
Above: Guest Speaker Johan van Papendorp (left) with the bottle of wine presented to him by Otto Beyers (right) in appreciation of a fascinating, informative talk on Friday, with Bosun Piet Postema, smiling, despite the fact that his golf was cancelled! Johan joined the Rotary Club of Roggeberg in 1984, served two years as President and then joined the Rotary Club of Sea Point, celebrating 40 years of Service Above Self last year. Congratulations!
Johan van Papendorp: A Journey from Farm Life to Urban Planning
Johan was born on a farm near the historic town of Swellendam. He obtained a Bachelor Degree in Architecture at UCT, followed by a Master’s Degree in Landscape Architecture from Harvard Graduate School of Design in 1975. After settling in Toronto for six years he returned to the Cape in 1981, taking up a post as Senior Landscape Architect at the Cape Town City Council. He then co-founded OvP Associates, Architects and Landscape Architects, involved in notable projects implemented by the firm for three decades.
The Evolution of Cape Town: A Visual Journey
Johan took us through a series of slides showing the evolution of Cape Town, from the time of the old Cape Town Pier and reclamation of the land after it was demolished, to the present day concluding with the Green Point Urban Park development.

Johan’s presentation provided a history of Cape Town and how over decades, the mountain and sea have become closely connected, through water.

The pier was opened on 21 November 1913 and was demolished in late 1939 to make way for land reclamation to provide Berths E to L for Duncan Dock.
The Green Point Urban Park

The park’s poetic landscape arose from the climatic conditions and prominent landforms and landmarks around the site. A new berm was constructed for wind shelter, a tree-lined avenue created a visual axis to the Green Point Lighthouse; a variety of indigenous planting, weather-beaten park structures and the presence of water all contribute to the spirit of the place.
Considered a ‘Park in the City’ it is a place for relaxation and urban respite for mind and body; a place for passive recreation and social interaction in a green context; a place to share, to observe and to learn about ecological interdependence. Completed in November 2011, the 12 hectare Green Point Park has more than proven its 2010 legacy status by attracting 3000 to 5000 park-users daily.
The Essence of Green Point Urban Park: A Haven for Community
Underscored by the principles of “inclusivity and ‘universal access’ as a basis for design, the Landscape Architects took great care to create a space that would be accessible, inviting and stimulating to a diverse range of cultures, ages and physical abilities.