The Jeppestown Healthcare Nexus: A Transit-Orientated Primary Healthcare Development
Supervisor: Dr. Coralie van Reenen
Project Location: Jeppestown, City of Johannesburg, Gauteng
Project Coordinates: 26°12'27"S 28°04'49"E
Programme: Transit-Orientated Primary Healthcare Facility
Key Words: Primary Healthcare, Innovative Building Technologies, Transit-OrientatednDevelopment, Urbanisation, Accessibility
Abstract
South Africa’s rapid urbanisation steadily intensifies pressure on its already strained housing, healthcare and transport sectors. With a subsidised housing backlog that exceeds 2,4 million units, many low-income residents are forced to seek and reside in unsafe, unregulated living conditions, heightening their exposure to perpetual health risk concerns. This vulnerability is exacerbated by persistent systematic deficiencies in public healthcare accessibility and quality. Primary healthcare (PHC), the crucial entry point into the healthcare system for most citizens, faces escalating demand amid inadequate infrastructure and limited resources. Although the proposed National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme aspires to achieve Universal Healthcare Coverage (UHC) with PHC as its foundation, unresolved infrastructural and accessibility barriers threaten its effectiveness.
Effective PHC delivery requires facilities that are strategically located, scalable, fit-for-purpose and financially accessible to socio-economically vulnerable populations. However, South Africa’s fragmented public transport system and underutilised rail infrastructure impedes this objective. The COVID-19 pandemic further exposed the limited adaptability of existing PHC facilities in responding to health emergencies, particularly in communities already burdened by inequality and poor living conditions. Jeppestown, located on the eastern periphery of Johannesburg’s city centre, exemplifies these challenges.
The existing Jeppe Clinic cannot accommodate the approximate 500 daily outpatients it receives, constrained by limited space, the closure of nearby clinics and worsening urban health conditions. The adjacent Geroge Goch Station - formerly serving over 26,000 daily commuters - has remained closed since 2020, further reducing healthcare access and local economic opportunity.
This project proposes a transit-orientated PHC facility integrated into the redevelopment and reopening of George Goch Station as a multimodal transport hub. The design incorporates a scalable, adaptable PHC facility constructed from Innovative Building Technologies (IBTs) selected on prefabrication, modularity and dry construction principles for rapid emergency expansion and long-term evolution in line with population growth projections. Beyond healthcare and mobility, the intervention aims to stimulate economic revitalisation, improve urban connectively and serve as an eastern gateway into Johannesburg’s city centre.
