The Johannesburg Development Agency
After three years in the Department for Economic Development, [15] Lael Bethlehem was appointed the CEO of the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) in 2005. [16] The JDA was established in April 2001 by the City of Johannesburg and was tasked primarily with inner city regeneration. [17] For five years the agency focussed predominantly on high-profile one-off investments which were aimed at catalysing regeneration in the inner city. [18] Investment projects championed during this time included the Nelson Mandela Bridge, Mary Fitzgerald Square, and the Newtown development. [19] These investments were instrumental in reversing the decline of inner city Johannesburg and in building a community of supporters and investors. [20]
Under Bethlehem's leadership, the JDA moved into a new investment phase, characterised by a series of more sustained smaller scale initiatives aimed at encouraging private sector investment. [21] The agency's work focused on upgrading public space and improving the sense of place in the city – for example public lighting, pavements, urban squares, parks and community halls were created, replaced or improved. [22] A new museum, library, public buildings, trader markets, dance studio and cricket oval were created. [23] The installation of beautiful public artwork and unusual street furniture became a hallmark of the JDA's work. [24] Bethlehem emerged as an advocate of the creation of a liveable city, believing this to be more important than simple ‘upgrading’ of space. “Public spaces have to become attractive places that give a city an identity that people can be proud of” she said in a 2008 interview. [25] Bethlehem also managed several of the city's large scale investment projects during her time as CEO of the JDA, including the development of the infrastructure for the city's bus rapid transit system, known as Rea Vaya, and the preparation of the key precincts for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. [26] [27]
Rea Vaya
As CEO of the Johannesburg Development Agency, Bethlehem was responsible for developing the infrastructure for the introduction of Rea Vaya, a bus rapid transit system for the city. [28] This R3.5-billion flagship project [29] was a social initiative as well as an infrastructure and environmental project: designed to be accessible, affordable and attractive to residents of all races and classes, the scheme sought to promote social inclusion and counteract the physical and social isolation suffered by the city's poorest communities, particularly in and around Soweto. [30] [31] [32] It was deliberately complementary to and integrated with the Gauteng provincial government's Gautrain. [33] [34]
A 2013 peer review of Rea Vaya concluded that it was too early to determine the system's impact on social equality. [35] The first phase of the scheme was completed on time for the city's hosting of the 2010 World Cup. [36] Rea Vaya currently has around 71,000 passengers per day, [37] and it is estimated will to save 1.6 million tons of CO2 equivalent emissions by 2020. [38] Several other South African cities are now planning BRT systems. [39] On leaving the JDA in 2010, Bethlehem picked Rea Vaya as the major scheme she was most proud of – particularly because of the role it played in the process of democratization in the city. [40]
