Sustainable cities through integrated land use management systems

Abstract

The use and management of land has long been the subject matter of town planners across the world. As cities and towns are growing in size, sources of developable land are decreasing rapidly. This concept of land as a scare resource has prompted planners to introduce the concept of sustainability in their science in an attempt to better accommodate the needs of current and future population. In most countries, land use planning is a function of same level of government responsible for the delivery of services such as water, sanitation, electricity etc. Local government in turn place a value on land and collect rates and taxes in attempt to fund the provision of service. In many instances, however, the activities of land use planning, infrastructure provision and municipal finance are not integrated. This leads to inefficient cities and towns that are rapidly developing in a financially unsustainable manner. Planning legislation in South Africa has changed in the last year – with far reaching consequences for South African cities and towns. This paper explores elements of the land use management system, and illustrates how integrating the different components of the land use management system (future or comprehensive planning, land development management, building management, infrastructure provision, the municipal budget etc.) can set the agenda for cities and towns to develop sustainably.