Andrew Boraine » Johannesburg

Measuring city performance – where does Johannesburg stand?

Andrew — Sun, 08 May 2011 14:29:06 +0000

Johannesburg does well to retain its place in the latest PWC Cities of Opportunity Report, which analyses and ranks how 26 global centers of finance, business and culture perform across 10 key indicators (Intellectual capital and innovation; Technology readiness; Transportation and infrastructure; Health, safety and security; Sustainability; Economic clout; Ease…

Capturing the soul of a city – it has to be on foot

Andrew — Sun, 08 May 2011 12:27:50 +0000

The only way to capture the soul of a city is on foot. Joburg Photowalkers is a great project that attempts to do just this - check it out.

(All pictures from Joburg Photowalkers Facebook page)

Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan announces significantly enhanced role for South African cities

Andrew — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 10:37:38 +0000

In his Budget speech yesterday, Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan made specific reference to the role of South African cities as part of the nation’s future growth and development path. This is significent, as in previous years, there has been little or no focus on the role of cities by national…

Cape Town loses bid to host UN Climate Change Conference in 2011

Andrew — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 04:48:36 +0000

The South African Cabinet announced rather strangely yesterday that the 2011 UN Climate Change Conference (aka the 17th Conference of the Parties for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change or COP17) will take place in the “KwaZulu-Natal province”. I assume by this it is meant that it will take place in eThekwini/…

Cities for visitors or for locals? A journey through the ‘top 200′ cities of the world

Andrew — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 20:41:41 +0000

Many of my posts this year have tended to focus on the impact of the 2010 Football World Cup in Cape Town. Well, it was considerable. But now that the big event has come and gone, I thought that it would be nice to broaden my horizons once again and…

The joys of sauntering the city

Andrew — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 20:29:56 +0000

The great Baudelairean tradition of strolling the streets to discover the city is well captured by Jacob Dlamini in a recent article on walking in Johannesburg (yes, apparently it is possible – see below). He reminds us that one of the consequences of suburban life is the diminution of the rights of pedestrians in favour of cars. …

A long way from the big city

Andrew — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 15:58:17 +0000

Nkomazi, which has a population of 362 000, is situated between Nelspruit and the Mozambique border, and between Swaziland and the Kruger National Park. It is a beautiful area. It is also very poor.

Cape Town’s Bid to host 2011 UN Climate Change Conference

Andrew — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 09:01:50 +0000

Cape Town is one of three South African cities bidding to host the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP17) towards the end of 2011. The fact that the event will take place in South Africa so soon after the 2010 World Cup is a major boost for our country.…

A Ripple of Hope – Reflections on Robert Kennedy’s 1966 visit to South Africa

Andrew — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 21:58:42 +0000

For many years, an old LP recording of a speech by Robert Kennedy in Cape Town in 1966 lay around our family home. I never realised its significance until I saw RFK in the Land of Apartheid – A Ripple of Hope at the opening night of the…

2020 Olympic Bid: Next big thing or red herring?

Andrew — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 16:03:23 +0000

Cape Town is already a popular global and local events city – think Design Indaba, Cycle Tour, Jazz Festival, CT Carnival, World Economic Forum, Mining Indaba, etc - and we have strengthened our reputation by helping to host a successful Football World Cup. We need now to be planning how to bid for more sporting and cultural events in…