Estate Living Magazine Invest SA - Issue 41 May 2019 | Page 58

l i v e
s m a r t
stage. A number of projects have taken shape in recent years,
including Cascavelle Shopping Village, 10,000sqm of shops and
restaurants; Uniciti Office Park, the largest business park on the
island with its 15,000sqm, and Student Life Residences, the first
student accommodation in Mauritius.
The city’s development is set to accelerate in the next three
years with the construction of new student residences and a
huge park in the heart of Uniciti. This will house a cultural and
artistic centre and a number of bars and restaurants. In the short
term, new infrastructure will include new road networks and
residential projects to create villas, townhouses, apartments,
retirement homes and affordable housing.
Smart thinking
A key pillar of the Uniciti concept is a green, sustainable city.
Based on a 2016 inventory of the site’s landscape features,
a smart strategy was drawn up by the master planners. They
incorporated the existing green network in the design of the
smart city by using natural water bodies, preserving the existing
ecological corridors and creating a well-connected grid of parks
and squares, and pedestrian and cycle paths. A sustainable
rainwater management strategy is implemented within the
city. Based on natural solutions, it minimises the impact on
Uniciti street view – artist's rendering
Retirement facilities
the environment, whereby the traditional concrete ducts are
replaced by open swales along all the road corridors.
Uniciti embraces a multifaceted approach to the design
and development of its city through the Placemaking
concept, by focusing on the effective ways to strengthen
the connection between people and the places they live in.
With 26 kilometres of cycling and pedestrian paths, Uniciti
brings people together through a safe, efficient and sustainable
transport network that encourages clean transportation. This
network links the city along beautifully designed green corridors
Sport aquatics and recreation centre