Vanessa Watson

Seeing from the South: Refocusing Urban Planning on the Globe’s Central Urban Issues

Urban planning in many parts of the world reflects an increasing gap between current approaches and growing problems of poverty, inequality, informality, rapid urbanisation and spatial fragmentation, particularly (but not only) in cities of the global South. Given past dominance of the global North in shaping planning theory and practice, this article argues that a perspective from the global South can be useful in unsettling taken-for-granted assumptions about how planning addresses these issues. The article takes a first step in this direction by proposing a ‘clash of rationalities’, between techno-managerial and marketised systems of government administration, service provision and planning (in those parts of the world where these apply) and increasingly marginalised urban populations surviving largely under conditions of informality. It draws together theoretical resources beyond the boundaries of conventional planning theory to understand the nature of this conflict, and the nature of the ‘interface’ between those involved, where unpredictable encounter and contestation also open the possibility for exploring alternative approaches to planning.

Conflicting rationalities: implications for planning theory and ethics

The article argues that while certain recent planning theories have attempted to take account of social difference and multiculturalism, there is not yet sufficient recognition of just how deep difference can be, and how planners can frequently find themselves in situations characterized by conflicting rationalities. The article draws on a case of an attempted informal settlement upgrade in Cape Town, South Africa, to illustrate the gap between the notion of ‘proper citizens’ and ‘proper living environments’ espoused by the municipality, and the nature of the rationality guiding the actions of certain of the other parties involved. This understanding, it is suggested, has important implications for both planning theory and ethics.

African urban fantasies: dreams or nightmares?

Labelled as the “last frontier” for international property development, sub-Saharan Africa’s larger cities are currently being revisioned in the image of cities such as Dubai, Shanghai and Singapore, which claim top positions in the world-class city leagues. Draped in the rhetoric of “smart cities” and “eco-cities”, these plans promise to modernize African cities and turn them into gateways for international investors and showpieces for ambitious politicians. Yet the reality in all of these cities stands in stark contrast to the glass-box towers, manicured lawns and water features on developers’ and architects’ websites. With the majority of urban populations living in deep poverty and with minimal urban services, the most likely outcome of these fantasy plans is a steady worsening of the marginalization and inequalities that already beset these cities.

Domestic Diversity and Fluidity Among Some African Households in Greater Cape Town

(1996). Domestic diversity and fluidity among some African households in Greater Cape Town. Social Dynamics: Vol. 22, No. 1, pp. 7-30.

Deep Difference: Diversity, Planning and Ethics

The article suggests that plannings current sources of moral philosophy are no longer an entirely satisfactory guide on issues of ethical judgement in a context of deepening social difference and an increasingly hegemonic market rationality. A focus on process in planning and a relative neglect of product, together with the assumption that such processes can be guided by a universal set of deontological values shaped by the liberal tradition, are rendered particularly problematic in a world which is characterized by deepening social and economic differences and inequalities and by the aggressive promotion of neoliberal values by particular dominant nation-states. The notion of introducing values into deliberative processes is explored.

The Usefulness of Normative Planning Theories in the Context of Sub-Saharan Africa:

The article focuses on three contemporary and better-known normative theories of planning: communicative planning theory (Forester, Healey, Innes and others), the Just City approach (Fainstein), and those concerned with the recognition of diversity and cultural difference (Sandercock). Such theories are of great interest to planners who continue to grapple with the problem of overcoming the extreme forms of inequity, division and social breakdown that persist in the cities of Africa. The article examines some of the central assumptions underlying these theories and considers the extent to which they provide useful direction, or simply attempt to generalize a western context.

Do We Learn from Planning Practice? The Contribution of the Practice Movement to Planning Theory

This article examines a central assumption that underlies what has been termed the practice movement in planning theory. The term refers to the great diversity of recent writings that focus on the activity of planning and the practices of planners. It is assumed that empirical accounts of planning practice can help to build a more useful and pragmatic kind of planning theory than can the generalized procedural or normative models that previously constituted planning theory and that they have a pedagogical role to play in relation to practicing planners and planners in training. This article asks questions about how we learn from practice, how we learn from other people writing about practice, and therefore what kind of writing about practice will be most conducive to a learning experience.

Co-production and collaboration in planning - The difference

Processes of state-society engagement around urban development issues, termed co-production, have been documented in both the Public Administration and Development Studies fields, but until recently have not attracted much attention in planning. Yet, particularly more recent approaches and cases of co-production from global South contexts do offer the possibility of adding to planning debates in this area, by expanding the context which shapes planning ideas beyond the global North, and perhaps shifting planning theory in the direction of becoming truly international. The paper identifies the important differences which underlie various strands of thinking about co-production, and also between these and planning assumptions in the area of collaborative and communicative planning.

Low-income rental housing: are South African cities different?:

A significant proportion of the black urban population in South Africa rent accommodation. Surveys conducted in two low-income settlements in Cape Town and Johannesburg show that the rental housing scene is in many ways similar to that found in other Third World cities. Landlords are older than their tenants, many are female, their families are larger, their homes have more space and better services. Few landlords make any money and landlord-tenant relationships are not generally conflictive. At the same time, rental conditions in the survey settlements appear to be very different from those found in most other poor cities. Most significant is that few South African landlords build accommodation; the majority merely offer space to tenants who build their own shacks. The poor quality of accommodation helps keep rents low which in turn accentuates the feeling that is it not worth investing in rental accommodation. Few landlords actively seek out tenants, most grant space in the backyard only out of compassion. Further research is investigating whether more typical forms of rental housing exist in Cape Town and Johannesburg. The project also seeks to persuade the South African government that it should develop some kind of rental housing policy.

Rental housing policy and the role of the household rental sector: Evidence from South Africa

Abstract A growing body of research on rental housing in developing countries has pointed to the fact that while government and commercial investor provision of low income rentals is at an all time low, the numbers of people in rental accommodation has increased steadily. In some cities this is now the dominant form of tenure. The bulk of this rental accommodation is in fact provided by the “household sector” which tends to be unrecognized in policy terms. This paper examines attempts by both the past and current South African government to address housing problems and indicates how authorities have followed international trends in terms of attitudes to the provision of rental housing. The paper draws on a small-scale survey of households in South Africa to highlight the crucial role being played by the household rental sector, and argues for its incorporation into current housing policy.