It is now widely accepted that the ongoing urbanisation process is unstoppable, irreversible, and is taking place largely in the developing world. Cities in the developing world, therefore, hold the key to sustainable development of our planet.

The Nairobi 2010 Congress of ISOCARP, focusing on the theme ‘Sustainable City/ Developing World’ takes its departure from the aforementioned premise. Planning strategies for sustainable development in cities of the global south will be discussed according to the type of intervention through which they can be best addressed, for example, urban policy and financing, urban form and design, urban planning instruments, and urban governance. The workshops will be structured along these sub-themes and are elaborated below.

WORKSHOP 1: Effective policy-making for sustainable urbanisation
Introduction: Urban policy formulation encompasses not just spatial planning but also issues such as housing and service delivery; economic development, infrastructure and privatisation; environmental and natural resource management; and, social inclusion. Furthermore, policy-making for sustainable urbanisation is not restricted to the urban level alone. National and provincial urbanisation and economic policies, regional development priorities, and strategies to combat climate change, among others, impact significantly on urbanisation and urban development patterns. While urban local governments are powerful actors in many developed countries, in the global South they are often weak and face a battery of constraints, including those of technical knowledge, human and financial resources. There are examples, however, of innovative municipal finance mechanisms and public-private partnerships in the area of infrastructure development and service delivery. How can all these policies and financing arrangements be harnessed to build sustainable cities?

WORKSHOP 2: The impact of spatial planning, urban design and built form on urban sustainability
Introduction: Spatial planning is undoubtedly the main preoccupation of a majority of planning professionals. Indeed, spatial planning and urban design have far-reaching implications for sustainable urbanisation, whether in terms of mitigating spatial fragmentation, avoiding gentrification and social exclusion; supporting environmentally sensitive development, protection of fragile urban lands and eco-systems; or, promoting a built environment which is resilient to the increasingly frequent and intense natural/ man-made disasters.

WORKSHOP 3: Urban planning instruments for sustainability
Introduction: In most developing countries, as well as a large number of transitional and developed nations, urban planning continues to rely on instruments such as master plans which specify in some detail land use, provide for segregation of uses through zoning regulations, and impose (usually rigid) building bye-laws and standards. Although innovative planning approaches are also coming to the fore, and these instruments are also being reformed, yet, there is a long way to go before entire planning systems can be transformed from being control-oriented to supportive of contextually-relevant forms of development. For instance, the predominance of informal housing and economic activity in many developing country cities is illustrative of the contradiction between reality and the ideal urban scenario envisioned by colonial-era legislation. Often, such laws and planning instruments can serve to further exacerbate socio-spatial divisions within cities, sometimes even resulting in violent social unrest (e.g. in Zimbabwe). How can urban planning instruments such as master plans, zoning regulations and building codes be reformed in order to promote social, economic and environmental sustainability, should be the overarching question addressed by the papers in this segment.

WORKSHOP 4: Improving governance for sustainable urban development
Introduction: Improvements in the quality of governance, assessed on the basis of principles such as participation and civic engagement, transparency and accountability, subsidiarity and rule of law, among others, can help in improving the decision-making processes in cities and making development responsive to the needs of the people. Urban planning is a central instrument of urban governance, and needs to take into account all these factors.

CONGRESS REGISTRATION

ISOCARP welcomes City and Regional Planners from all over the world. The congress is open to any interested individual, party or organisation, young planning professional, expert and interested professional from other related disciplines (ISOCARP members and/or non-members).

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