A categorization of gated eco-developments in South Africa

ABSTRACT

Gated communities have evolved into providing unique residential offerings aimed at specific markets. Eco-estates and eco-friendly estates are examples of such niche estates which have witnessed increasing growth in their development throughout South Africa. This paper overviews the literature on the evolution of gated communities and provides a spatial articulation of the location of eco- and eco-friendly estates in South Africa towards creating a categorization of eco-developments. The study is positioned in the theoretical realms of eco-form and eco-urbanism which scaffold the global surge in eco-developments. A database of eco-developments in South Africa was created from several sources and surveys were conducted among developers and estate managers of such developments. The locational analysis shows most eco-developments being located in the Western Cape, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, while more than half of the proposed developments were destined for the remaining provinces. Eco-estates and eco-friendly estates show a predilection for sites on the urban edge, along the coast or with mountain views. Criteria based on eco-practices were selected as standards for a five-category continuum of eco-estates. When applied the categorization confirms that eco-developments display differing levels of eco-ness. While eco-developments do have positive ecological impacts and they do enhance sustainable living, they do not add to social connectivity as they are exclusive ecological islands surrounded by walls.

KEYWORDS:

• Eco-estate
• eco-friendly
• eco-urbanism
• gated community
• South Africa
• sustainable development

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Eco-estates are referred to as ‘conservation communities’ in Canada, Latin America and Australia. In the United States of America they are referred to as ‘conservation developments’ (Mockrin et al., 2017).

2. According to Terrachoice (2010, p. 8) ‘Green is a difficult word. It’s evocative and powerful.’ However, it is usually referred to as ‘ … the actions of individuals, businesses and governments to protect the quality and continuity of life through the conservation of natural resources and the prevention of pollution’ (Viviers, 2009, p. 31).

3. Eco-entrepreneurs are individuals who develop new technologies for operating factories with minimal impact on the environment (Jasinowski, 2015). These entrepreneurs make use of sustainable and green manufacturing to ensure the manufacturing process has the least impact on the environment.

4. Eco-ness is defined as the level or degree to which eco-estates adopt green practices which enable a healthy habitat or environment.

5. Semigration is a portmanteau word from emigration and segregation – people emigrate to gated developments to be self-contained or segregated from others. The term emerged in the 1990s to describe migration from one part of the country to another, specifically from Johannesburg to Cape Town (Ballard, 2004).