eKhaya

The redevelopment project envisioned the implementation of open areas including recreational, educational and cultural spaces, as well as the construction of institutional and public buildings.

The redevelopment initiative significantly improved the attractiveness of the area, restoring the public spaces, the amenities and the overall perception of the degraded neighborhood. The project increased the economic activity and businesses operating in the area that was previously abandoned due to high levels of crime and poverty. In fact, the initiative successfully attracted public and private investments in the area, providing potential new employment opportunities for the residents in the following years. Another important impact brought by the redevelopment initiative was the protection of the existing investments from individual homeowners, large property owners, small and large businesses and financial institutions. The degradation of the area significantly harmed the investments made in the neighborhood, especially targeted to the housing markets. The high poverty and crime levels reduced the rents that tenants were willing to pay, thus discouraging new investments. The redevelopment of the neighborhood, the renovated public investment and the new public services increased the property value of the neighborhood, helping property owners to repay their property investment. The cleaning and security service initiatives, the organizations of social events and the refurbishment of public infrastructures significantly reduced crime activities, therefore boosting new investments and providing value for the entire community.

The project did not envision any specific environmental benefits. However, part of the initiative focused on improving the waste collection in the neighborhood, aiming to reduce waste and garbage on public streets.

The redevelopment project is mainly targeted to promote social equity and provide services to the residents of the Hillbrow area. The inclusion of the district within the City Improvement Districts promoted social cohesion between residents by establishing the voluntary association of building managers to improve the entire area. A stronger social cohesion between residents, building managers, local authorities and homeowners has been achieved through the organization of several social initiatives. Among them, the most important are the Annual Children’s Program, the eKhaya StreetSports projects, and the eKhaya Kidz’ Day Event. These annual events organize open and free sports competitions and tournaments, recreational activities and educational workshops for residents and children of the neighborhood. The initiative also achieved a significant reduction in criminal activities in the area, providing security for the residents through patrolling services of private security companies. In addition, the clean-up project also improved public safety in the neighborhood by removing garbage and waste from public streets. The waste collection is financed through the levy collected with the City Improvement District. The project focused also on creating social capital within the neighborhood, as the base for transformation and regeneration of the degraded areas. The constant meetings between property managers, property owners, city administrators, tenants and residents helped to strengthen social cohesion and develop socially inclusive projects for the entire neighborhood. The entire redevelopment initiative is targeted to provide residents with services, public amenities and social spaces, improving the wellbeing of the whole neighborhood. The initiative implemented a public security service to reduce crime and a waste disposal service to improve waste management. In addition, the project involved the redevelopment of several open spaces and green areas.

The project did not receive any certification.

As a social cohesion initiative, the project has been financed by both private and public funding. From the public sector, the initiative received funding from the Municipality of Johannesburg for the infrastructural improvements and public spaces upgrades and maintenance. From the private sector, the eKhaya Neighborhood Association financed the project through the levies collected from the City Improvement District, volunteer work from residents, fund-raising activities and other small initiatives such as the organization of events and activities.

The Municipality of Johannesburg invested public resources into the redevelopment initiative to carry out the project and its future maintenance, including the upgrade of public streets and roads, and the renovation of public spaces. The total investment stands at around USD 900,000. The Municipality of Johannesburg also provided USD 45,000 to the eKhaya Neighborhood Association to do the preparatory work for the process to create a City Improvement District. The Johannesburg Housing Company and the Trafalgar Properties provided around USD 65,000 of private investments employed to cover the expenses of the organizing staff and the resource to conduct meetings between stakeholders. Through the establishment of the City Improvement District, the eKhaya Neighborhood Association collected resources also by introducing a levy for each property unit that participated in the development initiative. The levy was set to around USD 3.5 and collected a total of around USD 8,300 during the first phase of the project. The levy is mainly employed to pay for the cleaning and security services, and to cover the administrative, coordinative and social development activities. Besides direct investments, the redevelopment project benefitted from voluntary instruments and initiatives, in particular volunteer work, small entrance fees for events and activities, sponsorship and external grants from members of the Association, and fund-raising activities.

Image from Gia Conte-Patel, retrieved here. Used under Content License.