The thorny issue of identifying second homes in South Africa

Second-homes research is a growing area of academic interest in South African urban studies. A number of exploratory investigations have indicated the economic impacts of second-home development. However, little attention has been given to the methodological challenges associated with conducting such research. In particular the ability of current methodologies to cost effectively identify second homes has proven to be limited. The paper provides an outline of how second homes have been identified in South Africa to date and explores a new methodological refinement to such an endeavour. © Springer Science + Business Media B.V. 2009.