A New City in South Africa: Paradise Valley
Paradise Volley Development (P.V.D.) near Pinetown – about a 15-minute drive from Durban in the province of Natal – represents the first major attempt in South Africa to plan a new city (approximately 15,000 inhabitants) with an unprecedentedly high density of 8 to 120 inhabitants per hectare, while foregoing the traditional detached single-family home. The project also aimed to demonstrate that a very tight, profit-driven financial framework need not result in a lower quality of life. This required excellent interdisciplinary collaboration, as well as appropriate concepts and ideas, the realization of which was only possible through strict cost discipline and control. Intensive preliminary studies by urban planners, market researchers, transportation experts, geologists, and other specialists provided the necessary foundation for planning this new city. The goal was to achieve maximum quality of life with minimal expenditure.
