The Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) turns 14 on Wednesday, 1 April 2015, and looks forward to working even harder in the coming year – and the next 14 years – on stimulating and supporting area-based economic development throughout the city.
South Hills project ground-breaking ceremonyJoburg Executive Mayor Parks Tau gets behind the wheel at the South Hills project ground-breaking ceremony.The agency was established in 2001 with the primary objective of promoting area regeneration and growth through the development of efficient business environments. Its initial focus was on inner city Joburg, but its mandate was soon broadened to encompass areas ranging from Soweto and Orange Farm in the south to Diepsloot in the north.
The JDA has been involved in well over 50 developments in the past 14 years, extending across all regions and all aspects of city life – from the provision of buildings and transport infrastructure to the rejuvenation of parks and public spaces with new paving, lighting, outdoor furniture and artworks.
Johannesburg has been transformed by art by some of the country’s most eminent artists – The Fire Walker by William Kentridge and the Eland by Clive van den Berg are just two of a growing collection of artworks that have given the city a more human face.
The agency’s projects include the iconic Nelson Mandela Bridge, the award-winning Constitutional Court buildings, the Newtown cultural precinct, taxi ranks across the city, and the revolutionary Rea Vaya bus rapid transit system, which has effectively connected south-west Joburg to the CBD and is currently expanding north-east to Alexandra, Sandton and on to Diepsloot.
These developments have not only fundamentally altered the lives of the city’s residents, they have also encouraged private investors to inject new money into the inner city, transforming formerly derelict buildings and districts into places such as Maboneng, where people now live and work in comfort and security.
The vision is a far-reaching one. The JDA has become crucial to the success of the City of Joburg’s Growth and Development Strategy 2040, which seeks to create a resilient, liveable, sustainable urban environment that is underpinned by infrastructure supportive of a low-carbon economy.
As former chief executive Lael Bethlehem said: “The JDA is about saying, what’s the big picture in the city, what does the city need, what interventions can we make that the city is going to benefit from for 10, 20, 30 years.”
YEAR 14 MILESTONES
Here’s a quick glance back at just 12 of the agency’s milestones over the last year – one for each month:
April 2014: the newly opened, state-of-the-art Slovoville Clinic brings essential primary healthcare services closer to home for residents in the area – read more.
May 2014: construction gets under way on an innovative new walkway connecting Alexandra and Sandton – read more.
June 2014: Randburg is targeted as a new transit node, with a series of proposed upgrades aimed at making the suburb an attractive residential option for people working in Sandton and Fourways – read more.
July 2014: construction begins on Rea Vaya’s phase 1C expansion into the north-eastern quadrant of the city, connecting the CBD to Alexandra, Sandton and on to Diepsloot and further areas – read more.
August 2014: workers put the finishing touches to Metro Park, a state-of-the-art new recreational facility just south of Mandela Bridge in Newtown – read more.
September 2014: the R1.3-billion Newtown Junction, one of the CBD’s biggest multi-use developments since the Carlton Centre in the 1970s, opens its doors – read more.
October 2014: the R400-million Eyethu Orange Farm Mall, one of the first malls in South Africa to be partly owned by the community it serves, opens its doors – read more.
November 2014: construction begins on a R2-billion mixed-income residential development that will transform inherited settlement patterns south of Johannesburg – read more.
December 2014: work is set to begin on the African Food and Culture Hub, a project that will further transform the inner city with the creation of a new public space surrounded by restaurants, shops and businesses reflecting a wide range of African culture and cuisine – read more.
January 2015: the R65-million Bruma Lake renewal project, aimed at catalysing new investment in the area on the eastern edge of Johannesburg, enters phase two – read more.
February 2015: construction set to begin on a multi-million rand new clinic in River Park, Alexandra – read more.
March 2015: construction begins on a R130-million pedestrian-cycling bridge over Africa’s busiest highway – read more.