Which comes first – the chicken or the egg?  In the case of the built environment it is surely the buildings which must precede the functional possibilities they offer.  So as the supply of  high rise inner city developments has increased,  so the demand for a venue with a view has grown.  And there is [...]

In 2011 the old potato sheds behind the Market Theatre in Newtown, Johannesburg were demolished to make way for the first major retail and leisure investment in the city for a while.  Planned as a mixed-use node it is being developed by  Atterbury Property,  facilitated by the Johannesburg Property Company and the Johannesburg [...]

 
 
 
 
 
Urban Joburg responds to Monocle Magazine’s binary view of Joburg.  Love their description of what Jozi inner city has to offer:  ‘We’re a city where one can drink a strong espresso in ‘Little Addis’ before heading off to Fordsburg for a vegetarian biryani AND making a stop at Neighbourgoods for a red [...]

Over ten years ago the concept of a Cultural Arc was mooted by Prof Carolyn Hamilton, then Head of the Humanities Postgraduate School at Wits. Envisioned as a metaphorical sweeping link between three powerful cultural institutions across the geography of the city, it would connect the Johannesburg Art Gallery on the east, to Wits in [...]

Gerald Garner who wrote Spaces and Places Johannesburg as well as Johannesburg 10Ahead, has recently started walking tour of Jozi’s inner city.  On 28th Jan a tour will leave from Mary Fitzgerald Square at 9 am. Billed to see the public art in Newtown, Turbine Hall, Chancellor House, the Anglo American campus, the Ashanti Hotel and [...]

Laurice Taitz is one of Jozi’s champions, particularly of the inner city.  Here she writes about some of the public artworks among the 50 odd sites around Johannesburg.  Her anecdote about a man coming up to her near Diagonal Street and begging her to take him to America,  speaks volumes.  His assumption that she must be American [...]

  You can’t complain about the lack of variety of what’s on in Jozi this weekend:
* Sat …5th Nov at 14.00 Join Parktown Heritage Association for the last Jacaranda Walk of 2011; park at the La Roche offices, 54 The Valley Road; no booking necessary; R40; stunning views of Parktown & Forest Town; more info [...]

Rosemary and Barbara about to tuck into traditional Ethiopian fare

 Following on Jonathan Liebmann’s development of the Maboneng precint in the south east of Joburg, with its flagship space Arts on Main, Braamfontein is also being revitalized. Nechama Brodie in her article entitled Regenerate Behaviour: Making the City Sexy,  in this week’s Mail and Guardian,  http://mg.co.za/article/2011-09-16-regenerate-behaviour-making-the-city-sexy, [...]

There are going to be a series of interesting tours of Joburg run by the Parktwon Westcliff Heritage Trust over the week-end of 17th and 18th Sept. At least 15 different tours. Unfortunately the page is not active on thie site www.parktownheritage.co.za Maybe will be up and running soon. Contact me for more info if [...]

In 2008 Managing Diretctor and developer Jonathan Liebmann purchased the old DF Corlett Construction offices and warehouses and worked with architect Enrico Daffonchio on converting them into the space that is now Arts on Main – a mix of galleries,  [Goodman Gallery, David Krut, Seipel, Goethe Institut] private artist studios, [Kentridge, Leiberman, amongst others] advertising [...]