Sustainable Communities Project of the NMBM: The programme outline
The programme began with the development of a Spatial Development Framework in 1999 and rapidly became a major contribution to the city's requirements for development of an integrated development plan as set out in the Municipal Systems Act (32) of 2000 ( MSA). The plan has grown organically over the years, with inputs from many quarters as well as ideas being generated through frequent visits to successfully planned municipalities in Sweden. The concept is, however, uniquely based on the South African context with its own set of planning and development challenges.
The city recognized that despite excellent guides for integrated planning set out by the MSA, there was a gap in the planning process at the level of community planning, which lies between the city plan and the local neighborhood level, and the council set out to find ways to address this gap. They started with a generic model and moved on to applying the model to pilot areas. From implementation and trial and error the planning department have come up with a system that they feels works and that can be used by many municipalities when trying to integrate development in the way the MSA sets out. The planning Department of the NMBM have produced a guide called "Sustainable Community Planning Guide" which is continuously being tested, tweaked and expanded as results from various pilots' projects and planning processes continue to come through. It is a practical guide that deals with the difficult issues of integration and sustainability and gives practical examples of how to achieve this. The NMBM will make this guide available to other municipalities by early next year.
The guide is clear on principles but shies away from providing a recipe style approach with a clear recognition that every city and each neighborhood is different and the planning parameters vary widely. It focuses rather on the "how" to carry out a process of planning that facilitates integration and sustainability.
The programme began with the development of a Spatial Development Framework in 1999 and rapidly became a major contribution to the city's requirements for development of an integrated development plan as set out in the Municipal Systems Act (32) of 2000 ( MSA). The plan has grown organically over the years, with inputs from many quarters as well as ideas being generated through frequent visits to successfully planned municipalities in Sweden. The concept is, however, uniquely based on the South African context with its own set of planning and development challenges.
The city recognized that despite excellent guides for integrated planning set out by the MSA, there was a gap in the planning process at the level of community planning, which lies between the city plan and the local neighborhood level, and the council set out to find ways to address this gap. They started with a generic model and moved on to applying the model to pilot areas. From implementation and trial and error the planning department have come up with a system that they feels works and that can be used by many municipalities when trying to integrate development in the way the MSA sets out. The planning Department of the NMBM have produced a guide called "Sustainable Community Planning Guide" which is continuously being tested, tweaked and expanded as results from various pilots' projects and planning processes continue to come through. It is a practical guide that deals with the difficult issues of integration and sustainability and gives practical examples of how to achieve this. The NMBM will make this guide available to other municipalities by early next year.
The guide is clear on principles but shies away from providing a recipe style approach with a clear recognition that every city and each neighborhood is different and the planning parameters vary widely. It focuses rather on the "how" to carry out a process of planning that facilitates integration and sustainability.
Presentation for Seminar
