jazoj asked:


South Africans: Have you visited any other cities in the world? Do you ever find yourself comparing them to your home city? In my opinion Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town and others have been left behind while the rest of the world cities have flown ahead.

Years ago the Carlton Centre in Johannesburg city was the tallest building in the southern hemisphere. Today, the skyline looks old, not mature old (like New York City / London), but decaying old. Our cities are considerably small, with small infrastructures and minimal skyscrapers.

I am wondering if there will be huge investment in a city like Johannesburg, better infrastructure in the city center eg. subways, sidewalk trees, pavement restaurants and more importantly, a skyline upgrade. A new huge landmark, something we can be proud of and will attract tourists. The Hillbrow Tower is around 250m high, and concrete grey. Will there ever be a glass skyscraper, 500m + high, (something like the Sears Tower, Chicago, IL) built in Johannesburg?

I know we have the money, (we spend too much on arms and meaningless submarines that don’t work), and safety or crime should not be an issue. Its the type of people you attract to the city that affects its stability. Look at Sandton, If you attract a mature, educated class of business people, the city becomes a clean business district.

Cape Town has a beautiful setting for a city, even better than Manhattan island. I think our cities lack a lively “atmosphere”, and this kind of investment will put it there.

When will this kind of investment hit us? Where will it hit?