Situating Citizens’ Participation in Inclusive Infrastructure Development

Abstract

At the core of city inclusivity are infrastructure provision and service delivery to address city residents’ inequality. It then follows that a failure or exclusion in terms of infrastructure can often lead to a breakdown in the city functions. Therefore, from available literature, citizen participation is a cardinal factor in achieving inclusion in the city without any part of the city feeling excluded. However, one crucial issue that often leads to exclusion in infrastructure provision and service delivery is the lack of urban governance participation. The cross-disciplinary review involved the consultation of material from disciplines including library and information management, politics, social policy and social sciences, cultural studies, psychology, management, and organizational theory. It was structured according to the following themes: dimensions of inclusion, the Southern African experience of exclusion, inclusion and social policy, social inclusion in public services and the cultural sector, linkages between inclusion and Infrastructure in Southern Africa, roles of citizen participation in achieving inclusivity and finally lessons for countries in Southern Africa. Four critical dimensions of inclusive infrastructure development are identifiable, with all driven within the confines of participation, which often defines the extent of acceptability and infrastructure resilience. The paper provides an abridged version of the section of literature review of ongoing research. For inclusivity in the city infrastructure provision and service delivery to be achieved, the governance of these infrastructure provisions must be participatory, and holistic planning must be considered.