African Design Magazine ADM #35 November 2017 | Page 43

Staying with the development of Umhlanga New Town Centre and the Ridge, Wood says that it is the multi-billion rand Gateway Theatre of the shopping complex, that, when completed in 2001, stood proudly at some 140 000m² that were at the heart of this development and accelerated the success of the area. It was a very clear intention that the Umhlanga Town Centre, the Office Estate, the high-density residential area of Parkside and the ocean-facing Ridgeside projects, collectively referred to as “The Ridge” would be a springboard that would help drive a transformed urban system in the KwaZulu-Natal Province, in South Africa.   africandesignmagazine.com 43