Persistent, pragmatic and prolific: Urban master planning in Accra, Dar es Salaam and Lilongwe
Date
2023
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Land Use Policy
Abstract
This paper interrogates the persistence of urban master planning in African cities. Critiques of master planning in
Africa label it as a stifling product of colonial legacies, an inappropriate imposition of external ideas, or a device
to achieve the goals of global actors, all seen as being at odds with the rapidly changing settlement patterns and
needs of many African urban contexts. This paper instead focuses on the role of local planning actors in the
demand for and the production of master plans and proposes a different analytical perspective on the role of
master planning in African urban contexts. Notably, we point to the weak presence of master planning in colonial
contexts, in contrast with the strong activation of master plans to shape the ambitions of newly independent
governments. We observe also the nuanced interactions between local actors and transnational circuits and in fluences in devising and implementing plans. The paper presents three case studies which demonstrate the
persistence of master planning practices through the post-independence period and their proliferation in
contemporary moments. We document the diverse range of local actors who have chosen to retain or revise
colonial planning legacies, initiate new city-wide master planning, or solicit, shape and assume responsibility for
master planning promoted by transnational circuits of development and planning. We find that actors embedded
in local or national institutions, and a wide variety of transnational actors, are driven by a range of, at times
conflicting, interests and ideas about what planning is and is meant to do. Historical surveys and in-depth in terviews with current actors, as well as those from the recent past in Accra (Ghana), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)
and Lilongwe (Malawi), help us to identify three aspects of urban master planning which challenge existing
interpretations. We observe that master planning has been a persistent presence, although often taking a more
ephemeral form in extended “silent” periods when outdated but valued plans remained operative. We note that
complex political tensions and institutional landscapes shape enthusiasm for, and control over the nature,
preparation, adoption and implementation of master plans, including their being side-lined or resisted – local national dynamics are crucial here. This leads to a pragmatic engagement with transnational actors to bring
forward different kinds of plans. The prolific production of master plans supported by multiple transnational
actors in poorly resourced contexts constitutes a dynamic, although at times counterproductive, terrain of visioning and practical planning initiatives seeking to grapple with the pace and unpredictability of urbanisation.
Our analysis provides an opening for considering the politics of urban planning from an African-centric
perspective and as an active part of African urbanization.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Spatial planning, Urban master plans, Planning history