State of Green Infrastructure in the Gauteng City-Region Alexis Schäffler with Natasha Christopher, Kerry Bobbins, Emmarie Otto, Mduduzi W. Nhlozi, Martin de Wit, Hugo van Zyl, Douglas Crookes, Graeme Gotz, Guy Trangoš, Chris Wray, Potsiso Phasha VIEW FROM WATERKLOOF RIDGE, TSHWANE, 2013 Lead author: Alexis Schäffler GCRO Artwork: Natasha Christopher Wits School of Arts The Report overview on page 2 specifies the chapter breakdown and authorship of the following contributors: Kerry Bobbins, GCRO Mduduzi W. Nhlozi Emmarie Otto Martin de Wit, Hugo van Zyl, and Douglas J. Crookes (De Wit Sustainable Options (Pty, Ltd) The following also contributed with assistance on editing, design and mapping: Graeme Gotz, GCRO Guy Trangoš, GCRO Chris Wray, GCRO Potsiso Phasha, GCRO Cover image: North east view of Soweto from the July 2013 Oppenheimer Tower, Oppenheimer Park, Soweto, 2013: ISBN 978-0-620-57619-2 In the foreground, Central Western Jabavu, in the middle ground, Mofolo Central, in the background and horizon, Published by the Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO), Orlando and Diepkloof. a partnership of the University of Johannesburg, the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, and the Design and layout: www.itldesign.co.za Gauteng Provincial Government. Contents Foreword 1 Report overview 2 Terminology 3 Section 1: Introduction 4 Section 2: State of green infrastructure in the GCR 20 Section 3: Government plans and initiatives 56 Section 4: Valuing ecosystems services 122 Section 5: Constructed landscapes 150 Section 6: Conclusion: research pathways ahead 172 Annexures 184 References 191 AGAVE PLANT, EMPIRE ROAD, JOHANNESBURG, 2013 i Tables Table 1. Resource pressures facing the GCR 8 Table 2. Number of square kilometres of each land cover class in each municipality in Gauteng 27 Table 3. Relevant green space provisions and guidelines in EMM strategic processes 71 Table 4. A comparison between market, non-market and proxy market values 125 Table 5. Ecosystem goods and services and monetary valuation techniques 127 Table 6. Relationship between categories and case study values 127 Table 7. Open space values (R/ha) from CV and hedonic pricing, 2011 128 Table 8. Urban and peri-urban wetland values (R/ha/yr), South Afrca (2011 prices) 129 Table 9. Hectares per open space types in the City of Johannesburg 133 Table 10. Indicative values per hectare per year for open space types in the City of Johannesburg 136 Table 11. Indicative values per year for individual open space types in the City of Johannesburg – Medium Estimate Scenario 137 Table 12. Indicative values per year for all open space CABLE, JOHANNESBURG, 2013. types in the City of Johannesburg across Estimate Scenarios 138 Table 13. Indicative present values for all open space types in the City of Johannesburg across Estimate Scenarios 139 Table 14. Types of accuracy and descriptions of inaccuracy type 185 ii THE STATE OF GREEN INFRAstRUCTURE IN THE GCR Figures Figure 1. Location of the GCR and its municipalities 7 Figure 19. Overview of agricultural gardens, agricultural Figure 38. Agricultural land 46 hubs, agricultural land and land used for Figure 39. Recreational green spaces 46 Figure 2. Built-up land in Gauteng 9 livestock 34 Figure 40. Protected areas 47 Figure 3. Overview of green asset data errors 22 Figure 20. Green space per building Figure 4. Landscape transformation status in Gauteng 25 including agriculture 34 Figure 41. Hydrological networks 47 Figure 5. Percentage of selected land cover classes Figure 21. Recreational green space across Gauteng 35 Figure 42. The GCR as a multi-layered green infrastructure network 47 in each municipality in Gauteng (source: Figure 22. Golf course, Ekurhuleni (CSIR Spot 5 GTI 2,5m Urban Land Cover, 2012) 28 Imagery, 2010) 36 Figure 43. Overview of land cover classes in Johannesburg 60 Figure 6. Natural vegetation: thicket, bush land, bush Figure 23. School grounds, Westonaria (CSIR Spot 5 clumps, indigenous forests, shrub land, Imagery, 2010) 36 Figure 44. Administrative regions in the City planted and natural vegetation, degraded of Johannesburg 132 natural vegetation 29 Figure 24. School grounds and sports facilities, Soweto (CSIR Spot 5 imagery, 2010) 36 Figure 45. Differences in municipal park classification 184 Figure 7. Non-natural trees in Gauteng 30 Figure 25. Protected areas in Gauteng 37 Figure 8. Indigenous and non-natural trees in Gauteng 30 Figure 26. Hydrological networks in Gauteng 38 Figure 9. Tree coverage in Bryanston, Johannesburg 31 Figure 27. Wards above or below 2ha parks Figure 10. Tree coverage in Alexandra, Johannesburg 31 per 1000 individuals 40 Figure 11. Tree coverage in Atlasville, Ekurhuleni 31 Figure 28. Wards above or below 4ha parks Figure 12. Tree coverage in Daveyton, Ekurhuleni 31 per 1000 individuals 41 Figure 13. Tree coverage in Waterkloof, Tshwane 31 Figure 29. Population in all SALs within a 750m buffer of parks 41 Figure 14. Tree coverage in Mamelodi, Tshwane 31 Figure 30. Population in all SALs within and outside Figure 15. Mature tree coverage captured by GTI 2,5m 750m buffer of parks 41 Urban Land Cover (2012) 33 Figure 31. Aerial image of Houghton (CSIR Spot 5 Figure 16. Mature tree coverage (GTI 2,5m Urban Land Imagery, 2010) 42 Cover, 2012) with Johannesburg City Parks tree point data (JCP, 2012) 33 Figure 32. Aerial image of Soweto (CSIR Spot 5 Imagery, 2010) 42 Figure 17. Tree planting projects versus mature trees and Johannesburg City Parks tree point Figure 33. Private green space in gated communities 43 data (GTI, 2,5m, 2012, and JCP, 2012) 33 Figure 34. Green passages including the Braamfontein Figure 18. Commercial agriculture in Gauteng Spruit, Johannesburg 45 34 Figure 35. Orange Farm, Johannesburg 45 Figure 36. Hammanskraal, Tshwane 45 Figure 37. Natural and planted vegetation 46 iii SECTION 1 Green infrastructure: introduction and conceptual underpinnings iv VIEW, OPPENHEIMER PARK, SOWETO, 2013 THE STATE OF GREEN INFRAstRUCTURE IN THE GCR Foreword Rashid Seedat HEAD, GAUTENG PLANNING COMMISSION OFFICE OF THE PREMIER, GAUTENG PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT The State of Green Infrastructure in the Gauteng City-Region urban amenities, managing natural resources more efficiently, finance and management systems through a review of (GCR) is a rich, visually powerful output that offers a unique and reshaping settlements, all within a context of ever present available green infrastructure valuation techniques, as well as insight into how our city-region is served by various layers of financial constraints. an indicative valuation exercise taking one municipality’s parks green infrastructure. This is the first study into how various as a case study. Fourth, it presents an intriguing analysis of Within this context, The State of Green Infrastructure in green assets come together to form a network that provides how citizen’s private investments have been a very significant the Gauteng City-Region is both timeous and illuminating, crucial ecosystem services, in the same way as our roads, force behind the extension of green infrastructure in the helping to open up a field of new ideas that can be considered water pipes, electricity cables and storm water drainage lines province, and how the kind of green landscapes we have, in both our long-range strategies, and the short to medium provide us with ‘basic’ services. and might have in future, are very much shaped by cultural plans that will flow from this in the near future. When we think preferences and trends. Lastly, its photographic elements The capacity of our infrastructure to cater for a rapidly about infrastructure we are used to thinking about ‘big pipes, provide a visually powerful narrative of the many different growing population and economy is a critical challenge for big culverts, big roads’. This report decisively challenges this kinds of green infrastructure we have in the GCR. The images the Gauteng City-Region. Meeting the expanding demand for common perception of what infrastructure is and should be. eloquently capture how our local landscapes and vegetation, urban services in a context of resource constraints will prove It carves out a new conceptual and policy space, helping to which we so often take for granted in our everyday comings difficult, especially in the context of historically inequitable, show exactly how green assets such as urban trees, parks, and goings around the city-region, are an integral part of our dysfunctional and sprawling urban settlement patterns. Ever wetlands, natural grasslands, and the like, can be – indeed urban form and fabric. larger volumes of domestic and industrial waste, and growing must be! – thought about and planned for as infrastructure. It air, water and land pollution, exacerbate the challenge. does this in a number of creative ways. Our shared goal of developing an equitable, efficient and sustainable city-region is greatly advanced by the Facing up to these pressures, the Gauteng Provincial First, it provides a methodologically rigorous presentation conceptual and analytical benchmark set by this State of Government (GPG) has embarked on a number of strategic and analysis of available spatial data on various dimensions Green Infrastructure in the Gauteng City-Region. The report processes, notably the Gauteng 2055 process – a long-term of Gauteng’s diverse green infrastructure networks. Second, certainly helps meet our need in government for high quality development vision and plan – as well as a Gauteng Integrated through detailed primary research in each of Gauteng’s