Imagine a city that updates like your social media feed — fast, viral, and tailored to your needs and desires. Sounds like TikTok? What if real estate worked the same way?
HOW TIKTOK WORKS — AND WHY IT’S SO ADDICTIVE
TikTok is built on an algorithm that rewards attention. The more attention a video gets, the more it is pushed to other users. Likes, comments, and shares fuel its virality. Everyone gets involved. This is the essence of the attention economy — platforms and creators compete for our time and intere
st. TikTok doesn't care about who you are, only what you're engaging with right now.
Now imagine if city governments, planners, and investors operated the same way. What if infrastructure funding and urban development were allocated based on what people are paying attention to now in the property space?
APPLYING TIKTOK LOGIC TO URBAN PLANNING AND PROPERTY INVESTMENT
What if cities evolved in real-time, responding to real data and interest?
Let me give you a personal example. Around 2016, I lived in Broadhurst Extension 27, Gaborone. The neighborhood has two parks — one now known as Park 27, and across the road, a set of outdoor sports courts (basketball, tennis, volleyball). Local youth, including myself, would gather there regularly — not as part of a formal team, but just to be social and active.
I remember someone saying, “If the city hadn’t put up these courts, I’d probably be at the bar instead.” That moment stuck with me. It revealed a clear demand for open-access recreational spaces — yet somehow, city councils are still slow to invest in them.
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| Source: Park 27 Facebook page |
In TikTok logic, spaces like Park 27 or Tsholofelo Park — which attract constant attention and engagement — should receive instant upgrades, and possibly even monetization. They’ve proven themselves useful. So why are we still waiting for multi-year budgets and master plans?
Take Mogoditshane, home to over 80,000 residents who work and study in Gaborone. It’s a major rental hub. By TikTok logic, it should already be receiving better roads, traffic systems, public infrastructure, and safety measures to attract further investment and development. The demand is already there — we just need to respond to it.
And think about the rise of remote work. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, working from home has become normal. Shouldn’t we be building flexible city zones? Imagine office buildings that can quickly convert part of their space into residential units — reacting to trends in real time.
WHAT THIS COULD MEAN FOR BOTSWANA AND AFRICA
If planning followed this algorithmic approach, funds would be allocated more efficiently. Instead of guesswork and drawn-out processes, development would reflect the real needs of communities.
For example:
Congested roads? That’s proof of high demand. Improve road networks, build retail spaces, or expand housing near those high-traffic zones.
High student populations in certain tribal lands? Build affordable student housing in those areas. The market is already signaling what it needs.
Young people flocking to certain areas? That’s a sign that developers should create social spaces, rentals, and community hubs.
In TikTok logic, attention is data — and data is value.
But of course, not everything on TikTok goes viral. Many valuable content creators are overlooked, not because their work lacks substance, but because our collective attention is elsewhere.
CHALLENGES OF A REAL ESTATE ALGORITHM
This model isn’t without its flaws.
1. Governance and Zoning
Urban planning is tied to complex zoning regulations and bureaucratic systems. Reacting to every “trend” could cause chaos if not properly regulated.
2. The Construction Lag
Unlike a viral video, a building can’t go up overnight. By the time a property is completed, the trend that inspired it could be over. What happens then?
3. Risk and Due Diligence
Real estate development requires thorough market research, financial modeling, and regulatory compliance. Building based on fleeting trends might work on social media — but in property, it can lead to major losses.
4. Inequality
Just like TikTok, a real estate algorithm could amplify attention in already popular zones while neglecting less trendy areas. For example, Gaborone West and Francistown’s Monarch area might fall further behind simply because they’re not “getting views.”
WHO WOULD STAND TO GAIN — AND WHO WOULD LOSE?
Winners:
Digital-First Developers
Property companies and town planners who embrace technology would thrive. Agile, data-driven design and development would become the new norm.
Young Investors and Renters
Today’s trends are set by the youth. A TikTok-style real estate market would align with their needs — affordability, flexibility, location, and lifestyle. Young people would not just influence markets; they’d shape them.
Private Tech Companies
Proptech, data analytics firms, and urban planning software providers would become central players in the real estate industry — powering everything from decision-making to user experience.
Losers:
Bureaucratic Systems
Long chains of approval, outdated policies, and top-down planning would become obsolete. In this model, social proof — the evidence of what people want — would drive funding and development.
Landowners with Fixed Mindsets
Those who refuse to adapt or innovate will fall behind. Land is only as valuable as the opportunity you create with it. The future will reward flexibility and foresight.
SO, WHAT CAN WE ACTUALLY DO?
No, we’re not saying we’ll all be microchipped or plugged into the metaverse. But smart cities already exist — cities that use real-time data and technology to improve urban life. These systems can track mobility, waste, water, electricity, service delivery, and even traffic lights — all to create responsive, sustainable urban spaces.
That’s the future we should be building toward — a property industry driven by data, shaped by engagement, and built around people’s real needs.
Because maybe, just maybe, your next property investment... is already trending.
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