RE-IMAGINING
FLORIDA RD - A PIAZZA
What does the future ‘street-view’ look like for a place such as Florida Rd? How do we
translate what we have learnt about our character and about who we want to be into
the physical design of the place?
Together with partners Iyer Urban Design
Architects, eThewkini Transport Authority and
Arup’s traffic engineering team, we are excited
to share some of the first impressions of what
our public open space could look like. The
impressions below are of what we have called
the Florida Rd Piazza, a dedicated multi-purpose
area that brings to life what Gordon Rd park
is trying to be, incorporating the roadway and
connecting to the sidewalk outside Spiga, Capello,
Kauai and MO-ZAM-BIK. A space like this would
be one of kind in the Durban inner city, giving our
community - residents, business and visitors alike,
an opportunity to breathe in our ‘Florida Rd-ness’
in our version of The Third Place. These concept
impressions are just that, concepts, and are still
to undergo everything from public participation
to traffic feasibility concept work, but the thinking
and planning is underway, and the next layer of
Florida Rd’s path is being laid.
Introduction of large
trees into the hard
landscape echoes the
character not only of
Florida Rd but of the
whole of the Berea and
is a significant marker in
reclaiming pedestrian-
focused public space
Upgrading and extending
Gordon Rd Park to flow into
the street forming a
multi-level piazza
Multi-purpose Piazza,
a safe-space that becomes
the heart-beat of Florida
Rd, supporting everything
from the daily movement
of people and leisure time,
to controlled events and
community interaction
08 | THE/VIBE
Our sincere thanks go to Iyer and Arup for
committing to develop this work pro bono
for the Florida Rd UIP and eThekwini
Transport Authority.
Providing a
multi-purpose centre
on the corner of Gordon
and Florida Rd’s for
retail/leisure/hospitality
opportunities
Providing a drop-off option
and routing vehicular traffic
into the network of roads
surrounding Florida Rd