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:

• Parks, playgrounds and other public places
• Walkable streets/public environment upgrading
• Iconic public places
• The visual cityscape
• Public events and public art

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.
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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.
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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.
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