Photo: Unsplash
Photo: Unsplash
Travel experts at TimeOut Magazine are singing the praises of Johannesburg in their updated list of the world’s best cities in 2021. After the entire planet was turned upside down by COVID chaos, assessing what makes a metropolis a truly special place has changed somewhat – and that works nicely in Joburg’s favour.
What makes Johannesburg one of the best cities in the world?
The 37 cities featured had to meet an extra caveat, as researchers asked; ‘how much community spirit do these places have?’ – following an extensive survey, there was one value that stood out in Jozi more than almost anywhere else.
Neighbourliness. In the Time Out Index, 56% of Jozi locals said it was easy to ‘get to know your neighbours’ – second only to Manchester in the UK. Which, by the way, is an absolutely outstanding city in its own right.
Joburg locals ‘proud of their community spirit’
Meanwhile, the diversity of Johannesburg was amplified by its respondents. A total of 76% said it was easy to ‘meet people different from you’ in their city, paying testament to the rich variety of different cultures in the municipality.
Joburg was also praised for its resilience in the face of harsh lockdown laws, curfews, and business shutdowns. The togetherness of the metro also forms part of its ‘neighbourliness’, and over half of all those surveyed in Johannesburg said that community spirit is ‘high’ in their part of the world – and that’s always lovely to hear!
“Life in Johannesburg has been quite the ride this past year. But if the city is known for anything, it’s resilience. People have adapted, and businesses are now opening up again. There’s still a curfew in place, but Joburgers have found a way to make it work – and still have fun.”
“Many locals have seen their income dwindle, not aided by recent riots that forced the closure of many businesses across the city, but as ever, this city ultimately came together as one. In our survey, some 54% of locals rated Joburg highly for ‘community spirit’, and the period of growth that followed the turmoil is testament to that.”
TimeOut on Johannesburg, September 2021
