WildLife Group
of the SAVA
South Africa’s
Smart Cities are
Driving
Sustainability
Property development and nature might not
automatically go hand in hand, but more
and more developers are moving towards
incorporating nature into building design.
Green spaces prove popular, even in major
city centres where they are seemingly
rare. Rooftop gardens are springing
up in central business districts in the
likes of Hong Kong, Tokyo, Rotterdam
and New York. Likewise, urban farming
initiatives to boost food resources are
fast becoming a global trend. In South
Africa, Johannesburg has long been
considered the world’s largest man-made
urban forest - boasting more than 6 million
trees. And Cape Town’s CBD is set to change
with the arrival of its first environmentally-
friendly mixed-use development: Harbour Arch.
Perhaps surprisingly, one of the most eye-catching
features of this 5.8-hectare mixed-use precinct will
be the complex’s green rooftop towering over the
city’s harbour. With the rise of “smart cities” - mixed-
use precincts - developers are driven to find ways to
create green spaces innovatively in a bid to bring
nature to the concrete jungle.
Nicholas Stopforth, Managing Director of Amdec
Property Developments - the group behind
South Africa’s award-winning Melrose Arch
and the new Harbour Arch - says green
spaces are essential for people to feel
safe and secure in an environment.
Nature has long been lauded for
its positive impact on the human
psyche. There are countless
studies and reports on the
benefits of green spaces for our
mental health. New-urbanist
precincts such as Melrose
Arch and Harbour Arch
revolve around the principle
of being close to everything
you need in daily life, with all
your requirements accessible
by foot. But it’s the outdoor
spaces – the piazza-style squares
and courtyards for dog walking
10