Urban infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa – harnessing land values, housing and transport
Literature review on planning and land use regulation
Abstract
This literature review of land use planning and regulation in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) was carried out for the project 'Urban infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa – harnessing land values, housing and transport'. It looks at global and regional views on best practice in land use planning and regulation, and discusses the extent to which current paradigms and practices of master planning and their associated land use regulations are leading to improved urban outcomes, including the necessary infrastructure provision. A total of 187 documents were reviewed, 68 of which were found in peer reviewed journals, followed by research documents of multinational and regional organisations.
The review seeks answers to a number of questions concerning the relationships between planning, land, and infrastructure. These include:
- What is the history of formal planning in SSA countries?
- What are the advocated alternatives to traditional master planning and is there evidence of their success in terms of guiding urban development?
- Is there evidence of master planning or land use regulations leading to increased urban productivity and job creation?
- What drives and mediates the relationship between planning and land values?
- Does categorising countries based on various planning/land related indicators enable a better understanding of the varied and diverse urban development outcomes among SSA cities?
Citation
African Centre for Cities. Urban infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa harnessing land values, housing and transport: literature review on planning and land use regulation. African Centre for Cities, Cape Town, South Africa (2015) 72 pp.
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