Joburg wants to build its own ‘Eiffel tower’
The City of Johannesburg is considering the development of new iconic ‘mega tourism’ projects as a way of attracting more tourists to the city.
The proposal is included in the city’s new draft Integrated Development Plans (IDP) which is currently open for public comment.
Every municipality in South Africa is required to produce an IDP. The document encompasses all of a municipality’s goals and objectives for economic and social development in the short, medium and long-term.
IDPs are meant to outline strategies to manage municipal finances for the purpose of facilitating everything from basic service provision to infrastructural development, improved spatial planning and even disaster management.
A key focus of Johannesburg’s IDP focuses on the development and redevelopment of key areas, with the city considering numerous ways it can revitalise the local economy.
“Mega tourism iconic projects including theme parks should be investigated and developed, especially in large open areas found in the south, or west of the city, and in the inner city to develop new tourist attractions.
“Paris has the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and the Champs-Elysees; Rio de Janeiro has the Sugar Loaf and the Statue of Jesus; New York has Central Park and Time Square; Giza in Cairo has the Pyramids, etc.
“There is room for (Joburg) to develop and package attractions beyond Soweto and the Apartheid Museum.”
CBD renewal
The city also plans to further revitalise its central business district, which it says will have knock-on effects on surrounding areas.
It noted that some recent gentrification and revitalisation efforts have already been successful, notably in the areas east of the Carlton Centre into Maboneng.
“The development of the Newtown-Fordsburg-Braamfontein triangle could be given a major boost if the decking of the railways project was given a fresh review which could result in another potential mega-project right on the southwestern edge of the inner city.
“This could boost the development of the digital hub in Braamfontein, provide a new area for the expansion of Wits University, and further strengthen the integration of the Newtown-Fordsburg-Braamfontein Triangle, and its link with Auckland Park.”
The city is also increasingly looking at new technology to boost some of its poorest areas.
“Megaprojects such as Lanseria, the redevelopment of Alex and the development of economic nodes in the south-west of Soweto, and in the Deep South could be used to pilot and experiment with smart technologies.
“This could include the deployment of 5G, as well as other technologies, and the creation of further digital hubs/special economic zones in these areas,” it said.
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