One of our first excursions in Johannesburg was to
the newly designed Maboneng Precinct, which was a great introduction into all
the changes that have been occurring in cities across South Africa
post-Apartheid.
In 2008, Jonathan Liebmann, a real estate developer,
bought up a good deal of property in the area and began to refurbish the run
down buildings to start the neighborhood that we saw this past week. Maboneng,
which means “place of light,” is a youthful and creative neighborhood full of
trendy restaurants and art galleries. Its standout feature is its Sunday Market
on Main and the Arts on Main complex. We went on a Sunday and found the market
to be bustling with locals and tourists alike. There was a wide range of food
options and retail offerings that all had a “pop-up” shop vibe. For example, I
ate at a booth called Dig Inn, which served a variety of meats and vegetables
topped on a slice of cornbread. When I asked what the dish was called the
owners said they hadn’t settled on a name yet. I think that was a pretty
representative of the creative and young entrepreneur that the Maboneng
Precinct tries to attract.
As for its residences, Maboneng is a mixed-used
community where people can “live, work, play.” We were also told there is a
strong sense of community among its residents. What once was regarded as a
“no-go” zone in terms of its high crime rates, the neighborhood is now seeing
an influx of residents and developers looking to continue to expand.
My biggest takeaway from visiting Maboneng is how the
neighborhood feels; it truly has a bohemian and artistic vibe that doesn’t seem
forced. Regardless of it being an area that was created by developers, the
spaces have really flourished because of the community making it that way. The
people that we met in the neighborhood seem to really enjoy being there and
contributing to the revival.
Of course, there is always the question of
gentrification when it comes to revitalizing urban spaces. Alice Nevin wrote a
piece on the development of Maboneng and stated that Maboneng is an example of
gentrification but that she defines it as “the transformation of a
working-class or vacant area
of the central city into middle-class residential or commercial use.” Nevin
said that there is no simple definition to what gentrification is but that
Maboneng needs to be analyzed without the Western constraints of what that
might mean. However, she then goes on to say that it only appears to not have
actually displaced anyone in the area when the development began, but in
reality many informal businesses were actually displaced when the developers
took over. Contrary to our tour guide, Nevin did not like the fact that white
developers are the ones coming in and changing the “racial spatial politics” of
the area and not doing anything to help fix the deep inequalities that already
exist in South Africa. While the neighborhood is more racially integrated than
others that we’ve seen, the rising costs in the area is making the neighborhood
inaccessible to many.
As
our tour guide informed us, the reception of Maboneng has been overall positive
because of the decrease in crime, but some people weren’t as happy with the
rising costs of rent. Because of this, Access City was created. This is a mixed-use
building made up of more affordable offices and residential spaces. This is a
positive move to help make the area more accessible but it is just a single
building so I don’t think it goes far enough to make the new Maboneng area a
just and equal space.
Overall,
what I think Maboneng represents is a mostly-successful urban-planning
experiment. I cannot deny that as soon as I stepped in I could feel all the
energy radiating from the market and its surroundings. My prediction is that if
I were to return to Maboneng five years later, the neighborhood will look
completely different. Even our tour guide said he sees new wall murals and
businesses popping up all the time. I think Maboneng is in a state of change,
but that it’s changing in a mostly positive direction. I just hope that the
city makes more of an effort to make this new trendy neighborhood accessible to
more of the population.
By: Debora Almeida
Comments
Post a Comment