CBD Revitalisation

This project emanates from an existing interest within the GCRO and from an invitation by the Gauteng Department of Co-Operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Gauteng COGTA). It reflects on the ways through which the central business districts (CBDs) of the Gauteng City-Region can be revitalised for economic growth, job creation and an improved quality of life. In service of these aims, Gauteng CoGTA is building a platform to help experts and stakeholders collaborate, with the goal of discussing strategies for growing and revitalising CBD economies. This is because CBDs, notwithstanding the decline they have undergone, continue to serve as economic and social nuclei (He, Huang, Liu, & Zeng, 2025).

Because of this, policymakers are grappling with the roles and functions of Gauteng’s historical CBDs within the new spatial economy. This involves understanding how their labour, capital, location, growth, and distribution influence the province’s spatial form. Revitalising these old CBDs—and the creation of new CBDs—becomes critical for understanding the spatial transformation of centres of business activity in the province and how these interact in the new space economy of the Gauteng City-Region. These changes are prompting policymakers and planners to consider complex questions and ensure that Gauteng’s spatial economy meets the evolving needs of the province’s urban and industrial sectors in the 21st century. This also requires policy to engage with the notion of left-behind spaces, which can be adaptively reused to foster economic, social, and environmental sustainability if integrated thoughtfully into urban regeneration strategies (Grassi, 2019; Patel & Patel, 2025).

Some of the key issues facing CBDs and left-behind spaces include these areas’ inability to attract inward sustainable investment (Yang, Yeh, Wang, Yi, & Chen, 2023); the growth, resilience, and management practices of small and large enterprises within them (Ndabala & Kapotwe, 2025); the promotion of safety and compliance to law (Valli & Hammami, 2020; Guimarães, 2021); and ensuring clean and sustainable smart environments (Huang, Tang, Li, Liu, Wang, & Li, 2024). As part of efforts to correct these issues, there is a need to build and promote partnerships and twinning–or collaborative–opportunities, promote diversity, and support functional linkages between historical and new CBDs, including but not limited to, previously marginalised and peripheral township areas (Sukoco, Setiawan, Dhaniarti, & Hasyim, 2017; Valli & Hammami, 2020).

This project engages with a fundamental contradiction between commitments to spatial justice and redress and the actual political-economic mechanisms governing urban development in post-apartheid South Africa. It aims to investigate the differentiation between promise and practice. Much academic debate focuses on how revitalisation can improve public spaces but also potentially lead to increased property values, drive gentrification, displace vulnerable populations, and reinforce social inequalities (see for instance Miraftab, 2007; Mehdipanah, Marra, Melis, & Gelormino, 2018; Valli & Hammami, 2020). Moreover, revitalisation also raises concerns about democratic participation, governance conflicts, and the risk of prioritising business interests over broader community needs (Guimarães, 2021). Therefore, the growth and revitalisation of CBDs must be recognised as a complex, multidisciplinary challenge involving reconciling issues of governance, social equity, economic sustainability, and urban design, requiring place-sensitive approaches and frameworks (Chen, Zacharias, & Zeng, 2020; Valli & Hammami, 2020; Guimarães, 2021; Aparicio & Zorrilla, 2025).

In service of CBD revitalisation in Gauteng, Gauteng COGTA has already engaged in an extensive process of problem identification, roles assignment, and implementation strategy in Johannesburg. Seven CBD types were identified. Ten pilot CBDs were mapped, and their urban planning context was analysed through a desktop study. These pilot projects involved a multifaceted approach to urban management that included addressing identified issues in the physical, economic, and social environments. The resulting strategy comprises three drivers for CBD revitalisation. Driver 1, “Your Lives. Our Commitment,” emphasises government and municipal responsibility to serve and care for CBD users beyond infrastructure provision. Driver 2, “My CBD. My Responsibility,” aims to foster civic ownership among residents and visitors to promote cleanliness and safety. Driver 3, “Buildings. Not Central. Yet Vital,” addresses the built environment but argues that while buildings and development incentives are important, they cannot succeed without first tackling fundamental issues like crime, grime, and negative perceptions. The strategy therefore prioritises the first two drivers to create an enabling environment, treating building incentives as secondary, long-term tools rather than immediate solutions for old Gauteng CBDs.

However, in reviews of the implementation strategies, Temporary Emergency Accommodation (TEA) presents a significant hurdle to CBD revitalisation, especially in Johannesburg. Municipalities find it challenging to fulfil constitutional and legal duties regarding dignified, safe accommodation with essential services, and homelessness prevention. Courts have stressed that resource limitations do not excuse these obligations. The situation is complicated: TEA sites are becoming long-term owing to a lack of permanent housing, slow relocation, and high demand from vulnerable groups. Legal rules require sites to be near jobs and social ties, which restricts where they can be moved. Meaningful engagement, prioritising vulnerable groups, and the risk of litigation from advocacy groups all create significant administrative burdens that demand considerable resources. Because re-development sites remain occupied or legally contested, investment is delayed, urban renewal is inhibited, and safety enforcement is undermined. This ultimately hinders the creation of vibrant, functional, and economically competitive urban centres essential for successful CBD revitalisation.

References:

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Chen, Y., Zacharias, J., & Zeng, M. (2020). Searching for the Center: A New Civic Role for the Central Business District in China. Sustainability, 12, 866. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12030866

Grassi, P. (2025). Filling the void: Urban regeneration and contested space in Milan's Loreto Square. Anthropology Today. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8322.12939

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He, K., Huang, B., Liu, X., & Zeng, S. (2025). Assessment of economic development of central business districts – A combination multi-criteria evaluation methodology. PLOS One, 20. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0326877

Huang, G., Tang, H., Li, X., Liu, F., Wang, J., & Li, C. (2024). Adjustment of outdoor thermal environment in a Central Business District with high-reflective material and rooftop greening. International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-024-06056-y

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Sukoco, A., Setiawan, M., Dhaniarti, I., & Hasyim, C. (2017). The Development of the Central Business District (CBD) based on Public-Private Partnership. , 1, 9-14. https://doi.org/10.29138/ijti.v1i1.464

Valli, C., & Hammami, F. (2020). Introducing Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) in Sweden: A social justice appraisal. European Urban and Regional Studies, 28, 155 - 172. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969776420925525

Yang, F., Yeh, A., Wang, X., Yi, H., & Chen, Z. (2023). State-market dynamics of central business district (CBD) development in Chinese cities – An anchor-firm perspective. Cities. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2023.104622