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City of Johannesburg
South Africa
ABOUT
Member summary
As South Africa’s largest metropolitan municipality, the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) stands as the country’s economic powerhouse and a major gateway to the African continent. Johannesburg, often called “the City of Gold,” is renowned for its vibrant economy, diverse communities, and its role as a global financial and cultural hub. The streets are lined with Jacaranda and Oak trees, giving Joburg the title of “biggest man-made forest in the world”.
Located in Gauteng Province, Johannesburg contributes nearly 16% of South Africa’s GDP, making it the country’s economic engine. The city combines an urban skyline with green open spaces, striving to balance rapid growth with environmental stewardship.
The city’s vision focuses on inclusive urban growth, environmental resilience, sustainable mobility, and a just transition towards a green economy.
Details
Population:
6.3 million
Member since:
2005
Water Security Strategy – Towards a Water-Secure City by 2040
Johannesburg is developing its comprehensive Water Security Strategy (2022), providing an actionable roadmap to improve water access, efficiency, and resilience across the metro. The strategy focuses on integrated water management, conservation, and stakeholder engagement to achieve water security by 2040.
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Assessment
Under ICLEI Africa’s technical guidance, Johannesburg reviewed and updated its Local Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (LBSAP), aligning it with national and international frameworks
EcoMobility World Festival – Johannesburg Declaration on EcoMobility
Johannesburg Declaration on EcoMobility
In October 2015, Johannesburg hosted the global EcoMobility World Festival, showcasing car-free urban living in Sandton. The festival concluded with the adoption of the Johannesburg Declaration on EcoMobility in Cities, which urged governments to prioritize low-carbon mobility ahead of COP21 in Paris and Habitat III in Quito.
2015
Johannesburg was a project city under Future Resilience for African Cities and Lands (FRACTAL)
FRACTAL was a 4-year project within the multi-consortia Future Climate for Africa (FCFA) programme. The project addressed the challenge of providing accessible, timely, applicable and defensible climate information needed by decision-makers operating at the city regional scale in southern Africa. Working together, the researchers and stakeholders co-produced relevant knowledge that supported resilient development pathways and enabled decision-makers to better integrate pertinent climate knowledge into their resource management decisions and urban development planning.
Environmental Planning and MoU with ICLEI Africa
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in August 2020, alongside a Service Level Agreement (SLA) (2018–2021), formalized ICLEI Africa’s provision of technical support on biodiversity, water, and environmental awareness for Johannesburg. Through this collaboration, ICLEI Africa supported the city in developing key frameworks including the Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Strategy, Invasive Species Control Plan, Catchment Management Plan, Ecosystem Goods and Services Assessment, and the Water Resilience and Scarcity Strategy. The MoU provided strategic direction for environmental planning and decision-making, and the partnership remains active, with a revised MoU currently under review (as of August 2024) to continue advancing Johannesburg’s sustainability agenda.
