Track: Engineering Management

Abstract

Urban planning has become increasingly important in the process to bolster city resilience against future health pandemics worldwide. Consequently, a critical doctrinal review of the disposition of town planning principles and objectives informing town planning practice in Africa in the context of global health problems needful of imminent action is critical. This paper examines the present and the potential future of urban planning practices regarding city resilience against health pandemics as encapsulated in the principles and objectives of town planning laws and the regulatory framework of the selected Sothern African countries. It explores the role of planning law in either promoting or stifling city preparedness for future health pandemics and resilience in general. The occurrence of the COVID-19 global health pandemic that peaked in the year 2020 has exposed the lack of readiness of world cities for eventualities of a catastrophic magnitude. To ascertain the promotion of resilience or lack thereof, in the planning laws of the selected case cities, doctrinal legal research [DLR] methodology was applied alongside the document analysis. DLR involved searching for rationally consistent guiding principles in the planning laws under review to understand the culpability of planning to city failures. The results reveal that most African cities are slow in adapting their laws to changing environments. Planning certainly has a case to answer. Constant review of urban planning legislation that produces policies and plans that are relevant to the present and future challenges is needed.