2008

IKWEZI PRECINCT PLAN

1

2008

IKWEZI PRECINCT PLAN

Ikwezi Station Precinct Plan 2008

i

PREFACE

The name Ikwezi is a Nguni name which means “morning star”. In 1953, saw the birth of a railway station next to the supermarket where the then Koppie

was. The Council at the time was looking for a name to call it and this led them to approaching the late Mr. Nhlapo (founder of Ikwezi Supermarket), to ask

for the use of the name Ikwezi, to name the station. After much negotiation, the name was sold to Council at £50.00 (fifty pounds). This saw the now

prominent structure of Ikwezi Station.

With the ever changing times and the new developments taking place, it is imperative to still preserve the history of where Ikwezi comes from and to

ensure that it passed from generation to generation

Today, Ikwezi node is a transportation node anchored by a number of commercial land uses around the railway station. The station serves as a landmark

when directing people visiting different parts of greater Soweto. The once fledgling and now floundering business district gives a solemn sight and feel.

Areas where taxis and commuters once played their part in making history, now only write a script of neglect. Grime and crime have now become sleeping

partners. Attempts to revitalise and regenerate the station have had their share of misfortune. The station is now somewhat cramped following the

construction of a number of speed humps in various parts of the intermodal facility. This has seen taxi drivers clogging the main road as opposed to taking

the usual turns around the station artery. Where hawkers used to display their wares, the Council has created stand-offish stalls which are hardly used by

the street vendors. Herds of goats mill around the station and feed from the garbage that is strewn across the concourse. Hawkers, holed up in a makeshift

stall, suffocating behind torn and coupled plastics.

Ikwezi Station Precinct Plan 2008

i

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE .......................................................................................................................................................... i

1: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................... 1

1.1 BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 1

1.2 STRUCTURE OF THE DOCUMENT .......................................................................................................................................................................... 3

2: SETTING THE SCENE ................................................................................................................................. 4

2.1 IKWEZI IN CONTEXT ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4

2.2 DEFINING THE STUDY AREA ................................................................................................................................................................................... 6

3. STATUS QUO ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................................ 8

3.1 SOCIO-ECONOMIC ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................................................................................. 8

3.1.1 Labour Force ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 8

3.1.2 Age Groups ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 9

3.1.3 Highest Education Levels Attained ...................................................................................................................................................................... 9

3.1.4 Annual Household Income .................................................................................................................................................................................. 10

3.1.5 Social Facilities ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 11

3. 2 MOVEMENT SYSTEM .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 13

3.2.1 Legibility ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 15

3. 3 LAND USE ANALYSIS .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 17

3.3.1 Robustness ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 19

3.3.2 Variety of Built Form ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 19

Ikwezi Station Precinct Plan 2008

ii

3. 4 LAND OWNERSHIP ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 21

3. 5 INFRASTRUCTURE .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 23

3.5.1 Electricity ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 23

3.5.2 Roads and Storm Water ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 23

3.5.3 Water ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 23

3.5.4 Sanitation ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 23

4. FINDINGS ................................................................................................................................................... 25

4.1 SWOT ANALYSIS ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 25

5. DEVELOPMENT INTENT ........................................................................................................................... 28

6. DESIGN CONCEPT .................................................................................................................................... 30

6.1 THE DESIGN CONCEPT ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 30

7. URBAN DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK ................................................................................................... 33

8. IMPLEMENTATION .................................................................................................................................... 62

8.1 IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWORK ......................................................................................................................................................................... 62

8.2 RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 64

Ikwezi Station Precinct Plan 2008

iii

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Regional Context .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5

Figure 2: Study Area .................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 7

Figure 3: Social Facilities ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 12

Figure 4: Movement System ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 14

Figure 5: Legibility ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 16

Figure 6: Existing Land Use ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 20

Figure 7: Land Ownership ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 22

Figure 8: Infrastructure ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 24

Figure 9: Design Concept........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 32

Figure 10: Urban Development Framework ............................................................................................................................................................................. 34

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Policy Directives and Action to be taken ....................................................................................................................................................................... 2

Table 2: Labour Force .................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 8

Table 3: Age Groups .................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9

Table 4: Highest Education Levels Attained ................................................................................................................................................................................ 9

Table 5: Annual Household Income .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 10

Table 6: Social facilities ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 11

Table 7: SWOT Analysis ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 26

Ikwezi Station Precinct Plan 2008

1

1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND

In July 2007, the City of Johannesburg approved a Regional Spatial Development Framework for Region D. This policy document highlights development

rationale and direction for the region. The RSDF identifies a number of spatial interventions for both public and private sector investment, indicating areas

of opportunities and development priority. Ikwezi Station has been identified as a priority area for such intervention, hence this planning exercise.

Subsequent to the approval of the RSDF in July 2007, in February 2008 the City of Johannesburg appointed Akanya Development Solutions to prepare an

Urban Development Framework for the Ikwezi Station Precinct. The aim of the project was to draw up a development framework that guides development,

informs land use development decisions and facilitates infrastructural investment. The envisaged outcome should be the proper functioning of the node, as

well as socio-economic development and growth.

The Ikwezi Station Precinct Plan fulfills the legislative requirements outlined in the City’s SDF and RSDF which are aligned to the national, provincial and

local policies.

The Ikwezi Precinct Plan does not include the identification of all possible types of legislation and policies that will impact on the study area, but rather

focuses on current policy or strategy that relates more directly to urban development and investment. It specifically discusses the implications of the

development of the area in terms of the following:

� Development Facilitation Act (DFA)

� Gauteng Planning and Development Act

� Accelerated and Shared Growth – South Africa (ASGISA)

� Relevant transportation legislation

� The National Spatial Development Perspective (NSDP)

� The Gauteng Growth and Development Strategy (GGDS)

Ikwezi Station Precinct Plan 2008

2

� Gauteng Spatial Development Perspective (GSDP)

� The City of Johannesburg’s Growth and Development Strategy (GDS) and Integrated Development Plan (IDP)

� The City of Johannesburg’s Spatial Development Framework (SDF) and Regional Spatial Development Frameworks (RSDFs)

� Gautrain objectives

Since the Ikwezi Station Precinct is mainly a transportation node, the emphasis is on the application of the City’s nodal, density and transportation policy.

Table 1 depicts the policy directives applicable in to be considered in the development of the Ikwezi Precinct Plan and appropriate action needed to

address these directives. The directives are mainly derived from legislation and council documents such as the Integrated Development Plan, Growth and

Development Strategy Spatial Development Framework etc.

Table 1: Policy Directives and Action to be taken

POLICY DIRECTIVE ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN

Densification This refers to compaction of the urban form. The policy directives can be supported by Land Use Management Systems, developmental provisions and the charging for services.

Resource management The directives promote the optimum usage of resources, including natural, human, technological and fiscal

Environmental management This directive promotes the efficient, sustainable growth within the context of limited resources. This principle deals with issues of conservation, as well as clean production.

Sustainable economic development This directive emphasises the need for economic growth within the context of limited resources. It also promotes local economic development by ensuring strong viable nodes.

Residential development perspectives This perspective deals with three areas requiring specific attention. These are:

• Displacement areas – these are lagging greatly in economic growth. They are areas requiring containment and the provision of basic services. While contained, they should be supported with small-scale informal development.

• Low-density areas close to employment nodes – these areas need to be densified. A proposal is made for progressive charging of services by frontage, in order to create a disincentive for low densities.

• New residential development – located land by investigating taxation of vacant land within the urban edge.

Urban rehabilitation perspective This perspective deals with the legacy of unsustainable dormitory townships. It promotes the creation of a property market in these areas by defining rights and development opportunities. It also promotes the ‘crowding-in’ of commercial development at strategic nodes in these areas.

Poverty alleviation perspective This perspective identified key interventions in poverty alleviation, consisting of well-managed welfare intervention, labour intensive public works – including labour-intensive processes in housing delivery, targeted LED strategies, provision of basic services to communities and disaster management strategies that reduce the impact of the phenomenon of poverty.

Shared and inclusive economic growth Creating large numbers of long-term sustainable jobs, reducing unemployment.

Ikwezi Station Precinct Plan 2008

3

POLICY DIRECTIVE ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN

To invest in infrastructure or transport systems in ways which satisfy social, economic, or strategic investment criteria.

Develop suitable and functional transportation node.

Integration of modes Embrace the existing transportation interchange, enhance the functionality thereof and reduce travel costs.

Integration of land transport with land use (integrated planning)

Allow for compatible land uses (compact) to create necessary thresholds and provide easy access to amenities.

1.2 STRUCTURE OF THE DOCUMENT

This report is divided into six sections as follows:

• Section 1: Background.

• Section 2: Setting the Scene

• Section 3: Status Quo Analysis.

• Section 4: Key findings.

• Section 5: Development Intent

• Section 6: Development Concept

• Section 7: Urban Design Framework.

• Section 8: Implementation.

Ikwezi Station Precinct Plan 2008

4

2: SETTING THE SCENE

2.1 IKWEZI IN CONTEXT

Figure 2.1 shows that Ikwezi railway station is one of thirteen (13) railway stations within Region D. Like the other railway station, it is a conduit to the rest

of the city and indeed the Gauteng Province. It location and easy accessibility through major transportation route such as Roodepoort road, Koma road

and Mmila road makes it a desirable area for public transport interchange that provide commuters access to other areas within the region, the city and the

province. Koma roads links Ikwezi node Naturally such an area would attract other social and economic activities, Ikwezi is no different. Inspite of the

close proximity of other development nodes in the region such as Jabulani mall, Dobsonville mall, Kliptown, Maponya mall and the Baralink, Ikwezi station

node has developed organically in its own right and has been sustainable. This is primarily due to the number of people passing through the area on a

daily basis. The node has since grown and the arrangement of activities around it has made it different to other nodal point in the region.

The RSDF (2007/08) and the Soweto retail report 2005 has identified Ikwezi Station Node as a priority node and as a secondary strategic development

node respectively. This means that the node is an investment priority area to achieve some of the city’s objectives.

The Ikwezi Station itself is located in ward 45 of the Mofolo North Township but the precinct falls within both wards 45 and 36. The main opportunities in

Ikwezi are a well developed and functional rail station, taxi rank, high volume of commuter and pedestrian traffic, availability of undeveloped land around

Barini beer hall, the disused Putco holding site and generally underutilized buildings south of Koma Street.

Ikwezi Station Precinct Plan 2008

5

Figure 1: Regional Context