CJP NINE YEARS Citichat 29 June 2001

CITICHAT 25/2001 - 29th June 2001


CJP - Reflections on Nine Years at the Carlton

I've just realised that this is the last occasion on which Citichat will be written from an office in the Carlton Centre. I'm sitting surrounded by packed boxes and the removal people will be here on Monday to 'pick us up and drop us off' at our new premises in 90 Market Street. Quite an historic moment in the life of our small company! Citichat has over a number of years recorded what a number of organisations and individuals are doing in and for the city. This seems to be an appropriate time to be nostalgic and to talk about ourselves, so forgive me if I indulge myself a little.

It is almost nine years to the day since we moved into our 44th Floor Carlton Centre offices to establish the Central Johannesburg Partnership (CJP). Then we were just three. Diana Mayne, who was only with us for a couple of years but was a major influence behind the establishment of the CJP, now a private consultant. Lillian Mvumvu who started as my secretary and is now an Alternate Director of the Company with a wide ranging responsibility, and myself freshly out of my previous career in the Building Industry. Shortly after we started we were joined by Franco Andreone, a planner, now Operations Director. Including Lillian, Franco and myself there are now 15 of us, a round dozen in the City and the others in Rosebank, Illovo and Sandton respectively.

Over the years the business has developed into some seven spheres of activity, as initiators of specialist organisations; as catalysts/co-ordinators of strategic developments; as urban advocates; as urban managers; as consultants/researchers; as communicators and as employment/empowerment generators.

In the first of these activities, initiators, the following organisations have been established by us - in some instances they are still managed by us - those marked *. In others, we provided the initial administrative support until the organisation was able to become self-supporting where after the CJP handed-over management but generally retained a position on the Board of Directors or Trustees maintaining a watching brief.

1993 - The Inner City Housing Upgrading Trust (ICHUT) - providing financial and technical intermediation relative to inner city housing.

1994 - 'Homeless Talk' - part of the CJP’s job creation strategy, the street newspaper was established with two church groups and still provides employment and income for a large number of homeless persons.

1995 - Johannesburg Trust for the Homeless (JTH) - empowering the homeless to reintegrate into society.

1997 - The Inner City Business Coalition (JICBC)* - providing unified business support for the processes and structures that had been established to address city revitalisation. The Coalition is managed by the CJP.

1997 - Partnerships for Urban Renewal (PUR)* - established to focus on urban issues in areas outside of the Johannesburg Inner City and currently working in Rosebank, Illovo, Sloane Square, Sandton, Midrand, Pretoria as well as in the Western Cape, etc.

1999 - City-Ad* A specialist ‘street advertising’ company focusing on income generation for maintenance and upgrading in inner city areas.

1999 - Rosebank Homeless Association. Focusing on the issue of Homelessness in the Rosebank area established in conjunction with the JTH.

2001 - Johannesburg Heritage Trust.* - acquiring buildings of architectural or heritage significance and returning them to active economic life in the city.

In our role as catalyst/co-ordinator of strategic developments we have developed a Transitional Housing Model subsequently operationalised by the Johannesburg Trust for the Homeless (Cornelius House, 1998); assisted the local authority to identify possible sites for the Constitutional Court; established the Van der Byl Square Consortium consisting of the majority of property owners contiguous to what is now known as Gandhi Square to finance its upgrading and its ongoing maintenance and management as a CID; co-ordinated the funding and upgrading/ pedestrianisation of a portion of Fox Street between Kruis and Eloff Streets which we now maintain and manage; are currently developing an experiential tourism project to encourage visits to the Johannesburg City Centre which is aimed to change perceptions of the city; are part of a team researching an existing mixed-use precinct for regeneration as a ‘fashion’ or 'garment industry' specialist node and are currently examining regeneration initiatives involving issues of heritage, SMME establishment and growth, promotion of mixed use and tourism.

As urban advocates; in 1993, we first promoted the idea that the seat of Provincial Government should be relocated from Pretoria to Johannesburg and produced detailed submissions together with the then City Council to this effect and subsequently co-led the Johannesburg delegation at the successful public hearings. In 1994 - established a joint negotiating forum specifically to address the need for new street trading by-laws. In 1996 - motivated an Inner City Visioning process which resulted in the Johannesburg Inner City Renewal Strategy announced by the then Deputy State President, Thabo Mbeki, in July 1997 and led the Business Sector input. Through the Council’s Inner City Committee, we still provide Business’ input to influence inner city policy. In 1996/7 - assisted the Gauteng Provincial Government Department of Development Planning and Local Government in the framing of the Gauteng Four-Point Plan for Regenerating and Integration of Cities, Towns and Townships Centres (Vusani Amadolobha). And then in 1997 - assisted the Gauteng Provincial Government in drafting enabling legislation to facilitate the establishment of Improvement Districts

As Urban Managers we established, from 1994, a number of Improvement Districts in the Johannesburg Inner City which we manage. We also provide a service to property owners managing informal trading.

As Consultants/Researchers we provided the Provincial Government co-ordination team in 1995 with an office planning expert who worked full time with the Provincial Government throughout 1995 in planning their accommodation needs when they moved into the city, at Business’ cost. In 1996 - established an inner city workgroup to investigate the use, funding and organisation necessary for the deployment of CCTV within the Inner City. Provided secretarial service to the Johannesburg Community Police Forum and undertook, either directly or in partnership with others, the compilation of relevant broad economic data, indicators, benchmarks, etc. relative to the inner city; supported primary research into residential accommodation in the inner city led by ICHUT together with the Johannesburg Housing Company (JHC) and also undertook primary research into retail activity in the inner city. In 1996 we planned, organised and arranged finance for a cities study tour working with the Prince of Wales Business Leaders Forum in the United Kingdom and with the International Downtown Association in Washington DC., USA. And in 1999 we again planned, organised and arranged finance for a tour of the United States Eastern Seaboard cities for Johannesburg and Pretoria City Council Inner City councillors and officials. In 1996 we organised a planning charrette for the Inner City which was led by the Development Design Group Incorporated from Baltimore, USA. In 1999, on behalf of the Business Coalition (JICBC) who provided the financing, co-ordinated the production of a Spatial Framework for the Inner City in parallel with the development of an Economic Framework that was funded by the City. In 2000 - again acting on behalf of the JICBC - extended the earlier Spatial Framework study by developing a Strategic Business Plan for the Downtown core of the city

As Communicators we produce a number of publications to keep the Inner City and its Renewal in front of the public and private sectors as well as publications for broader usage. 'City Vibe' is a bi-annual production highlighting the positive aspects and results of the urban renewal process in the Inner City and showcasing various projects. 'City Map' is an annual production reflecting the various inner city projects. 'Citichat' is a weekly e-mail letter on all aspects of the city and cities in general to interested parties locally and internationally and 'CitiCid' is a limited circulation subscription quarterly production detailing urban renewal projects and processes throughout the world including information on CIDs nationally and internationally.

Apart from establishing a number of specialist inner city organisations which provide employment for a number of persons, the CJP has facilitated the establishment of two Black owned companies which, between them employ over 200 personnel.

Over the period of the past nine years we have made many friends both locally and internationally, from informal traders, street cleaners and security officers to Chairmen and CEOs of companies large and small. We have had our share of problems, urban renewal isn't easy or for the faint-hearted - but we've had a lot of fun. Thanks particularly to our team of Franco. Lillian, Katherine, Ursula, Chris, Andrew, Margie, Hennie, Timothy, Jeremiah and Paulos in the city, Jenny A. in Rosebank, Tina in Illovo and Vaughan in Sandton. And of course our part-time book-keeper Jenny B.

Now we move into our new premises, the imposing century-old bank building in Market Street, and another chapter of the CJP will start with us continuing to maintain our focus on the Mission that we started with back in 1992:

“A commitment to involving key stakeholders in Central Johannesburg in a co-operative effort to rejuvenate the central area thereby promoting a sound economy; an attractive, clean, safe and vibrant city centre; affordable residential accommodation; employment opportunities and a focus for the community”.

Caio, neil



Neil Fraser is Executive Chairman of Partnerships for Urban Regeneration (PUR) and the Central Johannesburg Partnership (CJP) – companies dedicated to the revitalisation of urban centres. He can be contacted at (011) 688-7800 or neil@cjp.co.za Views and opinions expressed in CITICHAT are not necessarily those of PUR or CJP.

Visit the CJP's web site at http://www.cjp.co.za