Document: City of Johannesburg: Growth and Development Strategy 2040

The Joburg 2040 GDS is an aspirational strategy that defines the type of society the city aspires to achieve, by 2040. The strategy restates the City’s resolve in confronting the past injustices created during Apartheid, working towards a democratic, non-racial, non-sexist and just City while simultaneously confronting present and future challenges as they emerge. Therefore, it contains:

• A vision and mission – which serves as a mental picture of Joburg, the city, by 2040;
• Principles – the values held by the City, as first articulated in the 2006 GDS;
• Outcomes – what the City seeks to achieve by 2040;
• Long-term outputs – the deliverables through which the City plans to achieve the desired outcomes; and
• Indicators – the measures through which the City plans to assess progress against its desired outcomes.

The Joburg 2040 GDS is not a spatial vision or statutory plan. This is an important distinction, as it distinguishes this document from other long-range city plans. Instead, the Joburg 2040 GDS is a prerequisite for medium-term, strategic, spatially-oriented plans for the infrastructure, housing and transportation sectors. Furthermore, this strategy does not describe institutional powers, functions and operational activities. On the contrary, it provides a set of defined strategic directions that frame the five-year IDP and other medium-term plans. In support of long-term delivery, the IDP will contain specific five-year operational activities, targets and financial budgets.

The full strategy is available here.