Promise of Planning

Philip Harrison is the South African Research Chair in Spatial Analysis and City Planning funded by the National Research Foundation and hosted by the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. He was previously member of South Africa’s National Planning Commission and Executive Director of Development Planning and Urban Management in the City of Johannesburg.Alison Todes is Professor Emerita of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. She was previously a Research Director at the Human Sciences Research Council, and a Professor in the School of Architecture, Planning and Housing at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

"This is the definitive book on planning in South Africa. It provides a comprehensive and insightful analysis of the post-apartheid era, the hopes and disappointments, successes and failures, and the reasons and lessons. In an age of poly-crises, it should be read by those in all countries who are striving to make cities and regions more just, inclusive and resilient."Cliff Hague, Professor Emeritus of Planning and Spatial Development at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. Past President of the Royal Town Planning Institute, and of the Commonwealth Association of Planners"A classical and critical book of colossal magnitude, written by leading authors from the Global South that paints a vivid portrait of the spatial planning transformation narrative in post-apartheid South Africa, is a must have book that is invaluable for policy makers, decision makers, practitioners, and academics alike."James Chakwizira, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Venda, Thohoyandou, South Africa"Situating recent South African planning thought and practice in global context, Harrison and Todes’ critical appraisal of the work of the profession is informed, insightful and even reassuring. Despite evident disappointments of the last 15 years, the imperative of learning from failed plans and planning back better shines through."Susan Parnell, Global Challenges Research Professor in the School of Geography at the University of Bristol and Emeritus Professor at the African Centre for Cities (ACC) at the University of Cape Town"The Promise of Planning...document[s] the global and national economic shifts, technological changes, and political wranglings that have frustrated efforts at meaningful spatial and social transformation. It provides the reader (and future planner) with an eloquent and incisive unpacking of the many factors and influences that have frustrated the post-Apartheid planning endeavor....Despite their somber conclusions, Harrison and Todes provide a thorough and critical analysis that nevertheless still reflects an underlying belief in planning as a potentially transformative endeavor, perhaps best pursued incrementally with realistic goals rather than the grandiose and lofty ideals planners are prone to."Nancy Odendaal, Professor, University of Cape Town, review for the Journal of the American Planning Association

• 1. Introduction 2.The forces at work internationally and the new promise of planning 3. The South African context 4. Planning on the national and provincial scales 5. Municipal planning in South Africa 6. Planning and organised civil society 7. Planning and the transformation of the national space economy 8. Planning and spatial transformation 9. Planning and social transformations 10. Towards the just transition? Planning and the natural environment 11. Transformation through crisis? Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic 12. The planning profession in South Africa 13. Planning education and research in South African planning 14. Conclusion