Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Mixed-use draws fed-up commuters
Growing numbers want to live in suburbs close to home, schools and workplace
SUBURBS that offer residents employment and schooling options are becoming extremely sought-after in the Western Cape as more people become fed up with the daily commute.
Ever-increasing traffic congestion, combined with the unreliability of travel times due to broken down vehicles, accidents and road works, is resulting in more people looking for work closer to home – ideally in the suburbs in which they live.
“People are prepared to quit their jobs and take salary cuts to find work close to home,” says Zelda Pieters, a practising industrial psychologist and managing director of HR Inspiration.
“Employees making these decisions think about the money they are giving up, but the emotional stress related to traffic congestion and commuting is too high.”
Although there are some employees who, after weighing up the stress against the money, will still commute, the decision to take a salary cut to work closer to home is a decision many are making, agrees Natalie Mabaso, an industrial psychologist at Paragon Interiors.
“In the absence of a petrol allowance, sometimes the reduction in salary equates to what they were spending on petrol every month.”
Suburbs that offer both living and working options are prized.
For these reasons mixed-use suburbs are no longer an emerging trend but, according to Lew Geffen, chairman of Lew Geffen Sotheby’s International Realty, have now become firmly-established features of the architectural landscape in metros.
Other real estate professionals are also seeing this trend.
“With the frustration of spending hours in traffic, many real estate decisions are based on eliminating or decreasing traffic-related stress,’ says Mike Greeff, chief executive of Greeff Christie’s International Real Estate.
“Traditionally, the school traffic commute has always been a significant factor in high demand for family homes in the southern suburbs since a number of leading schools are located in and around these areas.”
Greeff says one of the fastest growing mixed-use areas is Claremont, which “for some time” has been home to a large retail and expanding business hub, with many corporates establishing headquarters in the area.
Another mixed-use suburb is Kenilworth. Greeff says while its residents have traditionally viewed Kenilworth as a “village”, with a residential component comprising houses and apartment blocks, and a small collection of specialty shops, the suburb is growing into a strong business hub.
“Woodstock is (also) a rapidly growing mixed- use area, with offices, new apartment blocks, restaurants and shops popping up all the time.”
Greeff says Green Point is also a “huge hub of development”.
“Westlake and Steenberg are successful mixed-use areas with large office parks, Reddam House School, the US Consulate and two significant shopping centres, Steenberg Lifestyle Village and the Blue Route in neighbouring Tokai.
“Residential opportunities here largely comprise security estates, but there are also single residences. Here office space is minutes from home, and there is growth in the numbers of people who work from home.”
Laurie Wener, Pam Golding Properties senior executive for developments, says the rise in mixed-use developments has definitely been followed by the emergence of mixeduse suburbs.
“With limited land availability, increasing congestion and rising home ownership costs, there is growing demand for sectional title properties as people are willing to sacrifice space in return for a more convenient location and less of a commute to work.”
Suburbs that have healthy commercial, retail, and even industrial components hold good potential to become known as mixed-use suburbs, says Wener.
“These areas offer an easy commute to highways and airports, a tourist interest and good public transport.”
The CBD and City Bowl have both transformed over the past decade or so with residential developments going up next to prime office space, Wener says.
“The need for a live-work-play lifestyle has grown in part because of increased traffic congestion. People are willing to sacrifice larger plots or gardens to live closer to work opportunities.”
Although there is not the same demand in the southern suburbs as in the CBD, Lindsay Beck, Pam Golding Properties area manager for southern suburbs, says agents are seeing “pockets of interest” in Wynberg Chelsea, Observatory and lower Claremont.
Just as more people are choosing to work in suburbs close to their homes, so too are businesses moving their offices and operations into the suburbs, says Rowan Alexander, director of Alexander Swart Property.
One reason is to be closer to their workforces and cut time wasted on commuting.
“With the decentralisation of businesses from the CBD, suburbs like Brackenfell are seeing businesses moving into them.”
Along with the emergence of new business hubs in suburbs such as Brackenfell, Somerset West, and Century City, Alexander says there is “huge” business investment. Companies are more willing to back decentralised projects because of bigger workforces in the suburbs, and workforces will be happy they do not have to travel far to work.
“If you look at these suburbs, the catalyst has almost always been development of retail space first, and then the residential and schooling component. The business commercial space tends to come last.”