Mixed Use ; Southwards Citichat 10 October 2008

CITICHAT 40/2008 - 10 October 2008


Mixed Use and Growing Southwards.

Attended a session last week looking at the future development of the inner city. A couple of things emerged to make one think. Firstly one developer spoke passionately about creating a “residential free zone” in the inner city. This would basically be the area south of Commissioner Street stretching from Newtown to the Carlton Centre. He felt that the European/North American model of inner city mixed use wasn’t really appropriate for Johannesburg. Interesting issue. In actual fact the bulk of residential development has taken place north of Commissioner and the amount of residential in the southern area is relatively low at present – but to deliberately create what amounts to the old Americanism of ‘CBD’ – Central Business District – requires a great deal of careful thought and is contrary to the generally accepted direction that the inner city is moving in, that of mixed use. My constant refrain for many years has been that we have laissez faire zoning operating in the inner city that allows anyone to do almost anything anywhere. Whilst this has been to our advantage, resulting in numerous conversions from commercial to residential accommodation – especially north of Commissioner Street – it has also resulted in some slumlording to the south. There was the case of a developer buying a derelict office block in Frederick Street next to the Standard Bank corporate head office and converting it not just into residential but into something of a slum. If we can’t change zonings because of the complications that will result in owners claiming that they are being prejudiced by the removal of certain rights, then we at least need the ability to use the ‘carrot and stick’ approach. This would provide incentives for certain types of development in certain areas and penalties for undesirable usage in others. But a blanket commercial zone?

‘Mixed use’ has an interesting history. Historically, human settlements were mixed use. Most people lived in buildings that were not just their place of work but also their homes. Most neighbourhoods offered a diversity of uses with some districts developing towards a specialised use – the Fashion District in the inner city would be a modern example of this trend. Of course walking would have been the major way of getting from A to B, later this was enhanced by using animals such as horses and cattle. Densities were high and were determined by the amount of space required for living whilst movement between different activities was determined by ‘walkability’. That all changed with industrialisation which saw inner city factories producing substantial pollution but also acting as employment-magnets drawing the rural poor into the cities in large numbers. This in turn led to overcrowding of working class and poor people and terrible conditions. Poverty, poor services especially sanitation, rather than high density itself were the culprits. The distancing of commercial and residential uses followed by separating land uses that had previously occurred in the same space. Cities were however ‘restricted’ in size by the fact that the movement of people was by foot. Mass transit and in particular, private cars, changed all that resulting in dispersed low density cities where people could live at a distance from their workplaces.

De-industrialisation in the middle to late 20th century no longer provided an impetus for separating residential from noxious industrial use. It was also found that separation by zoning law created isolated islands of different usage. Mixed use provisions in zoning emerged once again leading to retail space on the ground floor with residential or offices above. One of the great advocates for mixed use was Jane Jacobs who argued in “The Death and Life of Great American Cities” that mixed use is vital and necessary for a healthy urban area. The terminology ‘CBD’ came increasingly under fire as urban thinking moved to viewing cities as places where people could live, work and play. In South Africa, the mixed use approach to cities was, of course, dramatically affected by apartheid- planning leaving our cities as the centres of ‘donut’ development with white citizens living in the suburbs and black citizens in townships (usually each in diametrically opposed directions). Since 1994 mixed use has been seen as a catalyst to normalising and integrating our cities. But, does mixed use mean a total intermingling of residential and commercial uses? The jury is still out on that one.

The second issue that was highlighted at the planning session was the growing importance of the southern edge of the inner city. This has, until now, been artificially delimited by the M1 highway and consists mainly of light industrial usage. Incidentally, the City is a major landowner in this strip. Standard Bank were probably the first to do a major development in this light industrial band. Over the years their development has grown to some 200000 m2 of office space catering for 12 5000 workers. Their purchase last year of the Ussher site, just to the west of their existing campus, will ultimately double the area developed to date although it will probably not be confined to office space but will include substantial retail and residential. To their west also on the edge of the highway I-prop will also be developing a major building with significant parking and public space with retail at the lower levels and residential above. Between the Standard Bank and I-prop developments is a large site currently being used by Pikitup which requires to also be developed or it will form a discontinuity between the new developments. But it could also be positively developed as large public open space which we desperately need possibly with various social amenities. This means that there will be a serious amount of residential occurring on the north side of the highway and opens up the possibility of also driving redevelopment further south into Selby up to the Top Star mine dump. But it also gives credence to continuing with residential along this edge in an easterly direction.

Also in the south-western quadrant where the Standard Bank and I-prop developments will take place, the Johannesburg Land Company is busy developing office space just west of the Magistrates’ Courts. They have about 180 000 m2 of rights in this area of which they are currently developing 10 000.

The south-western quadrant is going to provide a serious amount of future mixed use development and is set to become a major node in the inner city and a focus for more residential provision.

Ciao, neil