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Plate 33: The CBD is characterised by dense high-rise office and residential buildings (Author: 2010).
Plate 34: Due to the high water table of the CBD, multi- storey parkades were built to accommodate the increase in car ownership. Pine Parkade can be seen to the right of this image. (Author: 2010).
Plate 35: There is a municipal bus rank in the CBD.
There are two train stations but they are located on the edges of the CBD (Author: 2010).
4.2.1. Office Location: Central Business District
The Central Business District
(CBD) of Durban is the place where the original town of Durban was first established. It was
developed there due to its proximity to the natural harbour.
The present-day CBD has retained its importance due to this proximity to the harbour, although the quality of the working and living
environment here has deteriorated.
High density high-rise office and residential buildings characterise the CBD, but there are also warehouses and light industrial buildings here. Retail outlets are predominantly on the ground floor addressing the street.
All modes of public transport (train,
bus, mini-bus taxi) culminate in the
CBD. This makes it a very vibrant
place with many people passing
through it. The one problem with
the public transport system,
however, is that all routes begin
and end in the CBD. There is no
means by public transport to move
between suburbs. This possibly adds
to the private vehicles on the roads
because it is perceived in South
Africa that public transport is for the
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Plates 37 & 38:
Cowey Park is a purpose-built suburban office located on Cowey (Problem Mkhize) Road. It contains a petrol station and shops on the ground floor, two levels of parking, and two levels of offices (Author: 2011).
Plate 39: A Heritage Listed building on the corner of Cowey and Marriott Roads with restaurants on the ground floor and offices on the first floor. This building is across the road from Cowey Park (Author: 2011).
Plate 36: There are several minibus taxi ranks in the CBD, as well as ranks for private bus companies (Author: 2010).
poorer classes, and a middle class person may not want to go into the CBD and end up in a possibly dangerous position.
The CBD is very pedestrian friendly and buildings respond positively to the street in the form of shops opening out onto the pavements because most of the people in the city move about on foot. However the CBD is
perceived as congested, noisy, dirty and crime-ridden, which makes it an unattractive location for businesses of a higher calibre.
4.2.2. Office Location: Berea
The Berea is an old suburb of Durban, therefore has many historical houses. Many of these houses were converted into A-Grade offices in the mid-1990s (see figure 66 for an analysis of office locations in the area). Cowey (Problem
Mkhize) and Florida Roads were primary targets of this office decentralisation and house conversion. The trend is still
occurring and is gradually spreading along the length of Cowey Road and into streets around Florida Road.
There have been some purpose-built
suburban offices in Berea, for
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Plate 40: Another original Heritage Listed building on the corner of Cowey and Marriott Roads. This previously was a house which has been converted into office premises (Author: 2011).
Plate 41: Evidence of the office typology available in Cowey Road (Author: 2011).
Figure 67: A section through the typology of office commonly found in Berea. This exact example is located between Cowey and Linden Roads. Notice staff parking is accessed from the smaller street at the rear whilst visitors’ parking is located on the larger, main road in the front. This is a converted veranda-style house (Author: 2011).
example Cowey Park on Cowey Road (see plates 37 and 38).
Cowey and Florida Roads have attracted professional businesses, for example architects, engineers and lawyers, as well as services such as travel agents, estate agents, hair and beauty salons and doctors and dentists.
Florida Road has a concentration of entertainment and dining
establishments aimed toward the younger generations whilst Cowey Road is focused more on the mature clientele in the types of restaurants and shops available.
Although this may seem like a good thing for the suburb because the converted houses are well kept in order to maintain a good company
image, the fact remains that they are only occupied during office hours. This brings the problem of lower levels of vigilance for crime in the area after hours. One company the author spoke to has had three burglaries in a single year. Burglars target business premises because they know they will be vacant at night, but also they know that they house valuable items such as computers.
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Plate 42: A Heritage Listed building on Florida Road.
The building engages with the street by extending its veranda over the pavement so that the restaurants on the ground floor can place tables on the pavement. The first floor of this building is used as offices (Author: 2011).
Plate 43: This is a new building constructed on Florida Road. It was designed to tie in with the vernacular of the area – that being Natal Veranda Style. Basement parking was decided upon to meet parking
requirements. Ground floor is retail, and the top two floors are offices (Author: 2011).
Figure 68: A section of Florida Road illustrating the pedestrian friendliness of the buildings along the road, as well as the availability of parking along the street (Author: 2011).
Berea remains a popular choice of offices due to its close proximity to the Central Business District and its ease of access to other decentralised office locations such as Westville. It is also popular due to the availability of public transport in the form of regular buses and mini-bus taxis. The availability of both off- and on-street parking is an advantage in Berea.
Also, especially in Florida Road, how the buildings relate to the street in a humane manner which
indicates the importance of the
pedestrian. With regard to Florida
Road, this is a mixed-use precinct
whereby offices, residential and
entertainment activities exist side-
by-side thereby creating an area
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Plate 44: A complex of service offices on Florida Road.
Businesses such as hair salons, doctors, dentists and picture framing galleries have their premises here (Author: 2011).
which is active during all hours of
the day and night. This is preferable
because it increases vigilance which
decreases the likelihood of crime.
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