South Africa’s cities can be reinvented to restore our people’s hopes and dreams

MARCH 2023

South Africa's urban landscape has the potential to be transformed into inclusive, mixed-use, and vibrant districts and neighborhoods that cater to young culture and entrepreneurial spirit. Despite the beauty and quality of South African cities, inner cities and central districts have been neglected due to perceptions of being unsafe and dangerous. This has led to the rise of gated residential estates, suburban office parks, and shopping centers.

Jonny Friedman, CEO of Urban Lime, believes that activating the private and public areas that make up the fabric of South African cities and neighborhoods through creativity, experience, collaboration, and an appropriate regulatory environment is key to transforming the nation affordably, effectively, and physically. He emphasizes that reinventing cities and neighborhoods is the only way to turbocharge the economy, create jobs, and provide hope for millions of young people.

Friedman advocates for the creation of multidimensional spaces where people, particularly young people, want to live, work, and socialize instead of the traditional central business district. By creating places that are designed to make cities more connected, sustainable, and green, South Africa's outlook, perception, and story can be changed.

Urban Lime has been reinventing buildings, districts, and neighborhoods in four cities on two continents for over 30 years. The company has played a leading role in the transformation of Cape Town and Durban, with notable projects including Bree Street, Salt River, and Church Square in Cape Town, and Florida Road and the Professional Quarter in Durban.

Urban Lime is also launching a number of significant catalytic projects across South Africa with the objective of reinventing and repurposing neighborhoods and buildings that are no longer relevant in the modern, technologically advanced, post-COVID environment.

Friedman believes that re-imagining cities, precincts, neighborhoods, and buildings to create thriving and inspiring spaces for young South Africans to live and work is critical to the future of South Africa, its economy, and its people. By creating democratic, accessible, walkable, and exciting places, South Africa can grow economically, socially, culturally as we head into 2023.

Read the full original article on Dialy Maverick here.

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