The winning PLAYscape is now open as Cape Town's first central skatepark

Local skate enthusiasts are now enjoying the new Mill St. skatepark, Cape Town's first central skatepark that opened last month to local residents. Designed by a Cape Town-based multidisciplinary team, the skatepark was built after being named as the professional winners of the PLAYscapes design competition last October.

Organized by the Building Trust International, the competition garnered more than 500 submissions. The jury evaluated the entries to find the most inventive transformations of neglected city spaces into fun interactive places for local communities.

Here's a video of the Mill Park's grand opening.

The Mill Park Launch Video from Rowen Smith on Vimeo.

Check out some recent photos of the park right below.

"A multidisciplinary team from the City of Cape Town were announced as the Professional winners in a design competition that has turned a neglected forgotten underpass into an interactive playscape. The competition had over 500 registered entrants and a jury including representatives from Building Trust International, Project for Public Spaces, BMW Guggenheim Lab, Landscape Architects Network, 3Space, Neon Stash and academics and professionals from the fields of architecture and landscape design."

"The design competition asked for a PLAYscape proposal that created community involvement and could turn an unused space into a place for public interaction and creativity. The winning design: Cape Town Mill St skatepark re-uses a space transforming an under used and blighted underpass into a community led skate park. In the year that Cape Town is   World Design Capital, the cities first central skatepark opened on Saturday August 2 to crowds of eager Cape Town residents who waited for their turn to try out their new innovative skatepark."

"Skateboarding is strictly forbidden in public spaces in Cape Town, therefore the skatepark is an incredible opportunity for enthusiastic skaters, bladers and bikers to make use of the new space to practise their skills together. It is hoped that this will be the first of many innovative open spaces in the city."

"David Cole founding partner of Building Trust international said, 'The project has the potential to become a flagship in regenerating other areas both in Cape Town and other cities. We hope this is the first of many skateparks in Cape Town!'

'The official opening ceremony was a huge success. Politicians were very impressed by the number of people that came. The skaters ages ranged from 3-40 with a wide diversity in culture, religion and race.' Shuaib Philander of 20SK8."

"The aim of the competition was to show how creatively we can make cities fun places with opportunities for interaction and play. The competition sought out fun and exciting new ways to get people to interact with the city on a different level. Regeneration of cities should not just be about increasing value and foot fall but should capture people’s imaginations making them want to get involved and experiment with new things."

All photos courtesy of Building Trust International.