The JDA was established at a critical moment in Johannesburg’s history as part of the iGoli 2002 re-engineering process. Since then, its role has evolved significantly. The JDA is guided by the overarching frameworks of the National Development Plan, the Gauteng 2055 vision, the CoJ’s GDS 2040 and CoJ’s SDF. In particular, the agency is led by the 2040 strategy’s ideals of resilience, liveability and sustainability – driven by the conviction that a resilient city is flexible and strong enough to solve complex and unanticipated problems.

Urban Development Agencies around the world operate on slightly different institutional models. In order to respond to the challenges, opportunities and local needs of the City of Johannesburg, the agency has evolved with the changing requirements of Johannesburg and its people. It has also learnt from its experience over the years. JDA has shifted its focus from triple bottom line outcomes (economic, social and environmental) in the inner city and marginalised areas to an emphasis on resilient, sustainable and liveable urban areas in identified transit nodes and corridors. This means that as an area-based development agency, we are more than just a project management agency or an economic development agency.

Every area-based development undertaken by the JDA is supported by development facilitation functions in the pre-development and post-development phases to enhance the value added by the capital works interventions and improve the longer-term sustainability of the capital investment. We give much emphasis to precinct-based development, working with stakeholders to enhance areas and address local challenges and needs in a sustainable way through our capital investments.