Willie Vos on Building Waterfall City

Willie Vos on Building Waterfall City

Author: Mark Lutter September 8, 2026 Duration: 1:04:58

Waterfall City began with 2,200 hectares of farmland between Johannesburg and Pretoria and an unusual challenge: the land couldn’t simply be sold off to developers. Instead, its owners adopted a long-term leasehold model that helped preserve a unified vision for the development over decades. Today, Waterfall City is just over halfway complete, with plans for close to 25,000 homes and approximately 2.5 million square meters of gross leasable area at full buildout.

In this episode, Mark Lutter speaks with Willie Vos, CEO of Waterfall City, about the lessons learned from nearly 30 years of city building. They explore Waterfall City’s approach to long-term planning, infrastructure, financing, governance, and partnerships, and how the city has adapted as technology, consumer preferences, and South Africa’s infrastructure challenges have evolved.

Willie also shares advice for new city developers across Africa, from holding onto strategic land and finding patient capital to building flexibility into infrastructure and staying committed to a long-term vision.

And this December, listeners will have the chance to experience Waterfall City firsthand. Waterfall City will host the 2026 New Cities Summit on December 7–8, bringing the global city-building community together in a city that has spent three decades putting many of these ideas into practice.


Imagine a new city, built from the ground up with a unique set of rules designed to foster innovation, economic growth, and a better quality of life. This isn't just a thought experiment; it's the concept of a charter city, and it's the central focus of the Charter Cities Podcast. Hosted by Mark Lutter, these conversations dig into the practical and philosophical questions surrounding these ambitious urban projects. How might they address pressing global issues like rapid urbanization, entrenched poverty, and the complex dynamics of migration? To find answers, Lutter sits down with a diverse array of thinkers and practitioners. You'll hear from specialists in international development, urban planners, investors, entrepreneurs, and governance experts, each bringing a crucial piece of the puzzle. The discussions are grounded and detailed, moving beyond theory to examine the real-world mechanics of financing, building, and governing new cities. This podcast doesn't offer simple solutions, but rather provides a nuanced exploration of a bold idea for human organization. It's for anyone curious about the future of cities, the intersection of policy and innovation, or the structures that shape our collective lives. Through these in-depth interviews, the Charter Cities Podcast builds a comprehensive understanding of a concept that could redefine how communities are built in the coming century.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Charter Cities Podcast
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