Jonathan Liebmann, who founded the Maboneng Precinct, was at the age of 24 hailed as a visionary for breathing life back into Johannesburg’s once derelict inner city.
Nearly ten years later, he reflects on his vision that has since come true, as part of Nedbank‘s ‘See Money Differently’ campaign, which features the stories of South African icons including Liebmann’s.
The Maboneng story is a well-known one. In 2008 Liebmann took a part of Johannesburg’s neglected CBD and transformed it into a mixed-use development which now includes residential, entertainment and working spaces, restaurants and stores. However, his greatest achievement beyond the infrastructure, is creating a community.
Liebmann, who is also the founder and CEO of the property development company, Propertuity, as part of the Nedbank campaign looks back on the journey of developing Maboneng, and the impact the precinct has had on the city’s landscape and its people.
He tells his story in a podcast which features sounds of Liebmann walking through the area’s busy streets, we also hear him interacting with shop owners and residents as he explores the area’s attractions.
To celebrate how far Maboneng has come, here are 5 quotes from Liebmann’s story.
ON ATTRACTING THE MASSES – “The most important thing was to draw people to the area and along with the stylish 12 Decades apartments above us, the market (Market On Main) helped me do that.”
See also: What We Learnt From This App About The Power Of Money
ON MAKING A SOCIAL INVESTMENT – “I wanted to create an urban living space that Johannesburg needed, and instead of investing in an area that was already on the rise, I wanted to uplift and develop a community.”
All about last night! Maboneng precinct ❤ The place to be and lucky me to stay here 😉 #vacationdiaries #vacaymode #vacayadicts #vacationstation2017 #southafrica #joburg #johannesburg #maboneng #streetart #liveband #liveafricanmusic #rooftopbar #bbq #crazycrowd #globetrotter #aboutlastnight
ON CREATING A SAFE SPACE – “What this area brought to the development was more than just shops, apartments and food. It’s also helped clean up an area that was crippled by crime.”
ON BUILDING A FAMILY-FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT – “Even children now have a place to keep busy while their parents are at work.”
ON BUILDING A COMMUNITY – “That’s what excited me the most about being a property developer, it’s not necessarily building properties, but rather what it does for the people in the community.”
