Planning and planning education in the Free State, South Africa

Abstract

This paper aims to indicate in a succinct manner how urban and regional planning takes place in the Free State province. This is done in terms of different pieces of legislation based on national government and unique local ordinances. The largest municipality is used as an example indicating the origin and growth of Bloemfontein indicative to the entire province in so far as planning is concerned. Planning and regulatory documents based on legislation are discussed as these documents form the basis for spatial growth and development in municipalities. The political arena of the Free State is also briefly touched upon as it has a distinct influence on the planning and development of the province. The larger portion of the paper deals with the training of urban and regional planners at the University of the Free State. This portion explains the philosophy of subjects presented and how this influences the specific subjects and programmes for Honours and Masters students. The staff component, evaluation, facilities, and statistics are expounded upon. The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats encountered with the programmes are discussed while the challenges are linked to the initial aims. This ensures that the entire programme is result driven.