Johannesburg’s inner city is gaining a greener, more people-centred public space as its first pocket plaza begins transforming a busy pedestrian route near Park Station.
The new plaza, at the corner of Joubert and De Villiers Streets, forms part of the Johannesburg Inner City Partnership’s (JICP) Walkable Network, an initiative designed to make everyday journeys through the city safer, greener and more welcoming.
The first phase of installation was completed on 8 and 9 October, introducing seating, planters, trees and bins into an area used daily by commuters, workers, traders and residents.
While relatively small in scale, the pocket plaza represents a broader approach to inner-city regeneration that places people, climate resilience and economic activity at the centre of urban development.
The Walkable Network is JICP’s spatial investment strategy for Johannesburg’s inner city and is grounded in the City of Johannesburg’s approved Inner City Transport Master Plan. It focuses investment along connected pedestrian routes linking transport hubs, workplaces, shops and public spaces.
“There is a great deal of effort going into the inner city. The opportunity is to connect those efforts so that each investment strengthens the next,” says David van Niekerk, CEO of JICP.
“That is what the Walkable Network is designed to do: give the city, businesses and other partners a shared focus, improve everyday journeys and build confidence for further investment. This first pocket plaza is a practical step in that direction.”
Four uniquely designed pocket plazas are planned along the Joubert Street focus area between Park Station and Gandhi Square.
They will be accompanied by tactical traffic-calming interventions led by Young Urbanists NPC, aimed at slowing vehicles and creating shorter, safer pedestrian crossings. The interventions will operate as street experiments, allowing communities and project partners to observe what works before permanent changes are made.
The project also demonstrates how urban regeneration can contribute to climate adaptation. Urban greening and the pocket plazas are jointly funded by Global Affairs Canada under the SUNCASA project and JICP, using nature-based solutions to help make Johannesburg’s densely built inner city more resilient.
SUNCASA is delivered through a partnership involving the International Institute for Sustainable Development, World Resources Institute, City of Johannesburg, Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo, the City’s Environment and Infrastructure Services Department and JICP as the lead local partner.
Trees planted as part of the initiative will provide increasing shade as they mature, while vegetation and new places to sit are intended to make walking through the city more comfortable and encourage people to spend time in public spaces rather than simply move through them.
“We want to make room for both people and nature in streets that are used intensively every day,” says Hannelie Coetzee.
“A place to sit alongside trees and planting can change how someone experiences their journey. We will learn from how people use these spaces and adapt the design as we go.”
Importantly, the transformation is not being treated as something simply imposed on the community. The Joubert Street improvements form part of a year-long public engagement and testing process involving residents, informal traders, businesses and commuters.
Walks, cultural events, play and other activities will be used to understand how people interact with the redesigned spaces, while feedback and monitoring of pedestrian movement, safety and comfort will help determine future improvements and expansion of the Walkable Network.
There is also a local employment and skills-development component. JICP will coordinate maintenance through its participant teams and Fix Squad, covering tree care, cleaning, bin servicing and minor repairs, helping protect the investment while creating opportunities for local work and skills development.
Urban Space Management assisted with deep cleaning ahead of the first installation.
The public was also given an opportunity to experience the changing neighbourhood during the Joburg on Foot walk held as part of Design Week South Africa. Led by Hannelie Coetzee with JICP and supported by Young Urbanists, participants followed Joubert Street from Park Station to Gandhi Square to explore improvements already underway and those still planned.
The strong public response to the walk highlights something increasingly important in conversations about Johannesburg’s future: rebuilding confidence in the inner city is not only about major developments and large infrastructure projects.
Sometimes transformation begins at street level — with a tree, somewhere safe to cross, a clean pavement and a place to sit.
All photographs by Thusi Vukani.
