Over the next decade a “green” city, costing an estimated R5 billion, with hotels, office blocks, upmarket retail and entertainment outlets, restaurants and medical facilities, is being developed by Dube TradePort next to King Shaka International Airport, South Africa Magazine reports.

By Ian Armitage

What will the cities of the future look like? Will they be baron wastelands, ravaged by nuclear holocaust, or will they be some sort of utopia, boasting no crime, no pollution, and no over-crowding?

Fortunately the latter seems more likely and Dube TradePort’s new and ambitious “Green” city, known as Dube City, gives us a glimpse at tomorrow's high-tech metropolis.

The R5 billion environmentally friendly “city” is to be built next to Durban’s state-of-the-art King Shaka International Airport.

Planners say Dube City, touted to become “Africa’s first urban green precinct”, will consist of hotels as well a business, retail, trade and entertainment hub, and will offset the high carbon footprint created by the R7.8 billion airport.

The project is being spearheaded by Dube TradePort, the provincial government-owned entity which helped secure the R7.8 billion airport development for KwaZulu-Natal.

“Our key objective is to offset the growing carbon footprint in the early stages of the development of the airport and the trade port. We are developing a carbon calculator that will guide development in the region over the medium- to long-term,” Dube TradePort CEO Rohan Persad said in an interview with the Times newspaper, adding that the precinct “would serve” local communities in the Dube TradePort region, aviation users, passengers and other stakeholders.

A paperless environment and the reduction of expenses that result from the use of less energy, heating and cooling are the hallmarks of Dube City, he said.

“Dube City is part of our bigger strategic vision to create a world-class ‘aerotropolis’ around King Shaka International Airport over the next 20 years. The vision is to create a 24-hour business, trade, leisure and entertainment hub, which will be linked to the airport, Umhlanga, Durban and Ballito by a future light rail service,” Persad told another paper - the Mercury - in May.

“Dube TradePort will include Dube City, in addition to a further 200,000m2 for light industry and property development near the trade zone at the Cargo Terminal and the agri-port,” he said.

“It will boast state-of-the-art IT and high-speed fibre optic broadband communications capabilities as part of an overall cyber-port.”

Persad went on to say that Dube TradePort would operate as a “master planner”, developing the land around the airport that it owned with the Airports Company South Africa (ACSA). “The Dube TradePort Corporation has now been legislated by the KZN government as a provincial government-owned public company to lead the further development of the plans. ACSA own and run the airport, but we are leading the master-planning and development of the support zones around the airport as majority 60 percent shareholder,” he said. “While we are the master developers, in some cases we will get involved in jointly developing specific sites at Dube TradePort to act as a catalyst to spur its development. We are also thinking bigger and beyond the TradePort land. We aim to closely integrate our plans with surrounding development and major land owners and developers – such as Tongaat Hulett Developments – as part of the greater aerotropolis plan.”

Dube TradePort’s own headquarters, 29˚South, opened in August this year, and forms part of this new green city.

29˚South is situated at the heart of Dube City and incorporates office, hospitality, entertainment and retail experiences. It sets the standard for a minimum 4-star green rating by the Green Building Council.

In setting out to achieve the maximum available green star rating, the area will boast pedestrian-friendly zones, a tree-lined boulevard and dedicated cycle lanes, Persad said.

It will also incorporate multi-functional lawn spaces and a public square, while natural light will be fully utilised, with light sensors calculating the amount of light entering the space.

Heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) systems, which have carbon dioxide sensors to ensure that sufficient air is distributed through the office spaces, will be regulated through temperature sensors to reduce the amount of energy required, he added.

Photocopy machines would even have their own exhaust risers, extracting the harmful toxins and gases emitted.

In addition, rainwater will be collected and used.

“Waterless urinals will be installed and this will also reduce the amount of water consumed in the building,” Persad said.

With aerotropolis precincts already in Beijing, Amsterdam and Dallas, Dube City marks a move in the direction of a new trend that sees a shift in the concept of building cities around airports.

The job market is expected to benefit hugely.

Dube TradePort told South Africa Magazine that some 35,000 jobs would be created not only in KwaZulu-Natal, but throughout the country.

Image: Dube TradePort