Corridors of Freedom
Safe complete streets with features to calm traffic, control vehicle speeds and discourage private transport use;
Mixed-use developments where residential areas, office parks, shops, schools and other public services are close together, stimulating economic activity and creating opportunities for emerging entrepreneurs;
Rich and poor, black and white living side by side – housing options provided cover a range of types – including rental accommodation – and prices;
Limited managed parking to reduce the amount of land devoted to parking and further discourage the use of private transport; and
Convenient transit stops and stations.
- The City will focus on productive land use and economic activities in areas where transport infrastructure – rail and road – are already present or being planned;
- The demand for private motorised transport will be reduced and the average trip length will be shortened;
- Public transport will become a viable alternative because residents will live in closer proximity to work, shopping and leisure opportunities;
- High-density housing will stimulate opportunities for the SMME sector and small-scale operators in the informal economy;
- The environmental impact of public transport in high-density areas will be significantly smaller than in the case of low-density urban sprawl reliant on private cars;
- Residents will benefit because they will not have to spend so much time and money on transport;
- Learners will benefit because they will be closer to schools;
- Unemployed people will benefit because it will be easier to get to places to look for work;
- Factories will benefit because workers will come to work on time;
- Shopping centres and hawkers will benefit along the corridors and nodes due to increased numbers of people passing their shops;
- Our environment (and our lungs) will benefit with less private car use and the associated dangerous carbon emissions;
- Construction and other related industries will benefit because of the job opportunities throughout the lifetime of the project.
Strategic Area Frameworks
To attain this overall vision of a restructured urban space, the City is committed to concentrating capital funding and a range of interventions over the medium to long term in the Corridors of Freedom. The detailed planning for this has been captured in Strategic Area Frameworks for Louis Botha, Empire-Perth and Turffontein Corridors as well as precinct plans for Jabulani, Nancefield Station, Kliptown, Orlando Ekhaya and Orlando East within the Soweto Corridor. Planning for the Mining Belt is currently underway.
- Provide spatial context for future development
- Guide investment decisions
- Identify requirements and opportunities for transformation.
- The Corridors of Freedom represent a significant key opportunity to address and successfully implement the developmental goals of the City as outlined in the Joburg Growth and Development Strategy 2040. The approach outlined in the Strategic Area Framework
Threfore recognises the potential of the Corridors to realise a number of high level outcomes and long-term benefits:
- Improved urban efficiencies
- Viable public transport service
- Reduced car dependency and shorter trip lengths
- More people closer to work, shopping and leisure opportunities
- Lower per capita infrastructure cost
- Efficient service provision
- Accessibility to economic and social opportunities
- Economic, social and environmental sustainability
- Reduced energy consumption and carbon emissions – environmental benefit and improved health and quality of life
- Neighbourhoods supported with full range of social amenities
- Higher land productivity
- Residents will have a wider range of choices of housing – more rental in well located areas
- Residential and economic activities in areas where public transport is present
- Solid basis and support for long-term investment
- Increased land value and social value in critical areas of the city
- Enhanced liveability of neighbourhoods with improved public spaces
- Spatial and social transformation
- Housing options for range of income group
- Connected neighbourhoods
- Curtailed urban sprawl, with densification and infill-development overcoming the burden of fragmentation of urban areas
- Restructuring (Spatially and economically) the apartheid city toward a more integrated city form, which seeks to make the city more accessible to disadvantaged groups
- More efficient relationship between low-income housing, informal economies and public transport
- Integrative development that can benefit areas beyond the limit of the study area
Corridors of freedom Interactive Story Map for Medium Term Projects
The story maps visually show the progress the City is making on implementing various plans, projects and other initiatives in the Corridors.
The City’s implementation is focused on:
Infrastructure:
In order to facilitate more development along the corridors in the form of a more compact and dense urban form and a greater mix of land uses, bulk infrastructure (storm water, water and electricity) must be of the highest quality and have the capacity to sustain this development. The various Municipal Owned Entities are implementing a range of projects to support the envisaged development.
Safe neighbourhoods designed for cycling and walking:
A key component in realising the Corridors of Freedom is the construction of a quality public transport system and associated cycling/ pedestrian infrastructure. To this end the City is implementing the Rea Vaya Bus Rapid System and an extensive network of non-motorised transport to facilitate cycling and walking. Significant walk and cycle ways construction are undertaken within the Corridors to link areas to the transit system and to promote healthy lifestyles; thereby contributing to the reduction of carbon emissions. A number of pedestrian bridges and upgraded pedestrian crossings are constructed to improve safety of pedestrians, including access for people with disabilities.
Mixed use developments that will stimulate economic activity and create opportunities for emerging entrepreneurs:
Diverse accommodation types and tenure options:
On average, the population in the 3 corridors will increase from 7 436 people per square kilometre to 41 632 people per square kilometre. High density residential developments within the corridors need to support a range of typologies, densities and incomes. The City is investing in a range of housing developments to realise the envisioned social inclusivity within the Corridors.
Integrated access to a range of social amenities
The vision for the provision of social amenities is linked to the creation of spaces that will unite residents. The strategy is to cluster a number of varied facilities together in an integrated environment that discourages fences and pockets of isolated public facilities and encourages multi-use facilities in multi-storey buildings in character with high rise environments envisaged along the BRT and around transit stations. The social facility clusters are spaces to implement innovative solutions on green buildings and the use of public places.
In order to construct a sustainable urban community, the necessary social facilities need to be provided to the Corridors to support the increase in population. The City is investing extensively in social facilities that fall under its jurisdiction within the Corridors within the next three years. This includes new and upgraded libraries, clinics, sports and recreational facilities and social support facilities.
Inter-governmental cooperation is required to align provincial and national budgets to this initiative in order to ensure that their services such as schools, healthcare, social welfare grants and policing, are provided to serve the increased population demands.
Ensuring a quality urban environment also requires quality public spaces. Creating great places is a key focus of the implementation programme.
Precinct Plans, Studies and Incentives
Some of the local areas have greater potential for redevelopment and attracting private sector investment. However, given the focus on transformation within the Corridors of Freedom, prioritising precincts or interventions is not always solely determined by factors such as the economic return on investment, but also considerations such as social inclusivity and inclusive economic growth and participation.
More detailed precincts plans are formulated for priority precincts within the Corridors.
Studies to assist with implementation are also undertaken. These include Heritage studies for Empire-Perth, Louis Botha and Turffontein and infrastructure master plans.
Follow the link below to view/download documents:
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B2v6abwVoMI3VnhHQkhCLU9PX00&;usp=sharing
Incentives
The City is also developing specific incentives to stimulate further private sector development, including rebates in the Rates Policy and new development mechanisms such as the Special Development Zone.