WITH an ever-increasing population in the inner city, Johannesburg is determined
to create an inner city where people want to work, live and relax. This includes
the creation of user-friendly public spaces.
The most well-known of the inner city parks is Joubert Park, with the Johannesburg Art Gallery on the
southern side. Here local residents can meet, play chess, or simply chill under
the trees.
Many of the inner city parks
are a well-kept secret, hidden from sight amongst the high-rise buildings or
fly-overs. They offer residents an outdoor space to relax, or a place to picnic
with families on the weekends.
Other parks in the inner city include the Alec Gorschell Park; the Pieter
Roos Park; and the Wilds.
Some parks, however, need maintenance or upgraded security systems to
encourage more people to make use of such open space.
Certain of the local streets have been revamped and turned into
pedestrian areas, where residents or workers can take a time out during a lunch
or tea-break. Main Street in the CBD
has outdoor eateries and places to sit and unwind, while in Braamfontein public
art works in the forms of trees or sculptures have been erected to beautify
the surrounds.
The streets of the inner city are also often used for carnival parades,
such as the annual celebrations for the
New Year.
Landmarks in the inner city, including Constitution Hill, the Drill Hall
and Mary Fitzgerald Square are also places were people meet and greet one
another. Here there are not the typical park features of trees and grass, but
spaces with places to eat and places of historical or cultural interest to
visit. These public places often form the central venue of a number of city
events - such as the Diwali festival
in Newtown, or Human Rights Day at Constitution Hill.
The key to the inner city's public spaces is to make them part of the
everyday life of the inner city's diverse communities.
The regeneration initiatives of the City have identified several areas
that will expand this sector:
Related stories:
Turning the inner city into Jozi's playground
A
number of interventions have been put on the table to turn Joburg's inner city
into a vibrant artistic and cultural hub, cementing the city's reputation as the
cultural capital of the country.
Read more
City's public art in the spotlight
An all-embracing
plan is being drawn up to encourage new forms of creative expression, and to
care and maintain the current artworks found in Joburg's public spaces.
Read more
The Wilds is now a conservation area
Education will
be a primary focus at The Wilds, which has been fenced and is now a safe refuge
from the bustle of city life.
Read more
<< Back to Inner City home page
|
