August 18, 2004
By Lebofsa Masha
THE Johannesburg Development Agency's (JDA) latest State of the Inner City report shows that the area is experiencing a new gold rush thanks to new investments from commercial and residential developers.
Commenting on the launch of the progress report in Newtown on Monday, 16 August, Johannesburg executive mayor, Amos Masondo, was full of praise for the successful initiatives which have restored business confidence in the area which inherited a legacy characterised by racially biased municipalities, unemployment, poor public health, poor access to water, sanitation and electricity and a lack of affordable housing.
Masondo said there were a number of positive indicators highlighting the growing momentum in the inner city's turnaround.
Besides increased attendance at cultural and entertainment venues such as Ellis Park and the Market Theatre, building plan approvals are significantly up, vacancy rates for city centre buildings are down; and business confidence has improved with satisfaction at the levels of cleanliness and low crime.
"Today, the inner city can be likened to a massive construction site," Masondo said, adding that developments such as Constitutional Hill, the Drill Hall in Joubert Park, the Health Precinct in Hillbrow and the Nelson Mandela Bridge in Newtown capture the exciting mood sweeping the inner city.
"These investments are an indication of an increase in business confidence. All of this bodes well for the city and its inhabitants," Masondo added.
Mayoral committee member responsible for the inner city, Sol Cowan, echoed his sentiments and gave a presentation showing the City's performance indicators, based on the economy and people's perceptions.
"The current wave of building activity and declining vacancies are indicative of the private sector's confidence in the City's catalytic initiatives. The turnaround achieved in Newtown, Braamfontein, Constitutional Hill and the CBD has been phenomenal," Cowan said.
Factors that influenced the evaluation of the state of the inner city were:
- Johannesburg as a 24-hour city;
- the property market;
- rentals
- business activity in impact areas
- perceptions and confidence in the city; and
- awareness of, and satisfaction, with the JDA.
The economic indicators show a marked upswing, with the property market showing increased building activity and a decline in vacancies; the rental market has increased slightly and is stabilising; the business activity reflects a 17 percent increase in turnover with a 34 percent increase in payrolls.
As regards Johannesburg as a 24-hour city, attendance at inner-city entertainment venues has shown a 23 percent increase since 2001.
Perceptions of the inner city relating to inner city improvement, cleanliness, crime, city life and business satisfaction, have increased from 50.3 percent last year to 57.5 percent currently.
The report also showed an increase in awareness of inner-city regeneration initiatives undertaken by the City of Johannesburg through the JDA. The JDA was established in 2001 as a City agency to initiate, stimulate and support development projects aimed at rejuvenating economic activity throughout the metropolitan area.
The report aims to monitor the Johannesburg's vision to become a world class-city offering service delivery and efficiency. The measurement tool is used world wide to gauge the levels of developmental progress in inner cities.
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