Menu

An indicator for societal advancement has for long been the planning and engineering of cities. A bird’s-eye view of well-planned cities, even by strangers, would tell of the level of social wellbeing of the dwellers. In the modern time, advances in science and technology have brought greater comfort and convenience to homes. And more recently, living spaces have become cinemas of a sort, thanks to satellite television, broadband internet, direct streaming services and other value-added telecommunication services.

While we recognize these achievements and others, we must also acknowledge the fact that our modern living can contribute to lifestyle and health challenges. Sedentary lifestyles, lack of physical activity, poor diet, stress, and social isolation – to name a few – are part of the down sides to 21st century living.

When the topic of living efficiently is raised, attention is typically directed to energy efficiency and cost savings. Health issues are often taken as secondary or disregarded. But whereas saving cost may be beneficial, more so from reducing the use of finite natural resources, our health deserves better attention.

Housing and Healthy Living

Housing is integral to healthy living. Although cost should not be the determinant, the poor housing conditions in low-income communities have been known to cause physical and mental ill-health among residents. As such, improvements in their housing conditions can have multiple benefits for poor and vulnerable groups. Also, changing to a sustainable built environments by the middle class and the affluent can improve their quality of life.

The elements of our lifestyles influence how we feel and our overall wellbeing. Unhealthy living environments can cause a myriad of issues for residents including respiratory illnesses due to poor ventilation and dramatic swings in indoor temperatures. Children are more at risk in such environments, and growing up in an unhealthy home can cause a lifetime of medical struggles.

Ideal Lifestyle

The “ideal lifestyle” is personal and specific to everyone. It even varies for each member of a household. Determining the ideal lifestyle may be quick for some, and a little longer for others. For some it may mean living in an energy efficient home or waking up to perfectly manicured greens; for others it may be the convenience of having a grocery store, school, and recreational facilities nearby.

An efficient lifestyle, however, is one that caters to the body, mind, and soul of the individual. While the concept transcends the physical, it is nonetheless significantly impacted by it. None of the three elements is more important to exclude the need for the others; they all must harmonise.

Live Work Play

The ideal lifestyle must incorporate the concept of Live Work Play (LWP). Although the practical reality of LWP is since the ancient time, its importance to efficient living in our modern world is quite real, but fraught with challenges. Tighter schedules, increased work commitments, and oft unavoidable traffic gridlocks lead to an unhealthy work-life balance. Whilst we may even relish the challenges of ever-increasing responsibilities, and it is for the metropolitan authorities to improve commuters’ experience, people need an escape to a place to relax, unwind, and enjoy the beauty of nature when not working or commuting to and from work.

Master-planned Communities

To enable workers and busy executives to achieve work-life balance, we need more properties to be developed in master-planned communities. And homebuyers need to become more accustomed to considering community amenities as part of their residential package. In lieu of traditional yard requirements, buyers should require and insist on extra space or spaces within their communities to make life easier and more pleasant.

Many Nigerian residential estates in the cities were not master planned. Till date, individuals are responsible for building their homes in locations where common spaces are not provided for and where basic public infrastructures are absent. This needs to change. The good news is that new developments today are more in planned estates than in the past.

Some important community amenities in an estate are parks and green spaces, trail systems for walking and biking, resort-style pools and clubs, first class gyms and courts, and commercial centres.

Bilaad’s Guiding Principles

The built environment favours fewer physical activities, such as texting over face-to-face conversations and screen time over outdoor recreation. These preferences limit social interaction and invariably societal wellbeing. The community in which one’s home is located can be a contributing factor to one’s quality of life. Our residential complex should offer us numerous ways to stay healthy and maintain an efficient and productive daily routine. For instance, life in a tranquil and serene environment helps to lower stress and increase mindfulness.

At Bilaad Realty, we recognise today’s immense lifestyle challenges. As part of our guiding principles to be the leading customer-centric firm, Bilaad represents a shift that explicitly puts wellness at the centre of the conception, design, and creation of homes. As we continue in our efforts to actualize this goal, we understand that not all feet move at the same pace. Therefore, whether you prefer an active or laid-back lifestyle, we have designed our communities to respond to unique lifestyle preferences.

Whatever your pace, you will find your place with us. Make that smart move for efficient living.

Bilaad Realty Limited is an Abuja-based company focused on delivering sustainable real estate solutions.