Corridors of Freedom enriching lives, Mayor says in SOCA

04 May 2016

 

The Corridors of Freedom, the City of Johannesburg's spatial programme aimed at re-stitching Johannesburg into one united metropolis, is breathing new life into many parts of the city, Executive Mayor Councillor Parks Tau said during his State of the City Address in Turffontein on Wednesday May 4.

 

The Mayor said some of the areas that have been positively affected by the rollout of the multibillion rand programme included Fleurhof; South Hills; Orlando East, Kliptown and Jabulani in Soweto; Turffontein; Rosettenville; Orange Grove; Alexandra and Sandton.

"As we develop the Louis Botha Corridor with the rollout of Rea Vaya Phase 1C, the development of the Patterson Park node in Orange Grove and Norwood has already started," Mayor Tau said.

"We are rebuilding a state-of-the-art clinic as part of a high-rise commercial space – redeveloping the public recreation and sports facilities and [have] started with the massive revitalisation of Paterson Park and its waterways."

He said the high-rise buildings along the corridor combined commercial space with green space, recreation and cultural amenities as well as market-rate rental and social housing.

"This means more people across a range of incomes are able to live richer lives much closer to where they can live, work and play. This is a major development [that] is bridging Norwood, Houghton, Orange Grove, Bellevue and Yeoville," the Mayor said.

He said the new South Hills and Fleurhof mixed-used, mixed-income housing developments demonstrated what could be done through creative partnerships with the private sector.

"In South Hills, we have supplied the land and the private sector has funded the development, supplying social housing and RDPs as a condition to the deal. In Fleurhof, the City has contributed bulk infrastructure to privately owned land to get a similar outcome," Cllr Tau said.

"Indeed, such renewal is happening exactly where we now stand – at the heart of the Turffontein Corridor. We are converting the central part of De Villiers Street into a linear park ... This will create new, street-level life in this area. We are acquiring properties in this area to create social housing and new social amenities. We are investing heavily in Wemmer Pan to increase its value as an area for social and recreational activities. We are transforming this former concentration camp into a symbol of our integrated future."