Ishola, Abdulrasaq Ajadi and Gumbo, Trynos and Maramura, Tafadzwa Clementine (2026) An Assessment of the Clean Air Zones (CAZ) Implementation in Developing Contexts: Social Equity Report for the City of Johannesburg. EVERYBODY PLANS ... SOMETIMES. Cherish Heritage, Plan Now, Create a Better Future! Proceedings of REAL CORP 2026, 31st International Conference on Urban Development, Regional Planning and Information Society. pp. 135-144. ISSN 2521-3938
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Text (An Assessment of the Clean Air Zones (CAZ) Implementation in Developing Contexts: Social Equity Report for the City of Johannesburg)
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Abstract
In the City of Johannesburg (CoJ), the proposed Clean Air Zones (CAZs) initiative, aligned with the C40 framework, promises substantial public health gains through air pollution reduction. However, without equity-centered design, CAZs risk deepening entrenched socio-economic disparities inherited from apartheid-era spatial planning. This study analyzes CAZ implementation pathways and their differential impacts across Johannesburg's seven administrative regions using datasets from the Gauteng City Region Observatory (GCRO), South African Census, and municipal reports. Five regulatory mechanisms comprising vehicle restrictions, solid fuel prohibitions, waste management formalization, industrial emission controls, and charging zones are examined through the lens of income inequality, service access gaps, spatial poverty, and environmental justice indicators. Findings reveal acute vulnerability concentrations: 71% of residents defaulting on utility bills cite unaffordability; 41% of Region G households experience meal-skipping; and declining service coverage (water satisfaction dropped from 79% to 59% between 2020/21-2023/24) compounds policy compliance capacity. A composite regional vulnerability matrix identifies Regions D and G as requiring priority equity interventions, while Regions B, E, and F demonstrate greater adaptive capacity. The study concludes that Johannesburg's CAZs must operationalize through phased geographic implementation, targeted subsidies for clean energy transitions, formalized inclusion of informal waste reclaimers, and participatory policy co-design with marginalized communities. This approach harmonizes environmental sustainability with social justice, advancing SDG commitments while preventing policy-induced displacement.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Clean Air Zone (CAZ), Social Equity, C40, Environmental Justice, Vulnerability Assessment |
| Subjects: | G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor H Social Sciences > HM Sociology |
| Depositing User: | REAL CORP Administrator |
| Date Deposited: | 05 Apr 2026 17:14 |
| Last Modified: | 05 Apr 2026 17:14 |
| URI: | http://repository.corp.at/id/eprint/1334 |
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