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There is a lot of work to be done this year in the inner city, to build on what happened in 2008. Ringing the changes already are Newtown, Braamfontein and Yeoville-Bellevue.
 A BELATED welcome to 2009 - it looks set to be a critical year for the inner city with a myriad of issues to be resolved and projects and processes to be completed or re-energised.
Clearly the international and local economic climate will have an impact on development in the inner city. Maybe that will provide an opportunity to focus on issues that normally do not receive the attention they require and deserve, such as social cohesion, proper enforcement, environmental issues, culture and heritage.
In one of the last Citichat's of 2008 I reported on the comments made by Rasna Warah, the editor of the UN Habitat Report, State of the world's cities 2008/2009, when she said: "There is a tendency for cities to become the same as other cities and they lose their attractiveness. Cities that have retained their heritage have grown their economies - you need to focus on cultural and heritage aspects to bring out your city's intangible assets such as the ‘soul of the city.'"
But even my own passion for the place that heritage preservation and cultural development play in city renewal are secondary to one of the most urgent issues the report highlights - that of inequality. The report states that while inequality (measured through the Gini coefficient) varies considerably among less-developed regions, the divide is most noticeable in African and Latin American cities.
"In both regions, the gulf is often extreme compared to Europe and Asia, where urban inequality levels are relatively low.
Inequality
"South African cities top the list of the world's most unequal cities [and Johannesburg tops the list of South African and thus world cities!], followed by Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala and Mexico. Urban inequalities in this highly unequal region are not only increasing, but are becoming more entrenched, which suggests that failures in wealth distribution are largely the result of structural or systemic flaws."
Warah's presentation stressed that "inequalities in income and in access to adequate shelter are socially and economically unacceptable, leading to social unrest, the reduction of economic efficiency and investment, and the diversion of funds to security".
Anna Tibaijuka, the executive director of UN Habitat, commenting on the report, said: "The proportion of people living in slum conditions in wealthy countries could rise because of the credit crunch. With one billion people already living in slums at the dawn of the new urban era, the report warned of unrest should governments fail to tackle the urban poverty crisis more seriously."
City AGMs
This same message was delivered to the combined annual general meetings of the City's municipal-owned entities on 23 January and attended by the executive mayor and his mayoral committee politicians, top officials and directors of the entities. This time the message was delivered, quite brilliantly, by William Janisch, a global specialist in social and environmental accounting in his presentation on black economic empowerment.
One of the statistics he presented was from a recent survey that reflects that the 89 percent of assets held in South Africa in white hands in 2004 has risen now to 92 percent. For years I have bemoaned the fact that, while the ownership of property in the inner city has changed hands from a small number of institutions to a larger number of individuals or private companies, the tragedy is that those hands are predominantly white. Yes, I know all the arguments about why, but I don't know the "how-to-change-it" formula. 2009 holds some big challenges!
Goodbye 2008
I finished off last year's Citichats with an overview of what had and hadn't transpired in the inner city during 2008 and some of what one could possibly expect from this year on. Had a number of emails from readers providing additional information, for which I thank them. There was a question as to why I hadn't included Jeppestown and areas east of Hillbrow/Berea. Good question because it does fall within the inner city area - mea culpa.
Another email led me to meet the author and do a walkabout of the Braamfontein area to the west of Jan Smuts Avenue/Bertha Street and south of the University of the Witwatersrand. He wrote:
"You might be pleased to know that The Silos in Newtown (the smaller set on Carr Street, immediately next to the Remade Waste Depot), are to be converted to sectional title residential units next year, and hopefully by the time you send out your 2009 Overview they will be well on their way to completion."
At a meeting I attended earlier in the year, it was mentioned that Newtown was really set to take off and I had mentioned all the projects in last year's round up with the exception of the silos referred to above, and the fact that Sci Bono was likely to extend on its western edge when the work on its eastern edge was complete. The letter went on:
"In Braamfontein, the club previously known as Heartlands has been redeveloped and is due to open in February 2009. Also, No 40 De Korte has been purchased and revamped by City Parks and they have taken occupation which we are very pleased about. Further west in De Korte Street, the National Bargaining Council for the Road Freight Industry decided against selling their buildings and leasing elsewhere and have instead spent a fortune redeveloping their two buildings which are at 31 and 29 De Korte Street. No 1 Henri Street (corner Smit) was previously the home to the Progressive Primary School but is now home to Heads Model Agency and two of Johannesburg's biggest (in terms of height) film studios - built to BBC spec apparently. The last building on the left in De Korte Street was previously known as Everite House but this is now the home of SAMRO, the South African Music Rights Organisation, and they have spent many millions making the building suitable for their requirements.
Sinkholes
"On a tour that I did with you three years ago, you spoke about ‘sinkholes' and 33 De Korte Street definitely fell within that classification. There were 40 students living in the building, which had not been converted to accommodate students, and next to the building was a vacant stand (at No 19 Henri Street) with squatters and squatter shacks. 33 De Korte and the vacant stand at 19 Henri Street have been bought from two different owners and the building at 33 De Korte has been completely redeveloped with the entrance now being from the Henri Street side with parking on the vacant stand at 19 Henri."
33 De Korte is now home to Gatsby Property Brokers, which owns the building. I was also taken on a tour of No 1 Henri Street and met the owner of the development which contains the film studios that have been created from the industrial building previously on the site. This is a large specialist development catering to the film and TV industries. The upper floor was still under construction when I visited at the end of last year, but is planned as a major entertainment facility in the area with superb views over the city.
Yeoville-Bellevue
Then, Maurice Smithers wrote "Thanks for the update. Maybe it would be good to talk about the east rather than the north for Yeoville-Bellevue, Ellis Park, Bertrams, Doornfontein etc, with Hillbrow, Berea and Braamfontein being north." (Thanks Maurice, I stand corrected!)
"Also worth mentioning in Yeoville-Bellevue is the building of a new library in the old tram shed, thereby preserving and using a heritage building as well as creating a library four times the size of the existing one, with a separate children's library and a separate reading and study room for learners. It's worth a visit - it could possibly be the most attractive or among the most attractive libraries in the city.
"The swimming pool has also undergone a major upgrade, with repairs to the pools themselves and upgrades to the change rooms and toilets and the electrical rewiring of the buildings. I was there on Thursday, 29 February and it was incredible to see the number of kids enjoying themselves in the water.
"The [Johannesburg Development Agency] has not finished yet. It will be upgrading the recreation centre in the new year and installing public art in the new library and in the park.
Yeovue News
"Finally, I think our weekly newsletter is worth mentioning as well as my appointment as the development co-ordinator for the area in the Office of the executive director, development planning and urban management (though I am based in Yeoville-Bellevue). This is an unusual posting and one which is seen as a pilot project that could be replicated elsewhere. This is especially so as my deliverables are communication, which is often not enough of a focus for development programmes, and the establishment of a Community Development Trust, which will source funds from public and private sources to enable the community of Yeoville-Bellevue to drive a process of development rather than be dependent on a process driven by local government or private developers.
"Maybe a mention in Citichat can attract some funding for us! Or even an invitation or two to participate in global workshops that are looking at community-driven development processes and the lessons to be learnt from each other."
Had a read through the newsletter Maurice refers to, in my case the Yeovue News of 3 January and it is very well done. The editorial is a call for the local community to "organise and mobilise" ("The more we organise ourselves, the more we can do to change our lives"). There is a summary of by-laws, which is a brilliant idea as so few people actually know what by-laws are in existence, and, there is a list of local organisations and institutions that is extremely useful for the community.
A "letter from readers" caught my eye - it was addressing the issue of respect for the neighbourhood, neighbours, the street one lives on and the environment and brought up a terrible outcome of thoughtless littering. Evidently many of the pigeons around the Yeoville pool are walking on stumps because they have lost their feet!
"This is because their legs became entangled with the extensions thrown in the street by street hairdressers, causing a blockage to the blood in the feet. The feet then die and fall off."
While gruesome and horrible, the story does illustrate what littering can do and that we need so much more in the way of education and bins, bins and more bins!
If you want to receive Yeovue News (or provide some funding!), contact Maurice Smithers on
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Ciao, Neil
Walking tour: Braamfontein Ridge
Saturday, 7 February
Explore the forgotten buildings which adorn what was once government ridge. Institutions yes, but boring they are not: from the Children's Memorial Institute with its tiny Jewish and Christian chapels and the touching Memorial Hall honouring the soldiers of the Transvaal who died in World War 1, to the colonnade of the Measles Ward which is now a lively veranda for Braampark.
Daisy de Melker's ghost glides through the wards, but after dark when we will not be looking! It's uphill work with a fine view at the top. Meet William Gaul and Val Hammerton at 2pm and park at the Children's Memorial Institute (Gate 13), corner Joubert Street and Empire Road.
The cost is R55 for members of the Parktown and Westcliff Heritage Trust and R75 for non-members - booking is at Computicket. For information, telephone Eira Bond on weekdays between 9am and 1pm on 011 482 3349.
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