The alignment between spatial planning, transportation planning and environmental management within the new spatial systems in South Africa

Abstract

The debate and discourse for the need to integrate spatial planning, transportation planning and environmental management strategically, functionally and operationally is ongoing since the early 1990s. This includes the articulation of the planning instruments used by the professionals within these functional fields and the way in which it is coordinated and applied as to enhance planning, development and delivery in an integrated fashion. With the approval of the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act (SPLUMA) (Act 16 of 2013) and the SPLUMA Regulations (23 March, 2015), the last bastion of spatial and statutory planning legislation reform from the previous political dispensation within municipalities was transformed (RSA, 2013, 2015). Although this process is still being concluded at provincial and municipal levels of government by formulating its own new transformation structures, guidelines, policies and regulations, the question remains as to whether the disjointedness in municipalities and lack of alignment between spheres of government of the past will be addressed efficiently and effectively on strategic, functional (planning) and operational levels within the new policy and legislative provisions and frameworks underpinning improved alignment processes within the new spatial systems in South Africa?

Die debat en diskoers vir die behoefte om ruimtelike beplanning, vervoerbeplanning en omgewingsbestuur strategies, funsioneel en operasioneel te integreer, word reeds sedert die vroeë 1990’s gevoer. Dit sluit in die artikulasie van die beplanningsinstrumente wat deur professionele persone wat in hierdie funksionele velde werksaam is, gebruik word en in besonder die wyse waarop dit gebruik word om beplanning en ontwikkeling op n geïntegreerde wyse te bevorder. Met die afkondiging van die Ruimtelike Beplanning en Grondgebruikbestuurswet (SPLUMA of RBGB) (Wet 16 van 2013) asook die Regulasies (23 Maart 2015) is die laaste bastion van ruimtelike en statutêre beplanning in munisipaliteite wat uit die vorige politieke bedelings dateer, getransformeer. Alhoewel die voltooing van hierdie proses steeds binne die provinsiale en munisipale sfere van regering (wat transformasie betref) in proses is wat riglyne, beleid en regulasies betref, is die vraag of die ongekoördineerde belyning van die verlede uit ‘n strategiese, funksionele (beplanning) en operasionele vlak nou meer doelmatig en effektief binne die nuwe beleids- en wetgewende raamwerk en ondersteunende prosesse aangespreek sal word?