Thumbs up for Jozi CBD

The Johannesburg CBD has been given the thumbs up from the Lonely Planet travel publisher for its "incredible makeover".

Egoli's inner city is included as one of 10 neighbourhoods from around the world that "have been completely revamped into coveted places to live, work and play".

In the article, the CBD is described as having "improved security, new transportation systems, and restored heritage attractions".

It has also just been announced that Johannesburg is going to be the first African city to be included in the In Your Pocket city guides.

Laurice Taitz, editor and publisher of the Johannesburg In Your Pocket Guide, due in February, said the city was joining cities like Berlin, Athens and Amsterdam.

"Without a doubt the CBD has undergone huge change," Taitz said.

Thousands of people have been moving back to live in the CBD, she said.

The opening up of retail spaces in the city and in the Maboneng district allowed entrepreneurs, who could not afford shopping mall rentals, to flourish, Taitz said .

The Maboneng Precinct includes an independent film theatre, clothing stores, 15 restaurants, a hotel, art galleries and a performance space.

Its brand manager, Hayleigh Evans, said two more residential complexes, an inner-city pool, student accommodation and a 150-bed backpackers lodge were due to be completed by December.

The African Design Museum in the Maboneng Precinct will open its doors in December.

Taitz said the inner- city had been easier to develop because it had more private buildings that could be built and sold than nearby Newtown.

A lot of the land in Newtown is provincial land and took ages to transfer, she said.

The Johannesburg Development Agency's Barbara Mdluli said it had partnered with private business to fix up the city and Maboneng district.

"People enjoy Newtown. It is safe, it is completely upgraded. We are working to upgrade the Hillbrow infrastructure for development of a Hillbrow precinct around the Hillbrow Tower," she said.