JARER Editorial Volume 8 (1) of 2023

Abstract

Editorial for JARER Vol. 8 Issue 1, 2023

Editorial

Welcome to the Volume 8 (2023) Issue 1 edition of the Journal of African Real Estate Research (JARER). The journal remains an exciting platform for the dissemination of scholarships and the different types of applied research engaged within the real estate sector in Africa, and it has continued to grow in leaps and bounds. As reported in the last issue, JARER has been listed in the Directory of Open Access Journal (DOAJ) since January 2023 and has been recognised as meeting acceptable quality in the three categories (real estate finance, real estate & urban economics and built environment) of the 2021 American Real Estate Society's (ARES) Real Estate Journal List. The list can be found at https://www.aresnet.org/page/journal-list. We want to appreciate the efforts and support of the journal editorial board members, our anonymous reviewers, and other stakeholders, without which these achievements would not be possible. Also, the support we continue to receive from the African Real Estate Society board members, the Library services at the University of Cape Town and the Urban Real Estate Research Unit at the university is appreciated. Our gratitude also goes to the Journal Manager, Ms. Lesedi Kgaka, for her diligent efforts in moving the journal forward.

As usual, the current issue contains thought-provoking and informative topics and is a must-read by everyone who cares to have an understanding of African real estate research and related cities. The first paper, focusing on Lagos, Nigeria, examined the benefits and challenges in the adoption of modern technologies for real estate marketing. The work found that real estate practitioners in Nigeria were yet to fully tap into the unfolding benefits of modern technologies due to a low level of enlightenment and a lack of property data. The paper concluded with the need for practitioners to be enlightened, educated, and trained on the use of various modern technologies for real estate marketing.

The second paper, which is an examination of the factors influencing the adoption of automating systems in high-rise buildings in Lagos, Nigeria, found the need to protect buildings against failure as the most significant factor influencing the adoption of automation in the management of facilities in high-rise buildings. The paper concluded that the use of automation in facilities management of high-rise buildings presents facility managers with innovative ways of ensuring the functionality of the built environment.

The roles played by various actors in household mobility and the eventual reoccurrence of slums in the city of Kampala, Uganda, amidst the slum upgrading initiatives formed the focus of the third paper. The paper, which adopted a case study approach, found that the influence of slum upgrading actors in the low-income household mobility and reoccurrence of the Namuwongo slum was exhibited through three thematic areas. These are the tracking of the residential mobility tendencies, fit-for-purposes of the upgrading programs and actors' collaboration in the process. The paper's conclusion emphasised the need for actors' collaboration and participation of low-income slum-dwelling households to enable adequate fit-for-purposes of the in-situ upgrading initiatives.

Given that access to housing is one of the challenges international students face in universities worldwide, the fourth paper examined housing satisfaction among international students studying at Hong Kong's universities. Using the snowball sampling technique, data was collected from seventy-four international students of six nationalities studying at four universities in Hong Kong. This study highlighted some far-reaching implications for Hong Kong universities, including the need to revisit the issue of accommodation and support provided to international students and an increase in the student housing stock to assist international students.

The fifth paper examines Blockchain technology's (BCTech) potential in the real estate sector. To achieve this objective, the paper used a systematic review of the literature found in Researchgate, ScienceDirect, Semantic Scholar, IEEE Xplore, and Google Search. Examining a total of 99 publications from 2016 to 2022, the paper found that BCTech could provide platforms for tokenised ownership, smart contracts, quick transactions and cost reduction and offers secure and transparent platforms for real estate stakeholders. The study concluded that though BCTech is not yet widely used, it has a lot of potential to offer in terms of the sustainability of the real estate industry.

I am sure that the JARER will continue to grow from strength to strength in the years to come and contribute to the development of African researchers' activities and endeavours. I look forward to receiving your feedback on this and previous issues of the journal.

Professor Abel Olaleye

Editor-in-Chief