Little Camissa and The Loop are set to join the likes of Bokaap, Tamboerskloof and De Waterkant as names given to Cape Town’s unique neighbourhoods. The first phase of the Name Your Hood initiative concluded on Monday, 8th August, and with it two democratically named neighbourhoods were delivered from Name Your Hood.

The Name Your Hood project aims to unearth creative and original names for as yet unnamed neighbourhoods in the ‘City Bowl’ through a dynamic and inclusive process. Participants are encouraged to explore the city’s distinctiveness, heritage, history and unique character and to then submit their own names for clearly-defined neighbourhoods.

The initiative strives to capture each neighbourhood’s unique ethos and then the public’s imagination – as the names are decided by public vote. Following a three-week period which garnered over 450 submissions and then thousands of votes, ‘Little Camissa’ and ‘The Loop’ were elected as the most popular names for the first two neighbourhoods.

“Little Camissa”

The first, ‘Little Camissa’, submitted by Rouen Smit, is the name that received the most votes for the area bordered by Kloof Nek Road, Camp Street, Molteno Road and Belluvue St. The spine of this area is upper Kloof Street. Mr Smit explained his motivation for the name, saying: “The area is just a small part of where many Camissa fountains from Cape Town burst into the open – providing clean water. So it’s just ‘Little Camissa’ – Little Place of Sweet Waters.”

“The Loop”

‘The Loop’, meanwhile, is the name given to the neighbourhood between Buitengracht and Loop, Strand and Buitensingel St. The winning name was submitted by Celeste Van Dijk and she says her motivation for the name included several reasons, including the fact that “the boundary streets form a loop and Bree Street was made wider to allow wagons to make U-turns or “loop” around. “Loop” is the Afrikaans word for walk and this hood is made for walkin’!”

Valuable support has been offered by key stakeholders such as Cape Town Tourism, Cape Town Partnership, Accelerate Cape Town and Wesgro, which will see the names established and set to endure. Local businesses are also showing their support, with Pam Golding Properties, Mr Delivery, Groupon and vida e caffé, as well as other smaller neighbourhood establishments all on board. On completion of the naming process and in partnership with Cape Town Tourism and Creative Cape Town, the project will see new tourist maps printed and distributed throughout the City to include the new neighbourhood names.

The Name Your Hood project aims to roll out across the entire city over time. Two new neighbourhoods are now open for submissions. Submissions can be made online or through a number of voting booths which will be available in participating shops throughout the city. So visit www.nameyourhood.co.za and make sure you submit your uniquely Capetonian neighbourhood name.