Town and Regional Planning

From the editors

Abraham Matamanda — 2026-06-23

In recent years, urban areas have been experiencing a plethora of challenges that range from socio-economic, environmental, and governance issues that are increasingly complicating urban and regional professional planning. Rapid urbanisation in many countries, especially in the Global South, has been attributed to the increasing demand for urban services. In the vast majority of instances, however, these urban areas fail to cater for the needs of the burgeoning populations, resulting in endemic urban dilemmas. Similarly, the available urban opportunities and services fail to cater for the needs of the urbanites. The demand for many services and opportunities such as housing, healthcare, employment, as well as water and sanitation seems to be compromised, with low-income households bearing much of the brunt of these challenges through limited access to opportunities. Inequalities are magnified in these instances as the distribution and allocation of urban services and opportunities tend to be along income lines. Increasing informality and urban decay are signs of the failure of urban systems to provide adequate opportunities and create habitable spaces for urbanites. While multiple factors may be attributed to these challenges in urban areas, planning is considered a panacea for addressing many urban dilemmas.

Back to basics in planning

Das Steÿn — 2026-06-23

“Sometime during the 1970s, the city planning movement began to turn upside down and inside out…” (Hall, 2002: 379). Hall’s observation is not simply a historical note; it is a warning. Planning did not merely adapt to new realities; it abandoned its foundational purpose. A discipline once concerned with ordering space and guiding development in the public interest increasingly became an instrument for enabling growth, often irrespective of social consequences. The planner, traditionally positioned between competing interests as regulator and mediator, increasingly became an accomplice to short-term economic interests. In Hall’s metaphor, the gamekeeper became the poacher. This commentary argues that the crisis in planning cannot be understood purely as a professional or technical failure. It is rooted in a deeper intellectual and cultural transformation: the erosion of responsibility in modern society. Planning reflects that erosion in its theories, practices, and outcomes. To move forward, planning must return to basic principles, to a clearer understanding of human behaviour, and to a renewed commitment to responsibility. Nowhere is this more urgent than in South Africa, where planning failures intersect with broader political and economic instability.

Geospatial method for mapping urban decay: Structural components in the Thohoyandou Central Business District, South Africa

Philani Magubane — 2026-06-23

Evidence of urban decay in small towns across South Africa has become increasingly visible. Typically linked to neglect and ageing, urban decay encompasses social, economic, environmental, and physical decline. This article investigates the dynamics of urban decay in the Central Business District (CBD) of Thohoyandou, a rural town in Limpopo province, where the built environment continues to deteriorate despite the Thulamela Urban Development and Revitalisation Strategy. The study aims to characterise urban decay in Thohoyandou CBD through mapping, with emphasis on its implications for structural elements of the built environment. A mixed-methods design was employed, using observations and questionnaires as primary data sources. Convenience sampling selected 374 CBD users. Observation data were systematically recorded and categorised to identify decay features, while questionnaire responses were analysed using mean scores and ranked by affected areas and causes. Fifty-one features of urban decay were identified. Spatial analysis revealed clustering along everyday movement networks and key activity nodes. The three main contributing factors are poor urban management, infrastructure deterioration, and building-related issues, reflecting weaknesses in institutional capacity and policy implementation. Integrating geospatial data with structural analysis offers municipalities a diagnostic tool for monitoring progress. Findings suggest resource-constrained towns require targeted, spatially prioritised, phased regeneration strategies to effectively address urban decay.

Barriers to the implementation of Ghana’s spatial planning agenda: An assessment of the Sekondi-Takoradi Urban Network (STUN)

Mawabo Msingaphantsi — 2026-06-23

This article investigates the extent to which the policy vision of polycentric urban develop-ment, articulated in Ghana’s National Spatial Development Framework (NSDF), has been realised in practice within the Sekondi-Takoradi Urban Network (STUN). Employing a qualita-tive research design, the study integrates GIS-based land-use analysis with structured inter-views to evaluate the implementation of Ghana’s polycentric development strategy and to identify barriers to STUN’s functional transformation. Spatial analysis of land-use change is complemented by thematic analysis of interview data, organised around two analytical di-mensions: spatial coordination and transport integration. The findings highlight four interrelat-ed themes shaping the assessment of STUN: its conceptualisation as a normative polycen-tric urban region; the translation of this vision into a functional polycentric system; the role of urban governance in advancing polycentricity; and the relationship between spatial planning, transport systems, and polycentric development. Despite policy commitments to balanced regional growth, STUN remains predominantly monocentric in practice. Weak spatial–transport integration, limited inclusion of informal mobility providers, and poor inter-institutional coordination undermine the framework’s implementation. The article contributes to debates on urban planning in the Global South by demonstrating that policy designation alone is insuf-ficient to achieve functional polycentricity. It argues for strengthening regional planning institu-tions, improving transport–land-use integration, and formally incorporating informal mobility systems to advance polycentric development beyond symbolic policy intentions.

Strategic digital cities: A comparative analysis of municipal digital strategies in four South African metropolitan municipalities

Tatiana Souto Maior de Oliveira — 2026-06-23

The digitalisation of public administration and urban management continues to reshape how municipalities plan, operate, and respond to growing urban pressures. In South Africa, these shifts are guided by national digital governance frameworks that emphasise the importance of technological infrastructure for sustainable development. Despite this policy direction, there is limited comparative analysis on how South African cities incorporate digitalisation into their strategic planning processes. To address this gap, this narrative review examines municipal strategic documents from four South African metropolitan municipalities to assess the extent to which their planning frameworks reflect digital priorities and align with the Strategic Digital City (SDC) concept. Using qualitative document analysis, the review identifies key themes, strategic priorities, and programme distributions across the four cities. The findings show that, while all cities embed digitalisation within their strategic structures, the depth and coherence of this integration vary, with stronger emphasis placed on technological infrastructure than on digital public-service transformation. The review contributes to current urban digitalisation scholarship, by providing a comparative account of how South African municipalities interpret and operationalise national digitalisation directives. It also highlights areas where digital strategies require further strengthening, offering a foundation for future empirical research on the implementation and impact of municipal digital initiatives.

Unplanned regional development: Public perception of urban sprawl in the Tapal Kuda Region, East Java, Indonesia

Satti Wagistina — 2026-06-23

The northern coastal hinterland of East Java, known as the Tapal Kuda Region (TKR) and the Pendalungan cultural zone, is undergoing spatial transformation. However, community participation in the development of the TKR has remained relatively low. This study aims to analyse the Pendalungan community perceptions of urban sprawl, as understanding these perceptions is essential for increasing participatory development in the region. A mixed-methods research design was employed. Quantitative analysis used the Normalised Difference Built-Up Index (NDBI) to measure built-up area density from satellite imagery for the years 2015 to 2025. Accuracy was assessed using overall accuracy, user accuracy, and the Kappa coefficient. Qualitative data on community perceptions were collected through in-depth interviews with a purposively selected sample of the Pendalungan community and analysed using a thematic deductive method with NVivo software. The results indicate an NDBI of 0.132, reflecting significant urban sprawl characterised by low-density development along the Daendels Road in the TKR. Despite being perceived as unplanned, the Pendalungan community views urban sprawl positively, as it enhances regional dynamics, by driving land prices higher, creating diversified job opportunities, and improving economic infrastructure. The findings show a misalignment between planning policies and community needs. Recommendations include inclusive development strategies that strengthen public participation, align planning with local aspirations, and reduce the risk of social conflict associated with industrial and residential development.