Last week saw the CSIR International Convention Centre in Pretoria host a conference entitled “Urban Renewal-Reviving the Inner City”. The conference created a platform for stakeholders in urban renewal programmes across South Africa and other parts of Africa- including the private sector and all levels of government - to share ideas, learn and interact with one another. It was an opportunity to get a better understanding of urban renewal; being more than just tax incentives, city improvement districts, gentrification, and soaring property investment activity. The complex factors that interact to mould and create the social, political and economic stage on which South Africa’s cities attempt to deliver to an ever more demanding audience were continually raised.

The speakers included most of South Africa’s leading torchbearers in the urban renewal space. The City of Tshwane, who were also the convention sponsors, were given an opportunity to showcase their initiatives and experiences that seldom make it onto the national stage. Contributions from Joburg stakeholders dazzled with their depth of knowledge, growing historical legacy and unwavering commitment whilst fascinating insights into developments in Cape Town were presented.

Some of the themes that were highlighted included:

Vision
The importance of a clear long-term vision for a city that is powerful enough to endure being derailed by transient political whims. The ability to have short and medium term plans that complimented the broader vision was also highlighted. Most encouraging was the openness and willingness of participating cities to communicate their development strategies to the investment and development communities.

Partnerships
The importance of the development of partnerships between the different levels of government and the private sector was driven home through the communication of the respective visions for rejuvenated CBD’s in Johannesburg and Tshwane, with the significant interventions of local and provincial government in Johannesburg and national governments’ government precinct in Tshwane/Pretoria CBD. These partnerships between government and the private sector undoubtedly strengthen the prospects of sustainable urban renewal in these centres, which will in time create significant growth and investment opportunities.

On a similar level the participation of different cities offered all involved an invaluable opportunity to familiarise themselves with different perspectives on what is increasingly a nationwide phenomena.

Intensive management
Another theme that came through very strongly was a renewed focus on intensive and localised urban management. Local governments taking ownership of concepts such as “back to basics”, informality versus illegality, law and order and improving the standards of delivery are a powerful by-product of this focus. The challenges of mobilising resources, both financial and human, to execute this level of management came through strongly.

Social Cohesion
A recurring buzz word was “social cohesion”. A number of contributors spoke of the importance of having cities that create a common sense of identity or belonging for people across class, racial and other strata. The search for spaces that deliver inclusiveness as opposed to exclusivity and alienation appeared to be high on the agenda of many involved. A walk through most of South Africa’s cities will bring home just how far we have to go when it comes to creating spaces that facilitate this.

Some of the other debates that emerged included those around gentrification versus poverty alleviation and conservation versus progress. The battle lines were drawn on the plans of the Gauteng government to knock down art deco buildings with (impassioned) pleas from both sides. The role of pioneering initiatives, most notably, bringing finance back to the inner cities gave one a sense of the creativity and boldness of many of those involved.

The uniqueness of the South African experience begged the questions: to what extent can the case studies of other developing and developed countries’ cities offer a formula that will assist us to chart an urban renewal path that will deliver for our specific set of circumstances? Will our cities be able to deliver for the comparatively large percentage of economically marginalised inhabitants and to what extent our urban renewal strategies should pander to the formal sector at the possible expense of the informal sector?

Full marks to organisers, The Business Zone, for a well-executed conference.

End 30 November Frank Reardon

Frank Reardon
eProp
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Fax: 011-441-0182

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