December 2, 2002
By Lucille Davie
THERE are grand plans afoot to make Johannesburg a 24-hour city, and they start with creating a long spine in the centre of the city.
"We have to have a strong spine to start," says Gerald Olitzki, inner city property developer, one of the brains behind the idea.
The spine incorporates sections of Main and Fox Streets which would be pedestrianised. It will consist of several blocks of Main Street, from West Street in the west (two blocks have already been closed) to Gandhi Square in the east. From the Square the spine goes a block up into Eloff Street then moves into Fox Street (also already pedestrianised for two blocks), includes the Carlton and Absa Centres, and ends at Polly Street in the east.
The north-south roads that cross Main and Fox Streets would still operate, and the spine, already a safe, clean office area patrolled by security guards, would become a demarcated, desirable city space.
Gandhi Square, in the spine, has been developed to create a pleasant people place where office workers will stay after 5pm and take in the restaurants, coffee bars and pubs that have been positioned around the Square, giving it a 24-hour life. The Square has been "given back to the public".
Olitzki says: "I don't believe a city with only offices is a city, we have to look at restaurants and tourism and look at the city holistically."
And that's exactly what he's doing. Once the spine has been created, the loop would broaden to include nearby islands of city space, making them safe and clean too.
The Johannesburg High Court in Pritchard Street is one of these islands that will be pedestrianised and scattered with green planters. Von Brandis Street, on the west side of the Court, will be closed. Security guards are already in position around the Court.
Gandhi Square has been paved in striking red and grey brick. It is scattered with trees in planters, and more are planned. Hawkers were banished from the Square when it was declared a no-trading zone some time ago.
"Over 900 000 people come into the city each day. If only 1% of them stayed behind, 9 000 people would fill the Square and surrounding areas," explains Olitzki.
And Johannesburgers' other worry - security - won't be a problem for these after-hours pleasure seekers. The Square is already patrolled by guards, as part of the broader security system established in the city. Two of the city's 200 CCTV cameras have been installed on the Square, adding to its safety.
Parking won't be a problem - there is parking under the Square, and most office blocks have underground parking.
Walking around the Square these days is a different experience from a year ago. Despite being a large bus stop (not a terminus), one is not overwhelmed by the comings and goings of buses. And besides, says Olitzki, at night the Square is empty of buses. People are sitting on benches at tables that spill out from several restaurants that have been established. Canvas umbrellas are fluttering in the breeze and there's a relaxed, piazza atmosphere.
Olitzki owns six buildings along the south side of the Square, and five of these have been renovated and are now fully occupied; the sixth is undergoing renovation. The retail space abutting the Square is occupied by Spar. Absa Bank, opposite the Spar, had been vacant for several years; the banking hall has been renovated, and the building is now fully occupied.
Pedestrianised blocks
Other roads in the city have already been pedestrianised. Three blocks of Smal Street have become a busy, attractive shopping area, with a row of trees running up the middle of the mall. Six blocks of Kerk Street have also been closed to form the Kerk Street Mall, planted with a double row of plane trees and an assortment of hawker stalls. Two wide blocks of Main Street have been closed, and a beautiful, peaceful garden has been created, with the restored Impala Stampede sculpture taking centre stage outside the Anglo American building.
Olitzki says this movement of transforming areas of the city into safe, clean people places will grow from the base that is being created.
The city has another spine - the civic spine, consisting of the Rissik Street Post Office, the City Hall and the Workers Library. This spine is to be cleaned and kept clean by the Gauteng legislature.
The retail space in the city centre will be complemented by the surrounding office space. "The object is to create an inner city office park," says Olitzki.
A further phase builds on the demolition of "bad buildings" that have been identified as part of the city's Bad Buildings Programme. Once the buildings have been demolished, formal hawker stalls and ablutions will be created. "This will create positives from negatives," says Olitzki.
The scheme envisages residential space being renovated. That space consists largely of residential blocks and light industrial space and warehousing easily converted to lofts, on the eastern side of the city. This is a long-term plan but fits in with making the city a 24-hour place.
A-grade office space
Over the past 14 years Olitzki has bought a number of derelict and shuttered office blocks in the city centre and converted them into A-grade space. In the process he has helped to revitalise the city, filling up the offices and bringing people back into the CBD.
One of the reasons he is filling up the space is the low rental - he charges a third less than the rental paid in Sandton - R20 per square metre compared to around R65 per square metre.
The building he has offices in are a prime example of the condition of a lot of buildings in the city, he says. His offices are at 132 Fox Street, which he describes as being "a total slum" before renovation. The offices were taken up with people cooking and sleeping on the floors and a hairdressing salon, with ceilings collapsing and the electrics a hazard. It is now A-grade office space.
Tenants who are taking up the renovated space are, among others, black professionals moving from Soweto, and institutions like trade unions and NGOs.
Olitzki's approach and plan is anchored in a simple philosophy: "We want to deliver what can be delivered."
It seems to be working.
