|
Successes and challenges were thrashed out at the quarterly meeting of the Inner City Charter Partnership Forum, which tracks the progress of the Inner City Regeneration Charter.
ISSUES affecting the inner city - like urban management and residential developments, safety and security, public open spaces and transport - were hammered out at the seventh Inner City Charter Partnership Forum meeting, held at the Hillbrow Health Precinct.
Speaking at the meeting on Tuesday, 1 September Executive Mayor Amos Masondo reminded attendees that it was imperative for all stipulations of the Inner City Regeneration Charter to be achieved to the satisfaction of all stakeholders.
Executive mayor Amos Masondo and inner city programme manager, Santhurie Naidoo
Masondo was chairing the quarterly meeting, which brings together interested and affected parties, among them architects, property developers, the South African National Traders Alliance, Johannesburg Inner City Business Coalition, Yeoville Stakeholders' Forum, City officials, migrants, informal traders, inner city stakeholders and residents.
Highlighting the City's successes since the regeneration charter was adopted in 2007, Masondo noted that new lanes and stations for the Bus Rapid Transit had been constructed, new pavements and street lights had been erected, trees had been planted, parks redeveloped and linear markets established.
Challenges
Issues like pointsmen at congested and busy intersections, foreign nationals squatting in Smal Street and the building of schools in the inner city were still challenges. Complaints like the lack of visible policing in some areas, uncontrolled informal trading and the lack of co-ordination between the Joburg metro police and the Metropolitan Trading Company in confiscating goods from illegal traders were noted.
David Tembe, the metro police's director of operations, said his unit had deployed new staff who could tackle law enforcement effectively. He conceded, however, that the challenge was prompt response at busy intersections and alleviating traffic congestion during peak hours.
Leslie Magoro, the deputy director of project implementation and monitoring in the department of housing, said the City would work with various stakeholders to ensure that at least 50 000 new residential units were constructed by 2015.
Phase one of that project had been approved by the mayoral committee in November 2007.
"Phase two of the plan will be completed by December 2009, subject to the finalisation of the inclusionary housing policy by the national government, the completion of the bad building policy and the inner city property scheme," he explained.
Many attendees gave all the presentations the thumps up, with just a handful criticising the slow or lack of implementation of certain programmes and projects, especially programmes that affect the youth.
The charter
The charter proposes that all stakeholders envisage the inner city as a "vibrant business heart of Johannesburg ... which balances future commercial, retail and light manufacturing development with a large increase in residential density". It was adopted by the City and other stakeholders in a bid to ensure that Johannesburg's inner city became a vibrant, world-class space.
It provides a platform to strengthen ongoing dialogue and debate on basic issues of regenerating the inner city.
Masondo spoke about the successes of partnerships, and highlighted some of the challenges facing the inner city. He said it was important to strengthen partnerships and ensure that service was delivered.
Johannesburg is one of the world's rapidly growing metropolitan areas. It has an official population of more than three million people, and remains spatially, socially and economically divided. Its trends and topography increases and alters with its growing population almost every year.
The dense and rising population and rapid urbanisation has brought many challenges, including a huge demand for accommodation, water, transport and health care services, as well as jobs.
Great strides
Masondo noted that the City had made great strides in ensuring that Johannesburg became a world-class, African city, but said more work needed to be done.
It was on course to deliver on its mandate, including on projects like the Constitutional Hill precinct, fashion district, the Main Street Mall, Metro Mall, Mary Fitzgerald Square, Faraday Taxi Rank, the upgrading of Braamfontein, Nelson Mandela Bridge, Brickfields housing development and the Hillbrow Health Precinct.
Santhurie Naidoo, the inner city programme manager, said future plans in the inner city included the upgrading of public environments, transitional housing, creating of iconic public spaces, full CCTV coverage of the inner city, the realisation of the inner city property scheme and upgrading of inner city clinics, to list a few.
The next quarterly charter meeting will be held on 24 November.
Related stories:
|
