Teaching: Market Photo Workshop
posted by Ismail Farouk at Friday, November 09, 2007
I've started teaching a course at the Market Photo Workshop in Newtown. My class focuses on developing an understanding the city using multi-burst photography and digital animation as rhythm analysis tools.
As a stating point my students and I visited Ponte City, the largest residential apartment complex in South Africa. The building is generally associated with negative perceptions of the inner city. Most commonly, its perceived a place of abode for Nigerians and therefore associated with drug dealing and thuggery. However, the perceptions are changing as Ponte was recently sold to developers who are converting the complex into middle to upper class sectional title units.
The cost of a basic studio flat starts at R400 000. Whilst this may not seem like a huge sum of money for property these days, the price excludes most of the existing tenants. In fact, 60% of the building has already been vacated and the remaining leases are not being renewed.
The developers have already sold 80% of their show units. Whilst this is very impressive, I am not sure how many new investors are initially planning on living in the building themselves. I think its a case of initially buying to rent and waiting for the wider redevelopment of the city to make an impact before moving in.
The Ponte Development presents an interesting case study of gentrification in the inner city. It demonstrates the vision for the redeveloped inner city, primarily as a place for formally employed South Africans. I left my students thinking about questions around 'the right to the city'. Where to from here for those who are not desired?
Labels: Citizenship, gentrification, Johannesburg, Ponte, Projects, urban research
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