The Sandton Central Management District has formed a marketing partnership with the Sandton Tourism and Business Association (ST&BA) and thus members of the ST&BA, even those outside the Sandton Central boundaries, have been included in this directory.
The Sandton Central Management District is the commercial centre of South Africa and is home to three business improvement districts. Together, these three improvement districts and thus the Sandton Central Management District, manages the public space bound by Sandton Drive, Katherine Street into Wierda Road East and West, West Street, along Rivoinia Road and including Grayston Drive.
Funded by the commercial property owners the Sandton Central Management District was founded to ensure the creation of an exceptional experience of this key node of Johannesburg. It has been established for the employee, visitor, tourist, shopper, property owner and resident of Sandton Central and thus focuses on how this area can better serve these stakeholders.
A dedicated Sandton Central team focuses on operations, finances and place-marketing by supplying services supplementary to those provided by local council. These services are based on an international place-making hierarchy that looks at how cities move from an unpleasant to an exceptional experience.
The first level of this hierarchy aims at securing the improvement district and creating a safe, clean and well-managed environment. Sandton Central takes this task very seriously, employing a team of 70 public safety ambassadors, six patrol cars and 27 cleaning staff, 24-hours a day, seven days a week, who focus solely on crime prevention, cleaning, maintenance and landscaping.
The “Men in Red”, as they affectionately called, remain the front line of the improvement district, setting the example and sending the message that Sandton Central is a managed public space.
The second level of Sandton Central’s management process focuses on branding and marketing and improving the overall image of the business district through place making, collaborative promotional strategies, the use of a public art programme, market research, urban planning and working with the media.
The ultimate aim of the work done in the Sandton Central Management District is to eventually create a node with:
• An exceptional cleanliness and public safety programme;
• A well-defined hub with prominent brand presence;
• An urban art programme that defines and demarcates the space, attracts visitors to the area thus enhancing the aesthetic of the public space, and draws people onto the streets;
• Green lungs in the form of Mushroom Farm Park and Sandton Central Park that can be used with complete confidence and brings a new dimension to the environment;
• A clearly defined and implemented urban design framework that addresses all Sandton Central’s infrastructural needs;
• A pedestrian-friendly environment with clear way-finding and tourism routes;
• A well-managed informal trader sector that is used by locals and tourists alike;
• Continual communication ensuring that all stakeholders are kept informed;
• A well-managed internal transport system that allows residents, tourists, employees and shoppers to move freely within the area;
• Close relations with important organisations in the area;
• A clear connection with the rest of Johannesburg ensuring that information on activities and events outside the management district is available for people within the area.
Sandton Central is the thinking, enterprising, socialising centre of Africa. It is South Africa’s cosmopolitan centre of trade and ideas. It is central to finance, fashion, smart new global idea and smart new global people. It is central to Gauteng, central to South Africa and central to the southern hemisphere.