Distribution of green carbon across the GCR
At present, cities generally exacerbate climate change because they emit more carbon than they capture and store. Given this, a number of cities around the world have committed themselves to achieving carbon neutrality over the coming decades (e.g. see Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance). In order to achieve this they will need to (1) reduce their carbon emissions, and (2) offset remaining emissions by ensuring that carbon is stored rather than released into the atmosphere. South African municipalities have also made commitments to achieving carbon neutrality (e.g. City of Ekurhuleni 2015, City of Johannesburg 2021, City of Tshwane 2021). In order to track progress towards this goal, it is necessary to measure the city-region’s stored carbon. In this Map of the Month we explore the way in which satellite imagery can be used to calculate the city region's 'green carbon', or the carbon stored in plants.
Date of publication:
July 2022
The geography of desegregation in Johannesburg
This month we showcase a series of maps that were published in a new book by the sociologist Owen Crankshaw entitled Urban Inequality: Theory Evidence and Method in Johannesburg. This book offers a long-term analysis of inequality in Johannesburg from the 1970s to the 2011 census. It argues that in order to understand urban transformation in Johannesburg, we need to appreciate the way in which both the late and the post-Apartheid periods intersected with long-term economic restructuring.
Date of publication:
June 2022
Author(s):
Electricity interruptions in the GCR
In order to mark National Energy Month, this GCRO map presents data from an electricity related question in the sixth Quality of Life survey conducted in Gauteng in 2020/21. The map shows the percentage of respondents in each geographical area who had an electricity connection and who reported experiencing electricity interruptions on a weekly basis.
Date of publication:
May 2022
Economic impacts of COVID-19
This Map of the Month marks two years since GCRO published its March 2020 map on risk factors that might exacerbate the spread and the socio-economics impact of COVID-19. Using the CSIR mesozone layer, it contrasts the percentage of QoL 6 (2020/21) respondents per mesozone that reported reduced salaries and working hours, or lost jobs, between March 2020 and May 2021.
Date of publication:
April 2022
Gauteng’s urban land cover growth: 1990-2020
This map of the month provides a visual representation of urban sprawl in Gauteng over a three decade period. The analysis shows that urban sprawl in Gauteng was more rapid in the 1990s than it was in the 2000s and 2010s.
Date of publication:
March 2022
