City Overview

Johannesburg is South Africa’s largest and fastest growing city offering both opportunities and challenges to environmental sustainability. It has the headquarters of 70% of South Africa’s businesses. Due to the concentration of activities in the city Johannesburg’s estimated carbon emission reached 27.2 million tCO2e (6.89tCO2e per capita) in 2007. In 2011 the strategy was refined and published as the ‘Joburg 2040 GDS’. The concepts of resilience and resource efficient growth are repeated throughout the strategy with the goal of improving the quality of life of citizens. South Africa already has developed national indicators on sustainable cities, while Johannesburg also has developed local indicators (Growth and Development Strategy—GDS 2040) to articulate a desired environmental path. The project will align with the GSD 2040 and aim to foster city level resilience, resource efficiency, emission reductions and other co-benefits through area-based pilot demonstrations, systems analysis (food), and institutionalization of evidence-based decision making through integrated planning