TheInner City ofJohannesburg,Gauteng Province,South Africa has a number of suburbs includingBraamfontein,Braampark,Johannesburg CBD,Doornfontein,Hillbrow,Jeppestown,Joubert Park,City and Suburban,Marshalltown,Newtown,Berea andYeoville, among others.
The inner city of Johannesburg is located within the municipality's Region F. The inner city is an extremely diverse region, with areas ranging from severely degradedresidential areas such asBertrams, to the somewhat stablecommercial area ofBraamfontein. The estimated population of the region is 200,000,[when?] but the number of people living in the inner city on an informal basis is unknown, as many are illegal immigrants.[1] Most higher-income residents and white people have moved to the northern suburbs and have been replaced by lower-income black people. The unemployment, education, and age profiles of the area are all unknown, due to the difficulty of obtaining reliable information about the area. There have been significant movements to revitalise theCBD, most of which have focused on the reduction ofcrime, especiallystreet crime in the central area, and the redevelopment ofNewtown as a cultural hub for the city.
Centred on the CBD, the region includes the suburbs ofYeoville,Bellevue,Troyeville,Jeppestown, andBerea to the east. To the west it spreads toPageview andFordsburg. There are small industrial areas to the south, such asCity West-Denver andBenrose.
Around 800,000commuters pass through the inner city every day, and it functions as a regionalshopping node for visitors from the southern suburbs.[2] All majorarterial roads originate from the inner city and spread out into other parts of the city. Johannesburg's mainrailway station,bus terminal, andminibus taxi centre are all located in the inner city.
The suburbs close to the CBD, in particularJoubert Park,Hillbrow, andBerea, have a large number of high-rise apartment blocks. These areas were formerly extremely desirable; however, due to the increase in crime, the housing stock has greatly deteriorated as many wealthier residents have left for the northern suburbs. The existing buildings in the CBD area are insufficient to meet the current demands for housing in the area, and as a result, many under-utilised or abandoned office buildings have been taken over bysquatters, or converted into residential housing units. Yeoville and Bellevue have a mix of apartment buildings and single residential units on small lots.
The region is located on a mountainous divide that runs from east to west. The most conspicuous geographic feature isObservatory Ridge, which is named for the largeobservatory located on it.[3] Therecreational spaces are no longer used, due to security problems. The CBD area lacks open spaces; although there are small neighbourhood parks in all suburbs, they are also not used due tomugging concerns. Both theUniversity of the Witwatersrand and theUniversity of Johannesburg are located in the inner city. One of South Africa's leading sporting venues,Ellis Park Stadium, is located inDoornfontein. It serves as primary home of Jo'burg's two professionalrugby union teams, theLions in the Southern HemisphereSuper Rugby competition and theGolden Lions in the domesticCurrie Cup. It was also a venue for the2010 FIFA World Cup.Johannesburg Stadium, a training ground for both the Golden Lions andOrlando Pirates, is adjacent.
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