At the lavish annual International Property Awards ceremony held at the prestigious Savoy Hotel in London on 16 January where, luxury meets innovation as Waterfall City wins Africa’s best masterplan 2025-2026 award, celebrating the world-class urban design framework of this thriving smart city.
This is the second consecutive year in which Waterfall City receives this accolade in the Masterplan category, following receipt of the South African title in October last year. The Masterplan category was specially created in 2024 by the International Property Awards association for large-scale developments of more than 20,000m2. Property types within this category can range from a single building, complex of buildings or a district within a town/city and must include at least five of the following uses: residential, retail, commercial, leisure, cultural, institutional, public service and industrial.
The International Property Awards – the world’s largest, most widely recognised property awards programme – are now in their 33rd year of celebrating the very best projects and professionals in the industry across more than 50 residential and commercial categories. Judged by an independent panel of over 90 industry experts, and chaired by House of Lords members, regional heats are staged for Africa, Arabia, Europe, Canada, Central & South America, the Caribbean, the USA, UK and Asia Pacific.
Entries were judged based on criteria ranging from design and land use, architecture, appearance and finish, to sustainability, energy conservation and innovation. The highest-scoring, five-star regional winners in each category are then shortlisted and rejudged to arrive at the 2026 Best International winners. While Waterfall City was named the world’s best Masterplan in 2025, this accolade went to Mangrove Estate in Umm Al Quwain in the United Arab Emirates this year.
Willie Vos, CEO of Waterfall City Management Company, said;
“One of the key criteria in the Masterplan award entry is placemaking, which is all about people-centric design and enhancing public life. Being named Best Masterplan Africa 2025-2026, speaks to our commitment to fulfilling Waterfall City’s mission of creating a place where people love to be, and I am so proud! Proud of the excellent work that numerous teams involved in Waterfall City are delivering, and also proud of flying South Africa’s flag on the world stage. Huge congratulations to all involved, and to our partners and stakeholders on another outstanding accomplishment.”
For more information contact: www.waterfallcity.co.za or www.propertyawards.net
