Planning: a source of education

Abstract

PROBLEM STATEMENT Planners encounter problems as they work among disadvantaged communities. Most community leaders engage in planning operations, excluding the community from participating in the solution of their problems.

Lack of openness on the part of leadership and top down planning with landowners, professionals, local councils and contractors on behalf of communities, brings about lack of confidence in the leadership. This also creates mistrust, suspicion and lack of co-operation from the community.

For this discourse to address this problem, planners should consider the planning-process as one that can educate the leadrship to realise that communication, participation and cooperation are major aspects for development to take place. Involving communities in the solution of their problems is of primary importance.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY To investigate how the communities can be educated through planning. To prioritise issues which can be dealt with and identified in order to bring informed community participation.

METHODOLOGY Reference shall be given to the issue of informal or squatter settlements and problems encountered therein in general.

Mandelaville Informal Settlement Community shall be the case study. A questionnaire was drafted and a sample randomly selected. A representative of the Local Council was interviewed, community members, their leaders and all other parties with information pertaining to Mandelaville and the residents. It was also important to get the views of experts in the planning field.