Creative industries and urban regeneration – The Maboneng precinct, Johannesburg

Abstract

Over the past 15 years, creative industries have emerged as a popular focus in urban policy discourses and have been used as a lever for several urban regeneration initiatives in Northern cities. Minimal scholarship exists on creative industries and urban regeneration in the global South. Notwithstanding that in South Africa creative industries have been recognised in policy frameworks, limited scholarly research exists on creative industries and their relationship with the urban landscape. In terms of geography most creative enterprises in Johannesburg are scattered across the northern suburbs of the city. Over the past few years, however, there is evidence of creative enterprises re-centralising and clustering in inner-city fringe areas such as the Maboneng precinct. Using interviews with creative entrepreneurs and stakeholders the purpose of this paper is to analyse the case of the Maboneng precinct Johannesburg in terms of the role of creative industries in urban regeneration.