Following the signing in 2007 of the Inner City Charter, a strategic agreement between inner city stakeholders that outlines how the City will address issues of urban regeneration and economic development, the council approved the Inner City Urban Design Implementation Plan (ICUDIP).
This plan identified the commercial core of the inner city as one of the top eight strategic catalytic intervention areas for regeneration in the short term. The ICUDIP reflects the need to establish a walkable network of pedestrian friendly routes supported by good quality public open spaces that link people to the public transportation interchanges and the range of private and public amenities in this part of the inner city.
Against this backdrop, the City of Johannesburg prioritised the inner city core for public environment upgrading in years three and four of the charter implementation period. It is to be funded through the inner city upgrading capital allocation in the budget of the department of development planning and urban management, and to be implemented by the JDA.
The upgrade of the inner city core began with the Retail Improvement District (RID) in 2008/09. The RID is bounded by Jeppe Street in the north, Commissioner Street in the south, Harrison Street in the west and Von Brandis Street in the east. The JDA began by upgrading the lighting; it also produced an urban design framework that identified public environment upgrading projects for implementation.
Two projects identified in the plan were then designed for implementation in 2009/10: the upgrade of Ernest Oppenheimer Park, and a food court on Kerk Street at Von Brandis Street.
The RID urban design framework was expanded in 2009/10 to focus beyond the original boundaries, to include the larger commercial core of the inner city which was defined as the area between Sauer Street in the west, Bree Street in the north, Mooi Street in the east and Commissioner Street in the south.
Rising out of the dust, the inner city of Joburg grew from a gold rush tent town in 1886 to the financial and commercial hub of Africa in just more than a century. In less than two decades after its formal proclamation, the broad outlines of the inner city as we know it today, were already well established.
Once home to the stock exchange and numerous corporate head offices, in the 1980s the inner city went through a period of decline. Since then, however, it has turned the corner with revitalisation efforts from the public and private sectors gaining momentum. The JDA, as the agency tasked to work with other City agencies and departments to realise this revitalisation, has played a pivotal role in putting the inner city back on the map. The JDA’s mandate is to stimulate and support area-based economic development initiatives throughout the Johannesburg metropolitan area in support of Joburg 2030.
A large part of its activities has been focused around the inner city, with Newtown, Ellis Park, Braamfontein, the High Court and various other precincts benefiting from development initiatives it has initiated.
An integral part of the JDA’s vision for Johannesburg’s core is that it should be a 24-hour city that is vibrant, walkable and central to the metropolis’s cultural life. To bring this vision to fruition, it has assisted in the creation of public open spaces, parks, pedestrian walkways and proper informal trading facilities.
Undoubtedly the heart of Johannesburg, the inner city today is not only a commercial and economic hub but also the home of thousands of people, both locals and foreigners. And, as a major cross-border centre with neighbouring African countries, it is estimated that some 900 000 people move in and out of the inner city daily, working and trading within its boundaries.
A key location and transportation hub, the inner city is the biggest transport interchange in the country, featuring many different modes – car, taxi, bus and train, local, national and international.
It is also home to many large corporate institutions, mining houses and financial concerns which anchor the city’s and the country’s economy. All of these aspects have added colour and culture to an already cosmopolitan and vibrant place.
Iconic landmarks are found throughout the inner city: the Hillbrow tower, the diamond-like building of Diagonal Street, the Carlton Centre, Constitution Hill and Nelson Mandela Bridge, to name a few. And with its regeneration through the Inner City Regeneration Charter, more public open spaces and public art have seen the light. Today, Joburg’s core is truly becoming a walkable, green city.
The inner city is bounded by Yeoville and Braamfontein in the north, Marshalltown and Benrose in the south, Vrededorp and Fordsburg in the west, and Jeppestown, Bertrams and Troyeville in the east.
The five-year public environment upgrade programme prioritised the following precincts for investment over the five years of the Inner City Charter:
- Year 1: Hillbrow, Berea and Yeoville;
- Year 2: Doornfontein, Ellis Park and Bertrams;
- Year 3: Pageview, Fordsburg, Vrededorp and the Retail Improvement District;
- Year 4: The core CBD; and
- Year 5: The southwestern part of the inner city.
2007/08 Year 1 – Hillbrow, Berea, Yeoville
In this year, R162-million was allocated for public environment upgrades in Hillbrow, Berea and Yeoville. Approximately 150 city blocks were targeted. Three categories of streets were upgraded: high streets (like Pretoria and Kotze streets in Hillbrow, and Rockey / Raleigh street in Yeoville), activity streets and residential streets.
Work included lighting, paving, street trees, benches, bins, bollards, bus shelters, pedestrian guard railings, and other street furniture. A sanitary lane upgrade project refurbished 12 priority lanes.
2008/09 Year Two – Doornfontein, Ellis Park and Bertrams
In year two, focus shifted to the western precinct of Pageview, Fordsburg and Vrededorp, and the eastern precinct of Doornfontein, Ellis Park and Bertrams, but there was still work to be done in Hillbrow, Berea and Yeoville. Projects included the eKhaya neighbourhood and park, Governor’s House and the Quartz Street linear market in Hillbrow.
Finally, in anticipation of the year three focus, some money was spent on public environment upgrading and the Moth building (for transitional housing) in the RID in the core CBD.
2009/10 Year 3 – Pageview, Fordsburg, Vrededorp and the RID
Fordsburg street upgrades and the Fordsburg market were completed. In the RID, the work involved upgrading part of Joubert Street, Ernest Oppenheimer Park, Kerk Street, Sauer Street and the Bree Street Triangle.
The Ntemi Piliso Gateway was completed and the Moth building refurbishment was completed.
2010/11 Year 4 – The core CBD
Continuing from the previous two year’s work, the purpose of the development in 2010/11 is to create a pedestrian friendly and walkable urban environment through the establishment of a network of public spaces.
The project will seek to improve continuity and connectivity for pedestrians towards and between places of work, public transport and other facilities. It will also strive to improve access to spaces for recreational and social purposes. The project area is defined as between De Villiers Street in the north, Commissioner Street in the south, Sauer Street in the west, and End Street in the east.
In 2011/12, year five, the focus will move to the extreme southwestern part of the inner city.