Knowledge transfer and British expertise in Zambian urban planning

This thesis examines the relationship between the history of technical assistance and present day urban planning practice in Zambia and builds on multiple literatures spanning the field of planning history, technical assistance and planning knowledge transfer. It bridges a scholarly gap in the understanding of how historic ties impact on the way in which planning knowledge travels. Focusing on technical assistance and urban planning during the period 1962 to 2015, this thesis demonstrated that the conventional historiography has not sufficiently addressed the way in which post-colonial planning and technical assistance continued to instil British norms, values and standards beyond Zambia’s independence. It explores three key post-colonial mechanisms of soft power and technical assistance: bi-lateral technical assistance through the Overseas Service Aid Scheme; volunteering in the form of the Voluntary Service Overseas and; planner education in both Britain and Zambia. Through focusing on these mediums it examines how outdated planning ideologies remain ingrained in post-colonial Zambia some fifty years after independence. To understand how early technical assistance resulted in a further embeddedness of colonial planning logics, the thesis draws on archival material held within Britain and Zambia, as well interviews carried out with contemporary actors involved in the planning knowledge transfer process. Focussing on everyday experiences of planners, these primary sources identify how this history affects contemporary knowledge transfer. In doing so it uncovers the way that colonial planning logics emerge within, and affect the way that knowledge transfer takes place, as well as highlighting some of the complexities and enduring characteristics between colonial ideologies, post-colonial technical assistance, and everyday urban planning practices in post-colonial countries. The thesis concludes that independence witnessed a modification in the knowledge relationship between Britain and Zambia, and that rather than contemporary knowledge transfer opening up new routes and ideas, it merely follows a well-established colonial and post-colonial path. In tracing these continuities, this thesis demonstrates the centrality of history to contemporary planning practices. In doing so, this thesis opens up space for more comprehensive conversations between scholars of planning history, technical assistance and planning knowledge transfer.

Diphuputso tsena di hlahloba kamano pakeng tsa nalane ya thuso ya botekgeniki le tshebetso ya moralo wa metsetoropo ya nako ya jwale mane Zambia mme e haella hodima mefuta e mengata ya dingolwa ho ntshetsa pele moralo wa nalane, thuso ya botekgeniki le ho etsa moralo wa phetisetso ya tsebo. E fedisa kgaello ya borutehi bakeng sa kutlwisiso ya kamoo mekgwa ya nalane e nang le sekgahla mabapi le ka moo moralo wa tsebo o phethahalang ka teng. Ha re tadima thuso ya botekgeniki le moralo wa metsetoropo nakong ya dilemo tsa 1962 ho isa 2015, diphuputso tsena di totobaditse hore nalane ya molao ha e a kgotsofatsa ka katleho tsela eo moralo wa nako ya kamora bokolone le thuso ya botekgeniki di tswetseng pele ho sebedisa ditlwaelo tsa Borithane, makgabane le maemo kamora tokoloho ya Zambia. E lekodisa mekgwa e meraro ya sehlooho ya nako ya kamora bokolone ya matla a bobebe le thuso ya botekgeniki: thuso ya botekgeniki ya phapanyetsano ka Overseas Service Aid Scheme; ho ithaopa ka sebopeho sa Voluntary Service Overseas le; thuto ya baetsi ba meralo ho Borithane le Zambia. Ka ho tadima mekgwa ena, e hlahloba ka moo menahano ya kgale ya meralo e dulang e ntse e theilwe ho Zambia kamora nako ya bokolone dilemo tse mashome a mahlano kamora tokoloho. Ho utlwisisa ka moo thuso ya botekgeniki ya pelepele e qeteletseng ka ho kenyeletsa menahano ya meralo ya bokolone, diphuputso tsena di sebedisa thepa ya dipolokelo tsa dingolwa e fumanweng Borithane le Zambia, hammoho le dipuisano tse entsweng le baphethahatsi ba kajeno ba amehang tshebetsong ya moralo wa phetisetso ya tsebo. Ha re tadima boiphihlelo ba letsatsi le letsatsi ba baetsi ba meralo, mehlodi ena ya motheo e bontsha ka moo nalane ena e amang phetisetso ya tsebo ya kajeno. Ka ho etsa jwalo, e senola mokgwa oo menahano ya meralo ya bokolone e hlahellang le ho ama mokgwa oo phetisetso eo ya tsebo e etsahalang ka ona, esita le ho hlahisa a mang a mathata le matshwao a boitsebahatso pakeng tsa menahano ya bokolone, thuso ya botekgeniki ya kamora bokolone, le ditshebetso tsa kamehla tsa meralo ya metsetoropo ka hara dinaha tsa nako e kamora bokolone. Diphuputso tsena di qetella ka hore tokoloho e hlahisitse phetoho ya dikamano tsa tsebo pakeng tsa Borithane le Zambia, mme ho na le hore phetisetso ya tsebo ya kajeno e bule ditsela le menahano e metjha, e mpa e latela feela tsela e theilweng hantle ya bokolone le kamora nako ya bokolone. Ka ho latela diketso tsena tse latellanang, diphuputso di totobatsa bohlokwa ba nalane ho tshebetso ya meralo ya kajeno. Ka ho etsa jwalo, diphuputso tsena di bula tsela bakeng sa dipuisano tse ding tse feletseng pakeng tsa baithuti ba nalane ya meralo, thuso ya botekgeniki le ho etsa meralo ya phetisetso ya tsebo.