Neil Fraser
August 25, 2003
ALLIED to the launch of the Brickfields project the power of "residential ripple-ponds" also came home to me forcibly last week when I was doing some quick research into international fashion districts. Sounds convoluted? Probably is but, I hope to pull my thoughts together along the way, if I don't achieve coherence, my apologies, it's been a tough week!
The "ripple-pond" imagery was enunciated by Lael Bethlehem, head of the City's Economic Development Unit, when she suggested some new thinking regarding an Inner City Regeneration Strategy. She also used the reverse image of "ripple-ponds" - "sinkholes" - the 'black holes' of the urban fabric that we certainly experience in the inner city.
Properties are abandoned or deliberately neglected. Rates are not paid and compound into huge arrears. Water, electricity and waste disposal services are cut off due to non-payment. At some stage the space, clearly uncared for, attracts either those desperate for shelter or the unscrupulous and criminal elements that 'let' the space.
What is clearly uninhabitable space becomes an overcrowded cesspool and the effect, like an urban disease, starts to contaminate firstly the surrounding environment and ultimately the adjoining buildings which are 'sucked' into the ever increasing hole.
Ripple-ponds on the other hand, are initiatives that provide a dramatic re-incarnation of the environment generating an ever-widening positive impact on the urban fabric. We need ripple-ponds if we are going to achieve our goal of being a 24/7 city.
Well, the economic power that a strong residential presence can provide was what forcibly struck me when looking at the structure of some of the American Fashion or Garment centres. Yes, I know we are talking of first world cities with vastly different economic structures but it is the effect that they achieve that has to provide us with focus.
New York's Fashion Centre area houses a population of 10 500 (2002), many unmarried, mainly in the 20 to 44 year-old sector (median age 38.3), quite affluent. They offer a retail potential of $166 million per annum. But, there are another 234 000 employees living close enough to the area to shop there and studies reflect that their average spend near the workplace is a conservative $3 900 per capita.
Between the two groups that translates into just over a billion dollars a year retail potential (anticipated to grow to just under one-a-half-billion dollars a year by 2012) Last year's billion dollars-plus was spent as follows; $337-million on GAFO (general merchandise, apparel and accessories, furniture and appliances and other comparison goods) - $162-million on convenience and service - and a staggering $581-million on eating and drinking.
Yeah, I said it before, I know its New York, and that it is hardly translatable into South African rands for lower to middle income earners - but get a life, divide it by whatever you want - its still a lot of loot and the principle is what we must strive for! All I'm using the figures for is to show the power of residential disposable income from folks living near where they work.
When writing this I was reminded of an e-mail that I'd received way back in May. After re-reading the writer's comments I think that their relevance and the introduction of some fresh views and experiences make them highly 'shareable' so I have included them in full. The author, a South African architect now living in Dublin, Ireland wrote:
"It was only recently that I discovered your column on the web and do find a lot of pleasure from the idea that the city of Johannesburg is systematically being transformed back into an urban centre. One of the main reasons why I felt at the time that I had to get out of Jozi was because this suburban commute culture tapped too much energy from me. There didn't seem to be any alternative lifestyles on offer. Imagine a professional person being able to cycle to work or walk into town to do your shopping. Those options are simply not available for people who want to actively participate in the economy but don't want to spend most of their disposable incomes on cars and insurance.
"The rejuvenation of the city centre will hopefully create a new public space that will make it possible for all South Africans to participate in the larger community in contrast to the current trend of reinforcing an economic apartheid through the creation of gated communities. I am writing from Dublin where I've been living for the past three years and am one of the many South African architects who have been working here. Most of the work that we do is in the field of high-density housing. The projects that we do are mainly infill buildings into the existing urban fabric and new urban design.
Even though Dublin is a now a very wealthy European city I think that there are a lot lessons that can be learned from how the city fathers transformed this place within one decade from being a backwater to one of the most vibrant cities in Europe.
An obvious method was by building thousands of new apartments that brought young people back into the centre. This was after a period of nearly forty years during which not a single private residential development was built in the city centre.
The interesting experiment though is the cultural precinct of Temple Bar. One of the reasons why this became so successful, is because of the small urban grain and high density of the area. Most of the streets are narrow pedestrian laneways and there are two public squares. It is possible to explore the entire area by foot and the combination of residential, commercial and cultural facilities ensure that there is constant flow of pedestrian traffic.
Even though I applaud the concepts and developments that are being proposed in an area like Newtown, I do feel that a lot of the new projects in Johannesburg are still of a massive scale and these super blocks with sky bridges are actually defeating the purpose of creating viby places. It is difficult to imagine any one area in Johannesburg where a tourist can go to, spend an afternoon walking around and feel that they have experienced the centre or the essence of the city, that intensive clash of all the different cultures. It is all there, it is just not very accessible to outsiders. I suppose that what I am aiming to say is that a place like that can be created artificially and tastefully without doing the casino style intellectual insult. It can be a very important generator for urban renewal and it doesn't have to cost the earth.
What makes Temple Bar so attractive is the fact that a lot of new modern and cutting edge buildings were inserted into the existing urban fabric. It created new and unique places that were designed by the talented local architects for people like themselves.
A lot of the buildings are the result of architectural competitions Many of these buildings are very small and they are not particularly expensive either, but they do generate an excitement and creative energy.
There is so much talent in South Africa; I think that the City Council of Johannesburg should do what they can to promote good design, because they can't sell the city as a sea view or river frontage or flat mountain. They have to sell the city for what it is: an exciting energetic city with a diversity of cultures and a magnet for creative talent".
Amen brother!
