Towards sustainability of real estate development : an integrative review of smart city planning considerations

Abstract: With the ever-increasing urban sprawl in African cities, more attention should be paid to the provision of real estate infrastructure to cater for the population. Ways to harness Africa’s possibilities and leverage the opportunities available in the fourth industrial revolution, to diminish housing infrastructure backlogs, warrant consideration. The current study therefore aims to identify the factors that influence the sustainability of real estate developments in recent times, with attention to the planning considerations. An integrative review was conducted with literature from databases including Scopus, Google, Google Scholar, Publish or Perish, Academic Search Complete and Emerald. Synthesis was undertaken using thematic content analysis to identify themes on the factors influencing real estate developments and its sustainability. The distillation of literature revealed that institutional and economic factors were considered the most important factors, while developer’s attitude and socio-cultural factors were the least occurring among the sampled literature. By establishing these factors, the current study provides important information for housing and construction stakeholders to be informed and guided in the planning and implementation of real estate development policies in order to provide for and sustain the needs of the current population and future generations given the need for smart cities