Sandton
Sandton as we know it today is a far cry from the Sandton of the early 1900's, a place where the rich searched for peace and tranquility amongst the open fields and wild life. Today Sandton no longer portrays this picture of a peaceful environment with its busy streets, and skycrapers, as it has been transformed into a concrete jungle where the rich and famous thrive among them.
Visionaries must have recognised Sandton's strategic location (to the north of the CBD) and inmense potential early on, with it boasting the distinction of being one of the first suburbs to have Trams as a form of public tranport. Thanks to the area's location and proven track record as a popular shopping and office node, Sandton has always faced pressure to develop and grow. One of the latest and undoubtedly most exciting developments to take place in the area, is that of the Gautrain Rapid Rail Transport System, for which Sandton has been selected to serve as the location for one of the five stations.
The Sandton node is one of metropolitan importance, linked to other nodes along the rail line. It is important that the station not become an isolated entity, but that it responds to the integrated city network on both a global and local level thereby becoming a magnet of activity to the area as a whole. The importance of this node therefore necessitates a reassessment of our current planning policies and boldly actions a new way forward. In order to support the success of the Sandton Station, the area as a whole must be dealt with a different approach. Transit-oriented Development is considered the best option for implementation within the Sandton Precinct and informs the urban design proposals.