Integrated development planning in Zambia: Ideological lens, theoretical underpinnings, current practices, views of the planners

ABSTRACT

Three years after promulgating the Urban and Regional Planning Act (3 of 2015), municipalities in Zambia are still struggling to formulate Integrated Development Plans (IDPs). Based on documents review and interviews with 81 key informants, purposefully and snowballing selected, this paper documents the theoretical underpinnings, historic perspectives, current practices and motivation for introducing IDP concept in Zambia. A mixed method research design with grounded theory approach was applied to the study. The study found that the current Integrated Development Planning concept as used in Zambia is not home-grown but emanates from the west. It is highly influenced by the neo liberal developmental theory, traces of the 1947 British colonial, spatial development planning theoretical orientations, and the proximity to the new South African municipality IDP model. Lack of detailed guidelines on IDP is also impending the formulating of IDPs by many municipalities in Zambia.

KEYWORDS:

• Zambia
• municipality
• integrated development planning theory
• spatial development planning
• policy implementation guidelines

Acknowledgements

This study is part of PhD programme supported financially by the North West University in South Africa through three types of bursaries: post-graduate tuition; post-graduate international student’s; and post-graduate institutional research grant.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 The IDP acronym is used when referring to both the process and the actual plans.

2 Spatial planning theories can also be referred to as land-use and statutory development control, or as urban and regional, or city and territorial, or as town and country planning theories.

3 SDG 11 of the global Agenda 2030.

4 The IDP for Lumwana township was developed in 2009 as an extension of Solwezi district. by then. It is now part of Kalumbila district declared by the Republican President in 2015.

Additional information

Funding

This study is part of PhD programme supported financially by the North West University in South Africa through three types of bursaries: post-graduate tuition; post-graduate international student’s; and post-graduate institutional research grant.