This edition of the newsletter showcases the diverse work of the GCRO, particularly in the context of internationalization. Wits-Edinburgh Sustainable African Futures (WESAF) doctoral program’s Sustainability School, three-day writing workshop with the University of Cambridge.
30 years of democracy, QoL 7 Survey fieldwork nears completion, GCRO & Wits Press Launch Two books on Urban Governance, and more...
GCRO turns 15
The GCRO marked its 15th anniversary in November 2023 by publishing a catalogue of its outputs over the years. Dr. Richard Ballard presented highlights from the work at a celebratory event held on November 16th at the GCRO offices.
The Inclusive Economies Research Programme, a joint initiative of the Gauteng Provincial Government and the GCRO, was ramped-up in February 2023. The programme will implement a research agenda that aims to enhance the understanding of the city-region’s economy, and enable effective policies and strategies for inclusive economic growth and development.
A highlight of the first half of 2022 was our participation in the eleventh World Urban Forum (WUF), held in Katowice, Poland under the theme “Transforming our Cities for a Better Urban Future”. The GCRO was represented by Executive Director Rashid Seedat, who participated in various engagements at WUF..
The GCRO was delighted to welcome the appointment of our new Executive Director, Mr Rashid Seedat, from 1 June 2021. A key highlight over the last six months was the launch of GCRO's Quality of Life Survey 6 (2020/21). The online event, hosted by the University of the Witwatersrand, drew over 300 attendees.
Over the first months of the pandemic, GCRO worked intensively to help inform COVID-19 disaster response planning in Gauteng, compiling data visualisations and analysis, and supporting the Gauteng Provincial Government in mapping the spread of the pandemic.
May 2019 saw the announcement of winners in the Urban Gaze photo competition, and an exhibition at the Keyes Art Mile in Rosebank. The last six months has also seen GCRO's work being showcased on a range of international platforms.
The GCRO has opened entries for digital photographs of the Gauteng City-Region and its people through the Urban Gaze photography competition.
Between 26 and 29 August 2018 GCRO showcased its work in a major exhibition at the Metropolis Annual Meeting.
2018 began with the release of GCRO's seventh Research Report, Mining landscapes of the Gauteng City-Region. The report considers how the legacies of gold mining have been imprinted on the towns and cities of the GCR.
2017 was a productive year at GCRO with the publication of a range of outputs and academic articles, as well as over 100 presentations made by staff. In case you missed any of our outputs this year, here is a summary of our major publications and visualisations for 2017.
This interactive animation presents Gauteng, South Africa, where each person represents 1% of the respondents of GCRO’s 2015 Quality of Life Survey. The villagers represent the gender and racial diversity of Gauteng in a non-representative manner.
Every two years since 2009, the Gauteng City-Region Observatory carries out a ‘Quality of Life’ survey which measures the quality of life, socio-economic circumstances, attitudes to service delivery, psycho-social attitudes, value-base and other characteristics of the...
2015 has seen an increase in xenophobic violence which has often targeted cross border migrant entrepreneurs. The Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO) has just completed two surveys which, amongst other things, show that those...
Johannesburg is South Africa’s premier city and is the heart of the Gauteng City-Region that accounts for over one-third of the country’s economic output. Over the past decade or so there has been a growing scholarship on space, politics...
The GCRO launched our third ‘Quality of Life’ survey to a packed audience at Sturrock Park, where Premier Hon David Makhura and Johannesburg Mayor – but speaking as SALGA Chairperson – Cllr Parks Tau were respondents. The audience...
As part of an ongoing project on trade in the Gauteng CityRegion, GCRO has commissioned two large sample surveys, one on migrant entrepreneurs and the other on cross-border traders. The project examines the role of large-scale...
On 25 October GCRO’s online and interactive State of the Gauteng City-Region Review 2013 went live and was launched officially to a full house at the Wits Club by GCRO Executive Director David Everatt. Gauteng Premier...
The report includes technical analyses based on best-available digital spatial data; institutional assessments of government plans and visions; a case-study example of ecosystem services valuation; and a reflection on the role of communities...
Gauteng’s green infrastructure network is a living network of green spaces that contributes to the long-term sustainability and resilience of the Gauteng City-Region. The network provides various services, buffers the effects of climate...
Happily for the GCRO, the recently released results of Census 2011 bear close resemblance to comparable survey results of the GCRO 2011 Quality of Life (QoL) survey. This is certainly true of the migration data. However, at this...
The Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO) has just completed its second ‘Quality of Life’ survey, with a massive sample of almost 17 000 respondents. This follows the first survey in 2009, and thus allows some sense of change...
On 29 March the GCRO Board approved projects and budget for the April 2012 – March 2013 financial year. The decision confirms an array of exciting new research projects for the second year of GCRO’s three-year strategic plan...
On 30 November 2011, the Gauteng Provincial Government launched the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development OECD Territorial Review of the Gauteng CityRegion at a formal lunch in Sandton, bringing...
Consider the following excerpt from the influential and agenda-setting book ‘Global City Regions: trends, theory and policy’ edited by Professor Allen J. Scott: “City-regions increasingly function as essential spatial nodes of the...
