Hillbrow has always been intense, alive and complicated – and that is exactly why it is the right place to test a bold, health-led regeneration model. The Hillbrow Health Precinct initiative, developed in partnership with the Wits Health Institute, explores a new way of rebuilding neighbourhoods by anchoring them around hospitals, clinics, training institutions and research hubs. 

Current workstreams focus on three catalytic opportunities:

• The first is the creation of an early childhood development centre within an underused facility, turning dormant space into a safe, future-shaping environment for young children 
• The second is engagement with the City of Johannesburg to reclaim the Florence Nightingale building and unlock its potential as part of a safer, better-managed civic cluster
• The third is a strategic assessment of the vacant old Hillbrow Hospital site and its future redevelopment potential within a wider, integrated precinct vision

Together, these strands form the backbone of a long-term precinct plan that treats health infrastructure not as isolated buildings, but as anchors for housing, social services, learning spaces and public life. The aim is simple but ambitious: to prove that a neighbourhood known for strain and decline can become a prototype for inclusive, health-centred urban regeneration in Johannesburg.