Lifestyle Estate Evolution in South Africa: Implications for Financial Viability and Environmental Sustainability

Planning Honours Research Report 2014, Wits UniversityIn recent years, lifestyle estates have become a prominent feature in both the rural and urban areas of South Africa. This research report argues and demonstrates that there has been an evolution of lifestyle estates in South Africa catalysed by private property developer’s concerns about the financial viability of these developments. The result has been the development of new types of lifestyle estates such as wildlife, country and eco-estates that do not include a golf course component. These new types of lifestyle estates are shown to be both more financially viable and environmentally sustainable than the original golf estate model that previously dominated the lifestyle estate sector in South Africa. The study comprises three main case studies, which include interviews with a property developer, estate agents and estate managers. The study also includes interviews with national financial institutions, to indicate that the findings by and large typify national lifestyle estate development trends.University of the Witwatersrand Postgraduate Merit Awar