Unlocking Johannesburg
OneCity Letter #5
OneCity Letter #5
April, 2026
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Expanding OneCity Insights: Now Covering Ekurhuleni
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Expanding OneCity Insights: Now Covering Ekurhuleni
Hi there,
We’re the OneCity team — making urban and property data more accessible, understandable, and practical.
Each month, we unpack complex frameworks, zoning policies, and market trends as part of our day-to-day work. In these monthly letters, you’ll find simple explanations and valuable insights we’ve gathered along the way — all to help you work more confidently in South Africa’s development landscape.
We’re the OneCity team — making urban and property data more accessible, understandable, and practical.
Each month, we unpack complex frameworks, zoning policies, and market trends as part of our day-to-day work. In these monthly letters, you’ll find simple explanations and valuable insights we’ve gathered along the way — all to help you work more confidently in South Africa’s development landscape.
AI summary:
This email outlines the addition of Ekurhuleni to OneCity Insights, bringing ~600,000 plots and ~250,000 development opportunities, including ~12,000 high-potential sites, identified through filtering, ranking, and market data analysis.
This email outlines the addition of Ekurhuleni to OneCity Insights, bringing ~600,000 plots and ~250,000 development opportunities, including ~12,000 high-potential sites, identified through filtering, ranking, and market data analysis.
Now Covering Ekurhuleni
It’s been a while since our last update — we’ve been quietly working behind the scenes, expanding and refining the tool to bring you something bigger.
A property entrepreneur faces hundreds of hurdles before transforming a vacant plot or underused building into a successful project. Some challenges are predictable, others are not — and how they are addressed can determine whether an investment succeeds or fails. At OneCity Insights, we focus on the very first step in this journey: finding the right opportunity.
How the Tool WorksTo identify development opportunities, we follow a clear, structured methodology:
(You can read more about our approach in “Why we are building OneCity”)
It’s been a while since our last update — we’ve been quietly working behind the scenes, expanding and refining the tool to bring you something bigger.
A property entrepreneur faces hundreds of hurdles before transforming a vacant plot or underused building into a successful project. Some challenges are predictable, others are not — and how they are addressed can determine whether an investment succeeds or fails. At OneCity Insights, we focus on the very first step in this journey: finding the right opportunity.
How the Tool WorksTo identify development opportunities, we follow a clear, structured methodology:
- Define the typology – for example, single-family detached housing aligned with current market demand.
- Filter out unsuitable sites – removing high-risk plots or those constrained by planning or environmental factors.
- Rank opportunities – sorting sites from most to least promising based on spatial and regulatory criteria.
- Enrich with market data – adding property market insights to support informed decision-making.
(You can read more about our approach in “Why we are building OneCity”)
What’s New: Ekurhuleni Added
In this latest update, we’ve expanded beyond Johannesburg to include the City of Ekurhuleni.
This adds:
This expansion allows users to explore opportunities across a much broader metropolitan area, and compare how planning conditions and market potential vary between municipalities.
You can now explore development opportunities across both Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni using our interactive map. Whether you are a property owner, small developer, or investor, the tool helps you quickly understand what is possible, where, and why.
👉 Explore the map by following the link
In this latest update, we’ve expanded beyond Johannesburg to include the City of Ekurhuleni.
This adds:
- ~600,000 new plots
- ~250,000 identified opportunities for developing or extending single-family homes
- ~12,000 high-potential opportunities — well-located near amenities and public transport
This expansion allows users to explore opportunities across a much broader metropolitan area, and compare how planning conditions and market potential vary between municipalities.
You can now explore development opportunities across both Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni using our interactive map. Whether you are a property owner, small developer, or investor, the tool helps you quickly understand what is possible, where, and why.
👉 Explore the map by following the link
Stay Updated
