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Est 2009 Issue 16 - 2015
23 - 30 April 2015
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New move to reclaim inner-city ‘This was developed following an extensive review of the progress, successes and shortcomings of the Inner City Charter and alignment with the City’s Growth and Development Strategy 2040’ Johannesburg - The City of Joburg has introduced a new strategy to breathe life back into the inner city, according to Development Planning MMC Roslynn Greeff, who is also assigned to Region F. She says the Inner City Roadmap, spearheaded by Mayor Parks Tau, has taken over from the Inner City Charter, developed in the previous administration. “The Inner City Charter was a regenerative strategy focusing on property and environmental upgrades. The Inner City Roadmap,
on the other hand, is a transformative, precinct-based approach,” Greeff says. She adds that the battle against crime, grime and urban decay started in 2007 after the inner city lost its allure, following the flight of investors and capital to upmarket areas such as Rosebank and Sandton. “Under the Inner City Roadmap, the fight to restore the inner city to its former glory has now moved up a gear,” she says. In his recent State of the Province address Gauteng Premier David
The new inner-city regeneration project is set to improve the working and living conditions of Joburg residents.
Makhura said the provincial government would over the next five years mobilise R10 billion in public and private investments to regenerate the Johannesburg CBD. MMC Greeff says the Inner City Roadmap was developed following an extensive review of the progress, successes and shortcomings of the Inner City Charter and alignment with the City’s Growth and Development Strategy 2040. “Almost R2-billion had been spent around the city; greening public spaces, upgrading derelict buildings, devel-
oping the Rea Vaya BRT system, upgrading housing and other infrastructure and making the city more eco-friendly, under the Inner City Charter.” MMC Greeff says the inner- city seemed like a huge construction site; first with the construction of the Rea Vaya system lanes and stations, and then with the laying out of cycling lanes and the building of new malls. “The Troyeville Hotel was restored, so was Chancellor House, which housed the law firm run by
struggle stalwarts Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo in the 1950s. Unlike the Inner City Charter, which lasted five years from 2007 to 2012; the Inner City Roadmap is a longterm strategy. This is a holistic approach to addressing the challenges in the Inner City. The strategy was approved by the mayoral committee in September 2014 and it has since been all hands on deck. Implementation is under way. We are planning to officially launch the Roadmap before the end of this financial year,” MMC Greeff adds.