Economic Barometer 2009-2014
Since its establishment in 2003, the Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA) has strived towards promoting urban renewal in the Port Elizabeth CBD through various construction projects in the Central area. Beyond its involvement in urban renewal, the MBDA has also been instrumental in the redevelopment of the Uitenhage CBD, the upgrading of Kings Beach (Humewood) and the revitalisation of Helenvale. These projects, which over a ten year period were valued at over R 450 million, have had significant positive benefits on the surrounding areas both in terms of private sector investment and employment creation. As the principle initiator of these projects, the MBDA has sought to quantify the impact that these capital investment projects have had on the respective areas. In order to achieve this, the MBDA undertook to develop an economic barometer which could be used by the agency to: 1) Measure the impact of the upgrades on business activity 2) Assess what impact the upgrades have had on people’s perceptions of the targeted areas