The Informal Sector in Johannesburg: Chaos Precinct or Thriving Entrepôt?

The old centre of Johannesburg is the setting for The Chaos Precinct, the title of Tanya Zack’s new book and the theme of our seminar. The orthodoxy is that the inner city of Johannesburg is declining, but we will be asked to think differently about Johannesburg – as an African city, a port city and one that is leading a globalised trade in fast fashion, spreading across the subcontinent and affecting the lives of hundreds of thousands of Africans. Tanya Zack will share her perceptive insights and experiences born of a fifteen-year immersion in the life of the precinct.

Speaker:

Tanya Zack

Tanya Zack is a South African Urban Planner and writer whose work has focused on urban regeneration, contemporary migration, informal work, urban policy and affordable housing. Her previous book Wake Up: This Is Joburg (Duke University Press, 2022) has been lauded for its originality and new insights..

This seminar is designed for anyone interested in urban regeneration. The event will speak to the College's teaching and research interests in Sustainable Urban Development and Migration Studies. It will also speak to those interested in South Africa, Ethiopian migrants and business.

The format is a presentation, comment from the chair, and Q&A.

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