XXV. Johannesburg, South Africa

XIX. Johannesburg, South Africa

Johannesburg, South Africa

Johannesburg, South Africa — Tejas Saiyya

Johannesburg is the largest city in South Africa. The city is located in the mineral-rich Witwatersrand range of hills, southern side of the prominent ridge, and is the center of large-scale gold and diamond trade. The Witwatersrand marks the watershed between the Limpopo and Vaal rivers as the northern part of the city is drained by the Jukskei River. In contrast, the southern part of the city, including most of the Central Business District, is drained by the Klip River. Johannesburg has more than one central business district (CBD), including Sandton, Rosebank, and Roodepoort.

Left: View of Johannesburg from Killanery // Right: Johannesburg Central Business District

Population:
Urban: 10,500,000 people
Metro: 8,000,000 people

Area:
Urban: 1,644.98 KM2
Metro: 3,357 KM2

Population Density:
Urban Average: 2,400 people/km2
Metro Average: 3,400 people/km2

Politics:
The City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality is a metropolitan municipality that manages the local governance of Johannesburg. It is divided into several branches and departments in order to expedite services for the city. The administration of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality was decentralized initially into seven regions in 2006, named Region A to Region G.

Top-left: JOHANNESBURG DOWNTOWN CBD // Top-right: BUS TRANSPORTATION OF THE CITY
Bottom-left: JUXTAPOSITION OF THE OLD AND NEW BUILDINGS // Bottom-right: STREET AND PLAZA ACTIVITIES

Central Johannesburg, the commercial and financial heart of South Africa, it retains its elements of a rectangular grid pattern that was first officially recorded in 1886. Streets are narrow and filled with high rises built in the mid- to late 1900s. Johannesburg is home to some of Africa’s tallest structures, such as the Sentech Tower, Hillbrow Tower, the Carlton Centre and Ponte City Apartments. Many of the city’s older buildings have been demolished and more modern ones built in their place.

Johannesburg’s suburbs are the product of urban sprawl and are regionalised into north, south, east and west, and they generally have different personalities. While the Central Business District and the immediate surrounding areas were formerly desirable living areas, the spatial accommodation of the suburbs has tended to see a flight from the city and immediate surrounds. The inner city buildings have been let out to the lower income groups and illegal immigrants and as a result abandoned buildings and crime have become a feature of inner city life. Greater Johannesburg consists of more than five hundred suburbs in an area covering more than two hundred square miles (520 square kilometers). Johannesburg is a cultural hub in South Africa and has a wide variety of cultural venues, making it a prominent area for many creative and cultural industries.

^{Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/place/Johannesburg-South-Africa/The-people

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2019-04-30-apartheid-legacy-of-urban-sprawl-is-the-challenge-our-cities-face/

https://web.archive.org/web/20150525231039/

http://www.joburg.org.za/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1690&Itemid=49}

Johannesburg, South Africa // High Density Buildig Typologies

Johannesburg, South Africa // Means of transportation

Johannesburg, South Africa // Traffic hubs and nodes

Johannesburg, South Africa // Urban Void Spaces

Johannesburg, South Africa - Denver

Area: 1.81 square km
Population: 7,257 people
Population Density: 4,009 people/km2

Johannesburg, South Africa - Killanery

Area: 0.42 square km
Population: 5,203 people
Population Density: 12,000 people/km2

Johannesburg, South Africa - City and Suburban

Area: 1.07 square km
Population: 2,719 people
Population Density: 2,500 people/km2

VOID THE WAY | Johannesburg, South Africa

Central Johannesburg, the commercial and financial heart of South Africa, retains its elements of a rectangular grid pattern that was first officially recorded in 1886. Streets are narrow and filled with high rises built in the mid-to the late 1900s. Johannesburg is home to Africa’s tallest structures, such as the Sentech Tower, Hillbrow Tower, the Carlton Centre, and Ponte City Apartments. Many of the city’s older buildings are demolished, and more modern ones have been built in their place.

While the new construction takes place, there is no attention to the ratio of built to unbuilt or the solid to void ratio on the ground or volumetrically. This poses the question: How can we improve the quality of life by opening up the ground and creating void spaces?

The proposal acknowledges the multiple stakeholders and proposes bonus incentives in FAR for future development that help create public spaces, life, and recreation and promotes nuanced approaches to food production like urban farming. It further provides a catalog of incentives until the maximum FAR of 15, which respects the historical context and restricts high rises that undermine the street life of Johannesburg.

VOID THE WAY // Bonus Incentives for Creating and Activating Voids

VOID THE WAY // Axonometric

VOID THE WAY // Statistics and Location

Sources:
Musiker, Naomi; Musiker, Reuben (2000). A Concise Historical Dictionary of Greater Johannesburg. Cape Town: Francolin. ISBN 1868590712.
https://www.dreamstime.com/mini-bus-taxi-johannesburg-south-africa-november-passenger-getting-out-image133923176
https://www.seat61.com/SouthAfrica.htm
https://www.myguidejohannesburg.com/services/rea-vaya-bus
https://www.csir.co.za/sites/default/files/Documents/GHTS%20201920%20FINAL_LOW%20RES%20%281%29.pdf
https://www.prasa.com/cres/Stations/ParkStation
https://www.sa-venues.com/attractionsga/delta-park.php
https://locrate.co.za/
https://nelsonmandelasquare.co.za/
https://www.instituteforpublicart.org/case-studies/ernest-oppenheimer-park-public-environment-upgrade-artworks-programme/