Urban Dev designs low to middle-income and mixed-earning housing settlements throughout South Africa — including infrastructure creation and socio-economic growth establishment.
Urban Dev was founded in 2019 by Derek Steyn and co-founder Sam Marais, building on decades of experience in property development and large-scale housing solutions. Derek and his brother, Deon Steyn, originally established Calgro Homes (Pty) Ltd in 1995, focusing on the development and construction of residential units within South Africa's affordable and mid-income housing sectors. Under their leadership, Calgro Homes experienced rapid growth, culminating in its 2007 listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange as Calgro M3 Holdings Limited. The company remains a key player in integrated residential development across the country. During their time at Calgro, Deon served as Chief Operating Officer while Derek acted as Executive Director, overseeing all new projects.
The vision of transformative community development—driven by world-class engineering and infrastructure—ultimately inspired the creation of Urban Dev. Since its inception, Urban Dev has expanded its leadership team initially to include Derek Steyn and co-founder Sam Marais and a few months later Douw Steyn, Deon Steyn, and Gary White, combining deep industry knowledge with a passion for social upliftment. Our mission is to lead the affordable and mid-income residential market by delivering innovative, inclusive, and sustainable living environments. At the heart of our model is a commitment to social transformation—reshaping traditional societal structures and delivering high-quality, sustainable housing solutions. Urban Dev targets high-accessibility, urban-infill locations, and champions high-density developments that support public transportation and integrated, mixed-use communities. These environments offer a blend of living, work, and recreational opportunities—directly addressing South Africa's current housing backlog of over 2.5 million units.
Well-located sites near jobs, schools, transport and amenities.
Practical layouts, green space and recreational facilities built in.
Parks, play areas, sports facilities, clubhouses and retail where applicable.
Quality homes that balance price, design and long-term value.
Controlled access, perimeter security, CCTV and biometric entry where appropriate.
Decades of delivery experience in large-scale residential developments.
Our projects are designed to meet the evolving needs of South African communities while creating sustainable value for residents, investors, and the broader urban landscape. Our main development focus can be categorised in two main components:
Modern, secure estates tailored for emerging middle-income households with the following key features: One-, two-, and three-bedroom units with open plan lounge and kitchen, biometric access control, clubhouse and entertainment zones, braai areas & child-safe play zones, Astroturf soccer & combi courts and Indigenous gardens. The traditional term Affordable Housing income band as per Standard Bank is now R3,500 to R34,400 per month.
Diverse, inclusive communities offering multiple housing types and tenure options. Housing Types Include: BNG (Breaking New Ground): Fully subsidised units (R0–R3,500 income range), CRU (Community Rental Units): R800–R3,500 income bracket, Social Housing: SHRA-regulated subsidised rental (R1,850–R22,000), housing for Military Veterans, Open Market Rental, First Home Finance (FHF) formerly FLISP and Affordable freestanding homes and sectional title multi-storey walk-up apartments – FHF once-off subsidies ranging from subsidy from R38,911 to R169,264.
Urban Dev brings together decades of delivery experience with an active portfolio focused on inclusive, sustainable, marketable community environments.