The Central Business District as seen from the top of the Carlton Centre.

The Central Business District is one of the main business centres of Johannesburg, South Africa. It is the most dense collection of skyscrapers in Africa, however due to white flight and urban blight, many of the buildings are unoccupied as tenants have left for more secure locations in the Northern Suburbs, in particular Sandton and Rosebank. There are significant movements to revive the area for gentrification. Image File history File links Johannesburg from the top of the Carlton Centre. ... Image File history File links Johannesburg from the top of the Carlton Centre. ... Portion of the Johannesburg Skyline, as viewed from the observation deck of the Carlton Centre The Carlton Centre is a skyscraper located in downtown Johannesburg, South Africa. ... , City motto: Unity in Development Province Gauteng Mayor Amos Masondo Area  - % water 1,644 km² 0. ... Taipei 101, the worlds tallest building since its completion in 2004, is located in Taipei, Republic of China (Taiwan). ... Africa is the worlds second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia. ... White flight is a colloquial term for the demographic trend of white people, generally but not always upper and middle class, moving from increasingly and predominantly non-white areas, often from urban cores to nearby suburbs or even to new locales entirely, e. ... Blight is a condition of property or the uses of property in parts of a city, town, or neighborhood that are detrimental to the physical, social, and/or economic well-being of a community. ... Central Sandton Sandton is a town in the northern part of the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Area, South Africa in the Gauteng Province. ... Rosebank is a cosmopolitan commercial and residential suburb in the northwestern part of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa. ... Gentrification refers to the process whereby dilapidated neighborhoods are restored and refurbished, usually in conjunction with changing demographics and an influx of wealthier residents. ...

History

The area that is currently the Central Business District has been the central area of Johannesburg nearly since its inception. Its central location in the city as well as careful planning led to it to be chosen as the best location for residential and commercial development, especially during the economically prosperous 1960s and 1970s. Many large commercial products were completed in this period, such as the Carlton Centre, which is still the tallest building in Africa. The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1961 to 1970, inclusive. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1971 to 1980, inclusive. ... Portion of the Johannesburg Skyline, as viewed from the observation deck of the Carlton Centre The Carlton Centre is a skyscraper located in downtown Johannesburg, South Africa. ...

Under apartheid, the Central Business District was classified as a whites-only area, meaning that black people were allowed to work and shop there but could not live there. Application of the Group Areas Act became very lax in the 1980s, among other things because courts were not able to handle all the cases, and when the Act was abolished even more disadvantaged black people moved into the City Centre, often taking over whole buildings by overfilling them with people that the previous middle class white tenants found unacceptable neighbours. It should be said the white slumlords were often instrumental in this process. A segregated beach in South Africa, 1982. ... The Group Areas Act of 1950 (Act No. ...

This is not only true of previously established residential areas such as Hillbrow on the periphery of the CBD but also of former office blocks in the heart of the CBD, that were converted to residential accommodation as businesses fled the centre in the late-1970s and 1980s. A crime wave swept through the city as businesses left the CBD, which made walking around the area dangerous. Many businesses and people fled the Central Business District and surrounding areas such as Braamfontein, Hillbrow, and Yeoville for more secured houses or offices in the Northern Suburbs. By the late 1990s, the Central Business District was a no-go zone and a virtual ghost town. The situation has improved since. The provincial government of Gauteng is based in the CBD as are several large banks. However, most businesses where middle-class people work have secured buildings that often include parking, shops and restaurants so that workers do not necessarily need to ever walk on the streets. Hillbrow is the inner city residential neighbourhood of Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, South Africa. ... For other uses, see Crime (disambiguation). ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... Hillbrow is the inner city residential neighbourhood of Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, South Africa. ... Yeoville is a multicultural district or suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. ... The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive. ... Categories: South Africa stubs | Provinces of South Africa | Gauteng Province ...

Gentrification

There have been significant movements to redevelop the city centre. The Johannesburg city government installed CCTV cameras all over the Central Business District, which decreased crime dramatically. Several historical buildings have also been developed and turned into condominiums, which developers hope will draw new residents to the area. The process of gentirification and redevelopment is ongoing as of 2005. The government of Johannesburg manages and governs the city of Johannesburg, South Africa. ... CCTV can stand for: China Central Television Closed-circuit television This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... A camera is a device used to take pictures (usually photographs), either singly or in sequence, with or without sound recording, such as with video cameras. ... A condominium is a form of housing tenure. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Johannesburg Central Business District Redevelopment Plan
• eGoli, a History of Black South Africa