Chic Jozi

Where do you go for cut-price designer labels, that must-have little black dress, or a unique ensemble for an exclusive evening out? Where can you take your children so they'll be entertained and safe while you can relax? And what actually are 44 Stanley, Arts on Main, and Gramadoelas? How do you fool your mother-in-law with a delicious home-made - read: catered - lasagne served in the dish she gave you (because what working girl has time to cook a gourmet meal during the week)? Who should you trust for that fantastic facial or perfect pedi? Are you looking for somewhere to sip exotic sundowners while the sun sets on the Jozi skyline, or the trendiest hangouts for a Saturday night on the town? How about where to find the juiciest cut of steak or the freshest fish in this landlocked city, organic veggies, freshly ground coffee beans, and still-warm, flour-dusted ciabatta? And if it's the most decadent Belgian chocolate cake that you're after to share with your girlfriends or a melt-in-the-mouth cheesecake, you'll find all this and much, much more in Chic Jozi: The Savvy Style Companion. From restaurants, bargain-hunting, landscape gardening and urban chilling, to club-hopping, museums, markets and vintage stores; from spas, the best boutiques, and local designers, to going green with organic products, kids' courses, yoga and meditation: this is your one stop, utterly essential guide on how to have a good time in Joburg.

In the past year Johannesburg has made enormous strides in creating a safe, dynamic city which has won two awards from the British Guild of Travel Writers. This pocket-sized guide will give confidence to business and holiday travellers wanting to make the most of a visit to the major sites as well as Johannesburg's other attractions, including excellent museums telling the story of South Africa's turbulent history, markets which sell cheeses and Cape wineland produce, art galleries showcasing local painting as well as bohemian cafés which personify the "Rainbow Nation".

Chic Jozi u the Jo'burg pocketbook is guide that solves the daily dilemmas every chic metrophile faces. Where to go to see and be seen.

With the spread of capitalism - a socio-economic system that produces both wealth and poverty simultaneously - the spatial dynamics of the "global(izing)" city are creating more division between social classes, not less. This means that in the 21st-century, large cities around the world exhibit intensifying spatial inequality taking the form of a wealthy, privileged urban core ringed by a periphery of lower-income denizens far removed from the city’s resources and amenities. This trend toward swelling socio-spatial division is especially pronounced in cities purporting to be "global", or in the case of Johannesburg, South Africa’s financial capital, a "world-class African city." Ironically, Johannesburg’s historical legacy of immense spatial inequality thanks to apartheid is the direction in which most "global(izing)" cities such as New York, Cairo, London, Shanghai, New Delhi, Jakarta, Lagos, Berlin, and São Paulo are headed. The globalization of neoliberal urban policy has made the city less welcoming, liveable, accessible and friendly for lower-income city residents. This book asks if Johannesburg can unstitch its complex urban fabric to create a city with more democratic public transport, affordable housing in desirable locations and safe, socially and racially integrated public spaces. These pithy, solidly researched, accessibly written essays are instructive for all those who are interested in questions of spatial justice, urban development, history and planning and the general goal of making cities more livable and accessible for urban dwellers of all income levels.

A photographic essay of life in Johannesburg (nicknamed Jozi by the locals). It reveals Jozi as a city of contrast and difference.