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Citichat archive
October 31, 2005: Controversy swirls around GPG precinct
WHILE supporting the proposal to form a provincial government precinct, Neil Fraser believes the decision to demolish 10 heritage buildings must be appealed.
October 24, 2005: Farewell to old buildings
Sahra's decision is a sad day for heritage preservation, writes Neil Fraser.
October 17, 2005: Public transport needs attention
OCTOBER is Public Transport Month, and people have been urged to use trains, taxis, buses and bicycles. Neil Fraser raises a few difficulties.
October 10, 2005: 119 - a good age for reflection
AT 119, Jozi is still a city in a million. At the same time uniquely gifted and uniquely challenging, it thrills like no other world city, says Neil Fraser.
October 3, 2005: GPG precinct tests democracy
THE final Heritage Impact Assessment Report has found that the proposed new Gauteng provincial government precinct is not such a good idea.
September 26, 2005: Further lessons from Colorado
COLORADO'S cities of Denver and Boulder may have a lot to offer, but they lack the raw energy of Jozi, says Neil Fraser.
September 19, 2005: A few lessons from Colorado
ITS downtown area may be a bit plain, but the neighbouring Lo Do is a stylish and vibrant hub for Denver residents.
September 12, 2005: Seeing SA through tourist eyes
IT IS easy to be critical of one's own country, but delighted tourists have a less jaundiced eye, Neil Fraser discovers.
September 5, 2005: Listen to the whistleblowers
AS THE crisis in New Orleans shows, city development needs to be done sensitively and with the future in mind, Neil Fraser has found.
August 29, 2005: Heritage: thinking outside the box
THERE are examples Johannesburg can investigate to find real, workable solutions to funding the preservation of its heritage buildings.
August 22, 2005: Brickfields brings rebirth to communities
OPENED by President Thabo Mbeki, the Brickfields housing project has grown abundance where once was wasteland.
August 15, 2005: Women's Gaol is a powerful symbol
ACCORDING to the Concise Oxford Dictionary, bittersweet means pleasure tinged with pain or sorrow. It is a fitting word to describe the Women's Gaol.
August 8, 2005: Time has come for action
THE time has come for the police, the City and the province to deal decisively with the increasing trend of gangsters hijacking buildings.
August 1, 2005: World Cup can boost Jozi's public transport
THE 2010 Soccer World Cup will give Johannesburg the opportunity to deal with its public transport infrastructure for the years beyond the football.
July 25, 2005: Fifty-nine months and counting
JOHANNESBURG can use the 2010 Soccer World Cup as a unique opportunity to motivate and educate its citizens, and to accelerate City programmes and projects.
July 18, 2005: It's the singing premier, the train and the plain
TWO provincial projects are under scrutiny - the progress of the Gautrain rapid rail system and the proposed Gauteng Provincial Government Precinct in downtown Johannesburg.
July 11, 2005: Building Joburg's legal precinct
IT HAS had a chequered history, and now there are plans to upgrade the city's legal precinct to restore its former glory.
July 4, 2005: Exciting plans for Soweto
SOWETO'S huge population has not been catered for in terms of retail or business space. However, the Soweto Development Initiative is set to change that.
June 27, 2005: Kliptown rises from the dusty field
THE former mayor of Bogota focused on developing his city for the majority of people - the lower income group. He established open public spaces and prioritised public transport.
June 20, 2005: Cities should focus on human happiness
THE former mayor of Bogota focused on developing his city for the majority of people - the lower income group. He established open public spaces and prioritised public transport.
June 13, 2005: Bogota finds a workable solution
IN EUROPE, pedestrianised streets seem to work. This is not the case in the US, for a number of reasons. South Africa can take a leaf out of Bogota's book, however, and build urban spaces around the needs of the poor.
June 6, 2005: A pedestrianised city is not the answer
MANY cities have turned to banning vehicles from sections of their streets, creating pedestrianised malls. However, this frequently fails to revive an ailing downtown.
May 30, 2005: What of the future of downtown?
AS PEOPLE moved to the suburbs, shops and businesses followed. Many efforts to restore city centres across the US and Europe have failed, with many valuable lessons to learn.
May 23, 2005: Raise a toast to Charles
JOBURG has always been a hard drinking, hard partying town. It forged a close relationship with SAB in the early days, and is now celebrating SABMiller's good fortunes alongside its own regeneration in Newtown.
May 16, 2005: Whatever happened to community?
JOHANNESBURG'S Human Development Strategy offers an opportunity to get the community back on board when taking urban renewal decisions.
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Braamfontein
View across Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown
The original station entrance
About Citichat
Neil Fraser is a partner in 'Neil Fraser & Associates trading as Urban
Inc.' an urban consultancy dedicated to the revitalisation and
regeneration of cities and of the inner city of Johannesburg in
particular. He can be contacted at (083) 456 0242 or (011) 444-4895 or
by e-mail at neil@urbaninc.co.za.
Citichat is a free weekly publication concerning cities generally and
Johannesburg specifically. Please forward Citichat to your colleagues
who may wish to be placed on the subscription list. To subscribe please
contact us at info@urbaninc.co.za.
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May 9, 2005: Property and people - it is good news week
FROM the opening of 1 Central Place in Newtown to the mayor's drive to register the poor for services subsidies and the City's Human Development Strategy, it has been a red-letter week for Joburg.
May 3, 2005: Learning curve in Istanbul
THE recent Retail Real Estate World Summit left many impressions: the friendly face of Wal-Mart, the future economic titans, and what we can learn from the fascinating city of Istanbul.
April 25, 2005: Food for thought from Istanbul
AN international conference in Istanbul on retail real estate highlights, once again, the huge differences in the property arena between the developed and developing world.
April 18, 2005: Newtown on the move
THE Johannesburg Art Gallery will be in illustrious company once the collections are moved to its new home in Newtown. But what is to become of its present home should not be ignored.
April 11, 2005: Hazeldene Hall - Putting Money where the Mouth is
RECOGNISING the value of Hazeldene Hall in Parktown, better known over the past decade as the Sir Herbert Baker Restaurant, one company has managed to restore one of the city's heritage assets
April 4, 2005: Melville Koppies - more than just a pretty place!
JOBURG has a rich history far older than colonialism and the gold rush would have us believe. Melville Koppies was home to prehistoric people as long ago as 100 000 years.
March 24, 2005: The Johannesburg Art Gallery - Quo Vadis?
The decision to move the Johannesburg Art Gallery is a coup for the Newtown development, but it raises the question of what happens with the current Joubert Park precinct?
March 22, 2005: It's good news when parties come to the city
With a social calendar again chock-a-block with functions, Neil Fraser celebrates a quirky benchmark: the return of the party people to the inner city.
March 14, 2005: Personal changes - and transport drivers!
Back from a two-month break, Neil Fraser updates readers on changes in
his personal situation, and discusses the transport strike.
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