JDA Leads Development of Inner-City Street and Informal Trading Plan
The Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA), on behalf of the City of Johannesburg’s Development Planning Department, has commenced with the development of a comprehensive Inner City Street and Informal Trading Plan.
Running from January 2025 to July 2026, this initiative is a critical step in reshaping Johannesburg’s Inner City into a more inclusive, accessible, and economically vibrant space. The project aims to create a cohesive framework that guides informal trading activities across the Inner City while promoting spatial equity and urban health.
“This plan is about recognition, inclusion, and smart urban design,” said Mr Themba Mathibe, Chief Executive Officer of the JDA. “Informal trading is an essential part of our city’s economy and culture. By designing accessible, functional, and resilient trading environments, we’re creating a Johannesburg that works for all its people.”
The plan will involve extensive public engagement with affected stakeholders and will culminate in a spatial blueprint that demarcates trading zones and defines trading typologies suited to diverse urban conditions.
These include concepts such as night markets, the adaptive use of shopping mall parking areas, public squares like Gandhi Square on weekends, and even skywalks over the city—using pedestrian bridges for structured trade.
A core focus of the plan is ensuring universal design access, which includes inclusive infrastructure for traders and customers with disabilities, the elderly, and those with mobility impairments. This approach is in line with the City’s commitment to building an equitable and user-friendly urban environment for everyone.
In addressing existing urban challenges—such as conflict between pedestrians and traders, limited ablution and storage facilities, service delivery constraints, safety concerns, and xenophobic tensions—the plan will also provide legal and policy mechanisms to manage informal trade effectively.
To better understand the needs of traders, the JDA has commissioned surveys targeting 100 traders across four key nodes in the city. Insights gathered will inform the development of an implementation strategy complete with budgets, phasing, and infrastructure priorities.
This initiative forms part of Johannesburg’s broader inner-city revitalization efforts and supports the vision of a well-regulated, inclusive, and opportunity-driven trading environment.
