The 'Janus Face' of planning in South Africa: the case of the Free State

[摘要] This thesis documents and analyses the image of planning as perceived by the users orbeneficiaries of the planning service and by planners in practice (both public andprivate sectors) in the Free State and suggest some principles to be considered to fillthe gap that exist between what planners do, based on what the users of planningservices expect from planning fraternity.· It analyses the image of planning alonghistorical lines, with respect to the development of planning.The research illustrate the importance of the perception of people with regard to theway they would like to see development is happening, in order their quality of life canbe improved using planning as a tool for governance approach that demonstrate thatbeneficiaries of planning services' view is important, showing that people can make acontribution and a difference and building up a sense of identity and community.Citizens and communities are beginning to realise the benefits of exerting influenceover development in their environment. Similarly, administrative officials are alsobeginning to develop confidence in the ability of ordinary users of planning servicesto construct well-considered, practical and sustainable development programmes andprojects. Communities are gaining valuable experience on the pragmatics ofsustainable community-based ward planning. This has exposed them to the challengesof local governance and the need to create a cooperative governance frameworkwhere officials, elected councillors and citizens take responsibility collectively fordevelopment at the local level.It is believed that this research will be of significant assistance to the policy makers inthat it will inform, illuminate and provide a basis for sound policy decisions inplanning practice, especially in the search for new direction during this era. In orderfor planning to be responsive to the challenges of the post-apartheid planning era, itsimage will have to be closely revisited so as to assess its relevance to Free StateProvince changing situations.

[发布机构] University of the Free State