Elias Nkabinde
The Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA), on behalf of the City’s Development Planning Department, has initiated a comprehensive Inner City Street and Informal Trading Plan.
This strategic undertaking, scheduled from January 2025 to July 2026, is crucial for transforming Joburg’s Inner City into a more inclusive, accessible, and economically dynamic urban landscape.
The initiative aims to establish a cohesive framework for informal trading activities across the Inner City, simultaneously promoting spatial equity and urban health.
“This plan is fundamentally about recognition, inclusion, and intelligent urban design. Informal trading constitutes an indispensable element of our city’s economy and cultural fabric. By crafting accessible, functional, and resilient trading environments, we are cultivating a Johannesburg that serves all its inhabitants,” says Themba Mathibe, Chief Executive Officer of the JDA.
The planning process includes extensive public engagement, culminating in a spatial blueprint that delineates specific trading zones and defines innovative typologies like night markets, adaptive repurposing of mall parking, activation of public squares [e.g., Gandhi Square on weekends], and structured trade on pedestrian bridges.
A core tenet is universal design access, ensuring inclusive infrastructure for traders and customers with disabilities, the elderly, and those with mobility impairments, aligning with the City’s commitment to an equitable urban environment. The plan also addresses existing urban challenges, such as pedestrian-trader conflict, limited facilities, safety concerns, and xenophobic tensions by introducing robust legal and policy mechanisms for effective informal trade management.
Surveys targeting 100 traders across four key City nodes will inform the development of a detailed implementation strategy, complete with budgetary allocations and prioritised infrastructure investments.
“This initiative is an integral component of Joburg’s broader Inner-City revitalisation efforts, supporting a well-regulated, inclusive, and opportunity-driven trading environment,” Mathibe adds.
SOURCED FROM THE JOBURG WEBSITE.
