Practising planners' perceptions of post-1994 planning law and settlement planning and development processes : a Western Cape case study

Abstract

While a significant body of academic work has been compiled on the transformation of planning law since the end of apartheid, far less has been produced on the perceptions of practising planners of these new laws, and their impacts on the planning profession's stated objective of contributing to the creation of quality human settlements. This article seeks to assist in filling this gap in the field by reporting on a study into the perceptions of practising planners in the Western Cape in this regard. The study involves research into the views of professional planners on planning laws applied during and post-apartheid and the impact of these laws on human settlement planning and development. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 25 professional planners employed in the public and private sectors. The data sample, limited to the Western Cape province, was regarded as a starting point for further research on the perception of planners in these regards in the remaining eight provinces in the country. The key findings of this study are that planners by and large welcome the new planning legislation and view it as an improvement on the old. The challenges being experienced are mainly related to the institutional and financial landscape in which the law plays out rather than the law itself, notably lengthy planning processes; a focus on meeting housing-delivery targets at the cost of other equally important settlement development objectives; and capacity, and budget constraints.

Terwyl 'n beduidende hoeveelheid akademiese werk saamgestel is oor die transformasie van beplanningswetgewing sedert die einde van apartheid, is veel minder gepubliseer oor die persepsies van praktiserende beplanners van hierdie nuwe wette, en hul impak op die beplanningsberoep se verklaarde doelwit om by te dra tot die skepping van kwaliteit menslike nedersettings. Hierdie artikel poog om 'n bydrae te maak tot die vul van hierdie gaping deur verslag te doen oor 'n studie oor die persepsies van praktiserende beplanners in die Wes-Kaap in hierdie verband. Die studie behels navorsing oor die sienings van professionele beplanners oor beplanningswette wat tydens en postapartheid toegepas is, en hul impak op menslike nedersettingsbeplanning en -ontwikkeling. Data is ingesamel deur middel van semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude met 25 professionele beplanners wat in die openbare en privaat sektore werksaam is. Die datasteekproef, beperk tot die Wes-Kaap provinsie, is beskou as 'n beginpunt vir verdere navorsing oor die persepsie van beplanners in hierdie verband in die ander agt provinsies in die land. Die sleutelbevindinge van hierdie studie is dat beplanners die nuwe beplanningswetgewing grootliks verwelkom en as 'n verbetering op die oue beskou. Uitdagings wat ervaar word, hou grootliks verband met die institusionele en finansiële landskap waarin die reg afspeel, eerder as die wetgewing self, veral lang beplanningsprosesse; 'n fokus op die bereiking van behuisingslewering teikens ten koste van ander ewe belangrike nedersettingsontwikkelingsdoelwitte; en kapasiteit, en begrotingsbeperkings.

Leha ho se ho bokelletsoe lingoliloeng tsa boithuto tse ngata mabapi le phetoho ea molao oa moralo ho tloha pheletsong ea aparateiti, liphuputso li foka haholo mabapi le maikutlo a barali ba litoropo ka melao ena e mecha, le litlamorao tsa eona profesheneng ea ho rala libaka haholo-holo thehong ea metse e boleng bo botle. Morero oa sengoliloeng sena ke ho tlatsa sekheo sena sa tsebo lefapheng lena ka ho tlaleha boithuto mabapi le maikutlo a barali ba libaka Kapa Bophirima. Boithuto bona bo kenyelletsa liphuputso mabapi le maikutlo a litsebi mabapi le melao ea meralo e neng e sebelisoa nakong le ka morao ho khethollo ea merabe le litla-morao tsa melao ena meralong le nts'etsopeleng ea metse. Lintlha li ile tsa bokelloa ka lipuisano tse hlophisitsoeng hantle le litsebi tse 25 tse hiriloeng makaleng a sechaba le a poraefete. Mohlala oa thlahiso leseling, o lekanyelitsoeng feela profensing ea Kapa Bophirima, o ile oa sebelisoa e le qalo ea lipatlisiso tse tsoelang pele ka maikutlo a litsebi mabapi le lintlha tsena liporofenseng tse robeli tsa naha. Tse fumanoeng tsa bohlokoa phuputsonbg ena ke hore baetsi ba meralo ka kakaretso ba amohela molao o mocha oa moralo mme ba o nka e le ntlafatso ho oa khale. Liqholotso tse hlahellang li amana haholo-holo le boemo ba litsi le lichelete tseo molao o sebetsang ho tsona ho e-na le molao ka booona, haholo-holo nako e telele e nkuoang ho etsa meralo; tsepamiso ea maikutlo ho fihlelleng lipehelo tsa phano ea matlo ho sa natse lipheo tse ling tsa bohlokoa ntlafatsonhg ea bolulo; bokhoni, le likhaello tsa lichelete.