FROM VISION
TO REALITY
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
No matter where you track on the timeline, no matter the highs and lows of the journey,
Florida Rd has always been steadfastly Durban. Now, thanks to the collective focus of
passionate “doers” in both the public and private sectors, Florida Rd is set to reveal its
character and reclaim its place as a key player in the future growth of Durban. You are
part of another defining moment in the journey of this unique place, so stand by for the
Florida Rd vibe...
Welcome to the first edition of The VIBE. A quarterly
publication developed by the Florida Rd place-
making committee and Urban Improvement
Precinct (UIP) to serve its dynamic community. We
are so excited to have a dedicated space to share
the news and views of the Roads’ food, culture,
work, family, design and party happenings, a space
to keep in touch about this rapidly evolving place.
So, let’s share…and focus because this is the
whirlwind summary! We start with hard-core
strategy, summing up the Florida Rd brand DNA
and urban development programs and sharing
some of the key points from this discovery.
Some of the influential voices on the road give us
their insight into the future of the place, and then
we reveal the new Florida Rd visual identity before
telling you where to next and explaining how you
can get involved.
What exactly is this vibe? Well…really it is
a combination of things, brought to life
in different ways for different people, but
what is consistently clear is the desire for
quality of experiences across the place in
the future.
Essentially The VIBE is here to re-ignite the fire in
those that may have left the road, while delivering
on promises made to the die-hards for their
commitment to keeping this place relevant and
uniquely Durban.
MIKE HOLLAND AND CARA REILLY
FLORIDA RD PLACE-MAKING COMMITTEE
WALKING THE ROAD
WITH THE UIP 01 Zethe Mdletshe singing
at the 2016 Remember
Me public-space event at
Gordon Rd Park
The UIP has been providing active services to
Florida Rd since October 2013, after a collective of
Florida Rd property owners and stalwarts decided
the road was worth saving and began knocking on
doors eventually raising R185 000 to establish the
Florida Rd UIP. 02 Mpume and Anita take
a much-needed break
during our cover shoot
As per the mandate laid out in the agreement
between the UIP and the eThekwini Municipality
(eTM), precinct manager Jarrod Evans works with
his team and various eTM departments providing
comprehensive services to the road. See service
provision in numbers below.
Our mags’ name was chosen by, (drum
roll) you! Through the brand DNA process
undertaken last year with community
stakeholders, (kudos and gratitude to the
hundreds of you that completed our very
long surveys) it was immediately clear.
When asked what single word jumps
to mind when you think Florida Rd, the
resounding answer was vibe.
02
03
03 Prikash Bhikhal from the
eThekwini’s municipal
local area planning
department sharing
insights at the Florida Rd
Insight Workshop at the
Botanical Gardens
04 One of Durban’s trend
setting pop-up eateries
has chosen Florida Rd as
its permanent home
04
01
URBAN MANAGEMENT IN NUMBERS ON FLORIDA ROAD FROM JANUARY TO MARCH 2017
SAFETY
& SECURITY
Made
4 arrests
CLEANING,
GREENING &
MAINTENANCE
MUNICIPAL
SECURED
MAINTENANCE
& UPGRADES
02 | THE/VIBE
Requested Police assistance
on 44 occasions
Provided assitance
at 8 vehicle accidents
224 cases of
bylaw enforcement
Assistance provided to 18
members of public
144
Filled 2959
refuse bags Removed 30
incidents of graffiti Carried out 38
maintenance projects Carried out 20
greening projects The total number of
service requests
Secured the installation
of 10 speed humps Upgrades to the
historic tram shelter 29 repairs to roads,
paving and signage 14 electrical related
faults resolved 12 DSW related
concerns resolved