Lwasa, Shuaib2016-06-152016-06-152012Lwasa, S. (2013). Planning innovation for better urban communities in sub-Saharan Africa: The education challenge and potential responses. Town and Regional Planning, 60, 38-48.1012-280X (print)2415-0495 (online)http://hdl.handle.net/11660/3012English: Cities in the sub-Saharan Africa region present challenges to the urban and regional planning profession, city managers, leaders, educationists and dwellers (Rakodi, 1997, 2001; McGill, 1988; Diaw, Nnkya & Watson, 2002). This is at a time when Africa is urbanising faster than any other region (UN-Habitat, 2008), calling for a rethinking of planning to respond to existing needs. Although the current urbanisation level is at 39.1% (UN-Habitat, 2008), it is projected to increase to over 50% by 2025. This outstanding demographic shift on the African continent and particularly in the sub-Saharan region presents current and future urban challenges. In addition to the future challenges, the unresolved question as to whether existing and much utilised models of urban development offer solutions to the planning needs in the region should be investigated, although it is important to recognise the failures of locally designed initiatives. The models have been critiqued widely (Brockerhoff, 2000; Arimah & Adeagbo, 2000) and this is not the focus of this article. However, it is necessary to recognise that the planning profession has relied on these models through the planning education system. Notwithstanding the challenges of resources, leadership, and political dispensations, planning education systems have played a role in influencing and shaping urban development in the region. Although planning models have been critiqued, planning education systems have received less attention in respect of their role in influencing the development pathways of cities in sub-Saharan Africa. Likewise, planning education systems have not adequately been viewed as points of entry in planning innovation for new urban Africa. Drawing from experiences of cities in the region, two urban development processes can be discerned: first, the explosion of some cities particularly former colonial administrative or economic hubs and, second, the fast growth of secondary cities. There are also many small rural trading centres and ‘hamlets’ with densities comparable to neighbourhoods of the large-cities. The latter, conceptualised in this article as urbanisation by implosion, is not properly accounted for in the national statistical reports. Several drivers are responsible for this urbanisation, including population dynamics, legislative designation, and increasing densities in rural trading centres. The challenges of social service provision, sustainable economic development, housing delivery, urban governance, spatial development guidance and urban environmental management are yet to be thoroughly analysed and rethought in planning education in the context of addressing the existing needs. This article examines the planning education system and how it has influenced the nature and shape of cities in sub-Saharan Africa, the outcome of which may not have substantively responded to existing needs. This article will also identify possible points of innovation in planning education that may create a difference in addressing the existing needs in sub-Saharan Africa.Afrikaans: Stede in die sub-Sahara Afrika-streek bied uitdagings aan die stads- en streekbeplanningsprofessie, stadsbestuurders, leiers, opvoeders en bewoners (Radkodi, 1997; Rakodi, 2001; McGill, 1988; Diaw et al., 2002). Hierdie is op ’n tyd wanneer Afrika vinniger verstedelik as enige ander streek (UN-Habitat, 2008) en ’n beroep word gedoen op die heroorweging van beplanning om te reageer op bestaande behoeftes. Alhoewel die bestaande stedelike vlakke 39.1% (UN-Habitat, 2008) is, word ’n groei van oor die 50% teen 2025 geprojekteer. Hierdie uitstaande demografiese verskuiwing op die Afrikakontinent en spesifiek die sub-Sahara-streek bied huidige en toekomstige stedelike uitdagings. Tesame met die toekomstige uitdagings, moet die onopgeloste vraag of bestaande en baie gebruikte maniere van stedelike ontwikkeling, oplossings aan die beplanningsbehoeftes van die streek bied, ondersoek word. Dit is tog belangrik om die mislukkings van plaaslike toegekende inisiatiewe te erken. Die metodes is wyd gekritiseer (Brockerhoff, 2000; Arimah & Adeagbo, 2000) en dit is nie die fokus van hierdie artikel nie, maar dit is nodig om te erken dat die beplanningsprofessie wel gedurende die beplanning van onderrigsisteme op hierdie metodes staat gemaak het. Nieteenstaande uitdagings soos hulpbronne, leierskap en politieke beskikking, het beplanningsonderrigsisteme ’n rol gespeel in die beïnvloeding en vorming van stedelike ontwikkeling in die streek. Alhoewel beplanningsmodelle gekritiseer is, het die beplanning van onderrigsisteme minder aandag in vergelyking met hul rol in die beïnvloeding van die ontwikkelingspaaie van stede in sub- Sahara Afrika ontvang. Net so is daar nie na die beplanning van onderrigsisteme as ’n vertrekpunt in beplanningsvernuwing vir nuwe stedelike Afrika gekyk nie. Uit ondervinding van stede in die streek, kan twee stedelike ontwikkelingsprosesse uitgesonder word: eerstens, die ontploffing van sommige stede spesifiek voormalige koloniale administratiewe of ekonomiese spilpunte en, tweedens, die snelgroeiende sekondêre stede. Daar is ook baie klein landelike handelsentrums en ‘gehuggies’ met ’n digtheid wat vergelyk kan word met woonbuurte in megastede. Laasgenoemde, voorgestel in hierdie artikel as verstedeliking deur inploffing, is nie heeltemal daarvoor verantwoordelik nie, soos gerapporteer in die nasionale statistiese verslae. Verskeie ander motiveerders is verantwoordelik vir hierdie verstedeliking insluitend populasie-dinamiek, wetlike ontwerp, en verhoogde digtheid in landelike handelsentrums. Die uitdaging van sosiale diensteverskaffing, volhoubare ekonomiese ontwikkeling, behuisingvoorsiening, stedelike owerhede, ruimtelike ontwikkelingsriglyne en stedelike omgewingsbestuur in die beplanning van onderrig in die konteks van die aanspreek van bestaande behoeftes, moet nog deeglik geanaliseer en deurdink word. Hierdie artikel ontleed die beplanning van onderrigsisteme en hoe dit ’n invloed gehad het op die natuur en vorm van stede in sub-Sahara Afrika waarvan die uitkoms nie wesentlik op bestaande behoeftes gereageer het nie. Die artikel sal ook moontlike nuwe vertrekpunte in die beplanning van onderrig identifiseer wat ’n verskil kan maak om die bestaande behoeftes van sub-Sahara Afrika aan te spreek.SeSotho: Dibaka tsa metse ya ditoropo tsa lebatowa la Sub Saharan Afrika di fana ka diphepetso ho moralo wa dibaka tsa metse ya ditoropo le lebatowa wa thuto e phahameng, batsamaisi ba metse ya ditoropo, baetapele, boradithuto le badudi jwalo ka ha ba hlokometswe ke (Rakodi, 1997, Rakodi, 2001; McGill, 1988, Diaw, et al., 2002). Taba ena e etsahala ka nako eo Afrika e potlakang ho ba le phallelo ya dibaka tsa metse ya ditoropo ho ena le lebatowa lefe kapa lefe (UNHabitat, 2008) ho bitswa hore batho ba nahane hape ka moralo ho arabela ditlhoko tse teng. Le hoja boemo ba phallelo ya dibaka tsa metse ya ditoropo ya jwale e le ho 39.1% (UN-Habitat, 2008), e lebeletswe ho eketseha ho fihlela ho diphersente tse mashome a mahlano (50%) ka selemo sa 2025. Dipalopalo tsena tse phahameng di bonahala kontinenteng ya Afrika, haholoholo lebatoweng la Sub Sahara le fana ka diphepetso tsa honajwale le tsa ka moso. Keketsehong ya diphepetso tsa ka moso, potso e sa arabuwang hore na mekgwa e teng le e sebedisitsweng haholo ya ntshetsopele ya dibaka tsa metse ya ditoropo e fana ka ditharollo na ho ditlhoko tsa moralo lebatoweng le hlokang ho batlisiswa le ha ho le bohlokwa ho hlwaya tse sa kang tsa atleha tsa mesebetsi ya lehae e bopilweng. Mekgwa ena e ile ya tshwelwa ka mathe ka bophara (Bockerhoff, 200; Arimah & Adeago, 2000) mme sena ha se moo ditaba di tsepameng teng ke feela ho hlwaya hore thuto ya moralo e itshetlehile mekgweng ena ka mokgwa wa thuto ya moralo. Ka diphepetso tsa mehlodi, boetapele, maemo a dipolotiki le ha ho le jwalo, mekgwa ya moralo ya thuto e sebeditse haholo ho susumetsa le ho bopa ntshetsopele ya dibaka tsa metse ya ditoropo lebotoweng lena. Le ha mekgwa ya moralo e ile ya tshwelwa ka mathe, mekgwa ya moralo ya thuto ha e a ka ya tsotellwa ho latela tshebetso ya yona ho susumetsa ditsela tsa ntshetsopele tsa dibaka tsa metse ya ditoropo ho la Sub Saharan Afrika. Feela jwalo, mekgwa ya moralo wa thuto ha e a ka ya tadingwa hantle e le dintlha tsa ho kena moralong wa ntjhafatso ya Afrika ya dibaka tsa phallelo ya batho tsa metse ya ditoropo e ntjha. Ha motho o ithuta ho tswa diketsahalong tsa dibaka tsa metse ya ditoropo tsa lebatowa lena, ho ka hlakiswa ditshebetso tse pedi tsa tswelopele ya dibaka tsa metse ya ditoropo; ho phatloha ha dibaka tse ding tsa metse ya ditoropo haholoholo ditsamaiso tsa mebuso ya bokolone kapa dibaka tsa meruo mme sa bobedi e le kgolo e potlakileng ya dibaka tsa metse ya ditoropo. Ho sa boetse ho ena le ditsi tse nyenyane tse ngata tsa dithekiso le matlo a mahaeng a teteaneng ha o bapisa le dibaka tsa metse ya ditoropo e mabapi le moo. Taba ya qetelo mona ditabeng tsena ke lentswe ka ha phallelo ya metse ya ditoropo ka ho phatloha ho sa elwa hloko ka botlalo dipehelong tsa dipalopalo tsa setjhaba. Bakganni ba bangata ba ikarabella phallelong ya dibaka tsena tsa metse ya ditoropo ho kenyeletsa le; dipalolpalo tsa setjhaba, popo ya molao, keketseho ya ho teteana ditsing tse dibaka tsa mahae kapa mapolasi tsa marekelo. Diphepetso tsa ho fana ka ditshebeletso tsa kahisano ntshetsopele ya moruo o tsitsitseng, ho hahela batho matlo le ho ba neha ona, ho busa dibakeng tsa metse ya ditoropo, tataiso ya ntshetsopele ya sebaka le tsamaiso ya tikoloho ya moruo o tsitsitseng di sa ntse di tshwanetse ho lekanyetswa ka botebo le ho nahana hape ka moralo wa thuto mothating wa ho sebetsana le ditlhoko tse teng hajwale. Ditaba tsena di hlahloba mokgwa wa moralo wa thuto le kamoo di bileng le tshusumetso kateng mokgweng le sebopehong sa dibaka tsa metse ya ditoropo tsa Sub Saharan Afrika sephetho seo se sa kang sa arabela ditlhoko tse teng ka botlalo. Ditaba tsena di tla boela di hlahisa ntjhafatso moralong wa thuto o ka bopang phapano ho lokisa ditlhoko tse teng ho la Sub Saharan Afrika.enSub-Saharan AfricaUrban planningUrbanisationArticleDepartment of Urban and Regional Planning, University of the Free State