The development of the R84-billion Modderfontein New City by Hong Kong-listed property development group Shanghai Zendai will be driven by the twin needs for access to information technology (IT) and viable integrated public transport systems, creating what Zendai Development South Africa CEO Anthony Diepenbroek dubs “the South African city of the future”.
In April, the property group outlined ambitious plans for a 22-km2 ‘city’ offering mixed land use on the sprawling Modderfontein property bought from AECI last year for R1-billion.
Diepenbroek noted that demand for accessible IT and cost-effective integrated public transport systems would see Modderfontein developing into an urban centre with population densities similar to those of the world’s major urban nodes.
“Although higher-densities [developments] are perceived to be extreme by some South Africans, the difference is that, until recently, the country has not been able to benefit from a city that has been purpose-designed from the ground up,” he noted.
The development plan for Modderfontein New City, therefore, presented a “natural solution” to anticipated population pressures.
“A system of high-density spines is the only sustainable solution and is aligned to the City of Johannesburg’s Corridors of Freedom spatial vision,” he said.
Once completed, Modderfontein New City was envisaged to become home to 100,000 people, offering functional commercial, retail and residential development zones.
By: Natalie Greve
Read the full article here: http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/r84bn-modderfontein-new-city-to-be-built-on-technology-integrated-public-transport-2014-09-10
