Johannesburg

The Corridors of Freedom initiative seeks to connect and transform Johannesburg, tackling its legacy of segregation and inequality.

Corridors of Freedom

Johannesburg has maintained, and perhaps even expanded, its position as a cross-regional economic hub. It continues to attract large amounts of capital, ideas, and people. However, it has also stayed very unequal and divided. This appears both in the stubbornness of spatial segregation and in a very uneven spread of wealth.

As a result, most of the urban poor still live at the margins of this sprawling metropolis. They are either housed in townships or in informal settlements. These areas have limited amenities and are far away from job opportunities.

The Corridors of Freedom (CoF) Initiative, introduced by the municipality of Johannesburg, is seen as a great opportunity to connect the city and move beyond its apartheid legacy. The CoF was introduced by the previous mayor in 2013 and has since been promoted as the City’s main project. It aims to radically change how Johannesburg functions.

The initiative aims to transform existing areas by linking parts of the city through major transport corridors. These corridors will connect stops, with a focus on mixed-use development and higher housing density. The main aim of this large-scale and long-term project is to help produce an integrated, ‘people-centred’ and compact city.

This will be achieved through a combined ‘work, live and play’ function. The Bus Rapid Transit system, called Rea Vaya, is being slowly rolled out along chosen routes. It forms the centre of the Corridors, based on the belief that an effective and connected public transport system will improve access to amenities, work, and leisure activities.

Unlike more typical urban mega-projects, such as new towns, satellite cities, or the regeneration of existing areas, the layout of the Corridors of Freedom initiative is quite different. The Corridors have a wide spatial footprint and the project is divided into distinct segments, each with its own timeline.

In the medium term, investment is currently focused on a route that begins in the southwest, near Noordgesig and Pennyville. This route runs past the Inner City CBD, and this whole segment is known as the Empire-Perth Corridor. It then takes a sharp northern turn towards the financial centre of Sandton.

It continues towards the nearby township of Alexandra and Marlboro in the northeast, and this segment is called the Louis Botha Corridor. The third identified Corridor, Turffontein, is located south of the Inner City. It takes the shape of a square-like block and doesn’t have a direct link to the other two corridors.

Soweto and the Mining Belt are current target areas. Soweto benefited from various investments and upgrades before the 2010 World Cup, while the Mining Belt has only been identified as a priority for future development. In the long term, the CoF project aims to create more connections in the north. This includes links between Sandton/Randburg and Diepsloot, as well as between Alexandra and Ivory Park.

The CoF project aims to reduce the negative effects of urban sprawl and a car-oriented city. It is also driven by a strong social and developmental agenda. The goal is to make neighbourhoods more multi-functional and complete, while also changing societal dynamics so that both rich and poor, black and white, live side by side.

[1] The Corridors of Freedom initiative, as suggested by its name, aims to provide increased freedom of movement for residents. It also seeks to improve economic freedom by bringing poorer and marginalised populations closer to the urban core. This will offer them better opportunities for work, education, leisure, and recreation.

Changing rigid spatial features and deep-rooted societal habits is difficult. It needs a long-term approach and the involvement of various stakeholders. The City of Johannesburg is the main driving force behind the project and is currently rolling out the necessary bulk infrastructure and maintenance work.

However, the execution of the second phase, which involves the densification of the housing component, heavily depends on the interest and involvement of private developers. There is a mismatch between the socially driven impetus and the purely market-driven approach. To move forward, it is crucial to align the interests and timelines of the municipality with the diverse property industry, which remains highly risk-averse and location-focused.

Communities along the corridors, though shown at the heart of this initiative, usually sit at the bottom end. The corridors cover a wide area, passing through many neighbourhoods with different socio-economic conditions. As a result, the communities are diverse and have been involved in the process to varying degrees.

The success of an initiative of this scale depends on the commitment and involvement of local government, the property industry, and a wide range of communities. It will require strong connections within and between each group in this complex network. The change in government after the local elections in August 2016 highlighted uncertainty and raised questions about whether political support for the project would continue.