That’s My Spot

That’s My Spot
by Alma Holm

Narration: It’s the end of a hot summer’s day on the corner of Commercial- and Plein Street in Cape Town City Centre
Dovey: Did you find a good nesting tree?
Dove 2: Kof kof, oh Dovey, I couldn’t see a thing, it’s so smoggy
Charity lady 1: There is so little planting in this street…
Charity lady 2: Yes, so barren, that poor lady looks like she’ll melt in the sun
Charity lady 1: Yes, poor thing! Barren… hmmm…
Narration: Santi and Bash are hanging out amongst traffic in the hopes of earning a few bucks to fund their own fynbos foodstall.
Poster info: We have no cash
Traffic dude 1: What’s the holdup oakes???
Traffic dude 2: Arggg
Sound effects: Hoooonk hooonk hoooonk
Traffic dude 3: Shut the *%# up!!!
Traffic dude 4: I hate traffic!!!
Bash thinks: You are traffic, dude
Bash: Yeah, wrong audience Santi… these guys are too heated
Narration: But no luck for the friends today. In a city designed to exclude the vulnerable, streetscapes are harsh places to live and thrive in – for all forms of life.

Dove 2: Oh Dovey, maybe that lady’s hair would make a good nest?
Santi thinking: Ai…
Dovey: Have you gone mad??
Santi: It’s hopeless
Dovey: A nest that’s moving and melting?!!
Santi: And it’s hot
Dovey: Go look for another nesting tree – preferably an indigenous one, please!
Dove 2: okay Dovey! So demanding…
Dovey: What’s that??
Dove 2: No Nothing!!
Poor Santi, a hot mess… surrounded by traffic.
Narration: Meanwhile, a gang of fynbos roots are trying to break the city’s thick asphalt layer and escape their captivity underground…
Rooty: Almost thereee, this asphalt layer is just so thick
Root 2: Just keep pushing, Rooty!
Narration: Bash has his own way of dealing with their situation…
Bash: Ah, Santi’s melting…perfect distraction for a quick barter with this backseat…
Just check no one’s watching.
Nice, lots of loot!!
Narration: Until…
Bash: Eep!!! Oh it’s you, Santi! Girl, you gave me such a fright!
Santi: Bashhhh, I need you, my friend.
Narration: At least the friends have each other, and together they are a little stronger…
Bash: Ai, sorry Santi, I know it’s been tough, just don’t give up. Things will get better. Also, I have some good news to share with you!

Narration: Home…
Bash: So I overheard some chatter today…
Santi: Oh yeah?
Bash: Two old ladies brainstorming this new charity idea where they hand out local plants to poor people…
Santi: Oh yeah… And then what?
Bash: Something about transforming plants into sellable items to make an income.
Santi: I see… That is what we need for our fynbos foodstall, but how would we transf-
Narration: But suddenly!!!
Traffic dude 1: This is my parking spot!!! Get offffff!!!!!
Narration: Well, it’s not like there is anywhere else to park, is there?

Dove 2: Am I blind?? So much open space but I don’t see any trees around…?

Narration: Such a large space in the centrum of the city… An empty parking lot covered with asphalt.

Narration: Meanwhile, the charity ladies that bash mentioned…
Charity lady 1: Fynbos is an amazing species. It has been harvested for its economic value for centuries! But nowadays its natural habitats are critically endangered.
Charity lady 2: Yes, it was a great idea to give them to impoverished individuals, allowing them to transform the plants into sellable products!
Charity lady 2: This way, people won’t harvest from the endangered habitat, and we can still provide job opportunities, supporting both the ecology and job security!
Fynbos 1: No ladies!! We like it here!! Life on the streets is so tough for us!!
Narration: But the homeless crowd have a different expectation.
Person in line 1: Ooooh, what do you think we’ll get today? Soup? Clothes? Bread? Yumm.
Charity lady 1: Here, love.
Fynbos: No, lady please no! Don’t give me away!!!
Guy in line 1: Huh? A plant???
Santi: Hihihi look, Bash, you were right, they gave him a plant! But he doesn’t look so happy about it.
Person in line 1: Gmph!
Charity lady 1: There you go, dear.
Santi: Huh? A plant?
Narration: Our friends finally have ingredients for their fynbos foodstall, but suddenly other practicalities are an obstacle.
Bash: This is great, Santi! The only thing is… to make enough products to sell, we’d have to cultivate these plants…
Fynbos 1: Eep! Now what!?
Fynbos 2: Maybe pretend that you’re dead so they throw us out into – hopefully – soil…
Santi: We don’t have tools… Or skills… or storage.
Bash: Or plant knowledge… or finance… or social support.
Santi: Or land… We don’t even have enough to keep ourselves alive…

Narration: But, a little crack in the asphalt was about to change their lives forever…
Bash: Oh Santi…
Fynbos: Yaii, I think my trick to play dead worked!
Root 2: Rooty, we’re so close I can smell it!
Rooty: Yes! Puuuush!
Bash: Let’s get you outta here, Santi…
Whoppaaa! Arrrrghhhhh!!!
Ouch, take that, stupid pothole!
Fynbos: Yes, yes!! That’s it! Chuck me into the pothole!! Yahoo!!
Narration: But, a little crack in the asphalt was about to change their lives forever…
Bash: Oh Santi…
Fynbos: Yaii, I think my trick to play dead worked!
Root 2: Rooty, we’re so close I can smell it!
Rooty: Yes! Puuuush!
Bash: Let’s get you outta here, Santi…
Whoppaaa! Arrrrghhhhh!!!
Ouch, take that, stupid pothole!
Fynbos: Yes, yes!! That’s it! Chuck me into the pothole!! Yahoo!!
Rooty: Ahhhhh, sigh I’m freeeeee, take that asphalt-covered parking lot! This is my space again!!!
Root 2: Yes! Yes! We’ve broken free, Rooty!
Narration: With their connection instantly restored, the root system and plant burst froth from the pothole in a sudden explosion of growth, reasserting its claim to the spot where it once thrived, before it was turned into a parking lot…

Narration: And so, shocked and inspired by the initial event, more of the impoverished started chucking their plants into potholes, with the same exciting result!!
Rooty: Yahoo!
I’m back, baby!
Heloooo, sunshine!
Wow! Light!
I’m free!
Back where we belong!
Narration: And suddenly, the whole parking lot was full of pothole-growing plants!
And not only were the plants happy to be free, their presence in the parking lot suddenly attracted people and activities to the lot, sparking interest in transforming the parking lot into an actual public green space.
(To the annoyance of the dude who wanted to park his car in the empty lot…)
Activist: This parking lot needs to be used to support better activities than parking.
Traffic dude 1: Get off my parking spot!!
Activist: No! We demand better use of inner-city public land!!
Bash: Look at that, Santi, green growth spurts, more people. Now that gives me an idea!!
Narration: A place for opportunities…
.

Santi: Oh yeah, what are you thinking?
Bash: If this parking lot could be a green space -and actual one- there’d be ample space to cultivate plants!
Bash: Plus, green spaces make for good market spaces -the perfect location for a foodstall.
Santi: Ah, good point! And not only would it benefit us, but also all the guys here demanding public space.
Bash: Yeah… exactly.
Santi: But how would we do this?
Bash: We ask more people to help us plant these plants!
Narration: So they went to share this idea with people…
Bash: Wanna help us do this?
Narration: And people were eager to help!
And so they went to work…
Dove 2: Look, Dovey! Lots and lots of trees!
Dovey: Hmmm, yeah but those trees are being moved around…
Dove 2: Ghmph, should’ve guessed there’d be something..
Charity 1: Oh my dear, look at that!!! It’s the plants we’ve been giving out that’s being planted!
Charity 2: Oh amazing! The fynbos species back where it belongs!
Narration: Additionally, some people sponsored trees, a playground company donated equipment, and a local carpenter offered to build vendor structures for the market space.

Narration: And slowly but surely, the parking lot started looking less and less like a place for cars, and more and more like a place for living beings!
Although… one person was a little unhappy about the change…
Traffic dude 1: I demand my parking spot back!! Immediately! Where am I supposed to park now??
Bash: Well… when cities are designed to accommodate people over cars, they tend to be more compact and walkable.
Traffic dude: Me?? Walk or cycle?? Ugh, how uncomfortable!
Bash: Just give it a try, its a lot more fun and relaxing than you think… you might just benefit from it.

Dove 2: Oh look at that! The trees are not moving anymore! Gotta tell Dovey!

Narration: And so, sometime after the transformation.
Santi: Look Bash, a fine harvest! I think this may be enough to start making food products with!!
Rooty: Ouch! Watch it, lady!
Narration: But then…
Bash: Santi… how’re we going to make these food products?
Santi: Hehe, no worries, Bash, for a change I can put your mind at ease.
Bash: Phew, oh yeah?
Santi: The charity ladies ran out of plant supplies after the construction. So now they offer us the use of their space and tools!
Bash: Oh sweet!
Narration: With the use of the charity’s space and tools they made a variety of fynbos biscuits to sell at the market.
Fynbos biscuits: Whaaaat? How did I end up here? I wanna be back in the ground!!!
Narration: And the charity ladies were delighted to see the friends flourish as a result of their help.
By giving space for nature to grow, they turn created a space where they could grow themselves…
Bash: Sjo, Santi, just look at that bustle! Who’d have thought before that this place could host so much life and activity?

Narration: A dream that felt so far away in the past had finally turned into a reality for Santi and Bash.
Narration: A dream that felt so far away in the past had finally turned into a reality for Santi and Bash.

Bash: Turned out pretty well, hey Santi!?
Girl, what’s happening to you now??
Santi: No need to worry, Bash. My unhappiness has melted away, and now I’m just glowing with delight!

Dovey: Well, just look at the little nesting hotspot we have in town now..
Dove 2: It’s so great! I reckon all parking lots in cities need to be transformed into public green spaces!
With indigenous plants in them!
Dove 2: Yes, Dovey… with indigenous plants in them!

End credit: For anyone who cares about positive use of inner-city spaces! A special thank you to David Maddox and Emmalee Barnett from TNOC, and to Miles Ellery and Hendrik de Pecker for all the input and support in making this comic come to life!

WHAT IS ‘NBS’ ABOUT THIS COMIC?

Creating urban spaces that prioritize people and nature over cars requires a reimagining of city design to foster a sustainable, healthy, and connected environment. One of the most impactful strategies is reducing car dominance by expanding pedestrian zones, developing dedicated bike lanes, and investing in accessible, reliable public transit. This not only lessens pollution but also frees up valuable space for green infrastructure such as parks, gardens, and tree-lined streets, which improve air quality and enhance biodiversity.

Integrating green roofs, urban farms, and community gardens further brings nature into the city, making it accessible for all. Such spaces encourage social interactions, reduce heat, and offer habitats for local wildlife. Prioritizing shared, green spaces over parking lots and wide roads can transform cities into vibrant, people-centered communities. Ultimately, a shift towards car-free, nature-rich urban planning can create resilient, inclusive cities that promote well-being, social connection, and environmental sustainability.