redevelop Cape Town Station as the lead planning consultants in a multi-disciplinary team preparing a development framework for the site.

Mirbat Master Plan: Development Framework

MCA has provided the input into a number of feasibility studies. MCA’s responsibility has involved establishing the “highest and best use” of land parcels and exploring a variety of development options. In these studies MCA establishes the current development parameters of the land parcel, the constraints and opportunities that the site presents and the desired future use for the site in terms of existing planning and/or compatibility with surrounding land uses.  Based on this analysis a viable development proposal(s) are presented to the client.  The urban design skills offered by MCA have been especially important in these projects as site design has played a critical part in informing the study.

Recent examples of projects of this nature include an assessment of the impact of King Shaka International Airport on and location options for operations at Virginia Airport, Durban, Jabi Lake, Abuja Mixed Use Development, Mirbat, Oman Master Plan (for the Dhofar Tourism Company).

Within the field of housing, MCA has developed expertise in layout planning, housing plans and policies and training

MCA has significant experience in producing layout plans for low-cost housing developments. MCA always tries to produce the best quality planning, within the guidelines set out by the client, with specific reference to achieving higher densities, people-friendly safe public spaces, opportunities for social and economic development and environmentally friendly design.  The Philippi East / Area K High Density Housing and Witsands Eco-housing projects are prime examples of innovative housing layout and designs.  MCA was also the planners for Precinct 3 (Delft) of the N2 Gateway Project.  More recently, MCA is getting involved in a small housing project next to Rondevlei where our urban design skills will be used to create imaginative solutions to provide an integrated human settlement.

Phillippi East / Area K High Density Housing

MCA also undertakes strategic housing plans and policies.  MCA’s approach to housing plans and policies is holistic, addressing both qualitative and quantitative issues, as promoted by the National Housing Plan ‘Breaking New Ground’. Recent projects include a Strategic Housing Plan for the Cape Winelands (Boland) and input into the Western Cape Provincial Housing Plan.

MCA has developed and run a housing course aimed to provide municipal officials and councilors with training in the implementation of the integrated human settlements concept. The course is aimed at ensuring that attendees have a clear understanding of the current policy context and what this means for the delivery of housing, the components of an integrated human settlement, which will enable the assessment of applications and projects relating to human settlement related initiatives, and the possible solutions to overcoming implementation blockages.

The course has proved to be highly successful and has been expanded to include training on the new ‘Beyond the Brick Strategy’ for the Western Cape. 

MCA has comprehensive skills in transportation planning.  In addition to the transportation skills gained through experience on the Growth Management Studies and Development Frameworks, such as the Voortrekker Road and Main Road Development Frameworks for the City of Cape Town, we have worked on a number of transport-specific projects.  These include planning and land use input into the Atlantis Passenger Rail Study, the Gugulethu Public Transport Interchange and the N1 Corridor Strategic Plan, currently being implemented.

Cape Town Station: Package of Plans approach