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In 2008, the mayor announced that the City would invest more than R120-million in upgrading the Nasrec precinct to support the hosting of the International Broadcast Centre during the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.

The 420ha area includes the Johannesburg Expo Centre, one of the largest expo centres in Africa; the 90 000-plus capacity FNB Stadium, known as Soccer City during the World Cup; and the transport hub consisting of the Metrorail Nasrec Station and three Rea Vaya stations.

Nasrec is southwest of Johannesburg's city centre, on the outskirts of Soweto. Nearby is the Crown Mines Golf Course, designed by Gary Player, and tourism destinations such as Gold Reef City, the Apartheid Museum, Vilakazi Street and Kliptown.

The Johannesburg Development Agency was tasked with the upgrade of the public environment surrounding the stadium and the Rea Vaya infrastructure. The idea was to get people in and out of the Nasrec precinct very quickly, especially during sporting events.

The previously disjointed development of the exhibition centre and stadium, cut off from each other by the criss-cross of four railway lines, is now bridged by a pedestrian walkway connecting the newly built Nasrec railway station and the three new Rea Vaya stations with the stadium, expo centre and International Broadcast Centre.

As an added extra, a small open-air amphitheatre was built next to the massive stadium to give more options for entertainment. The JDA has also added its trademark creative touches, which include unusual street furniture, modern street lights and street art. The precinct now has a much better chance of thriving than before, the JDA believes.