Die Nasionale Fisiese Ontwikkelingsplan van Suid-Afrika en sy teoretiese grondslae : 'n kritiese evaluasie

Abstract

THE NATIONAL PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN (NPDP) AND ITS THEORETICAL BASIS - A CRITICAL EVALUATION: The NPDP serves as a practical guide - as an aid - for the purpose of both public and private decision making to achieve under present conditions the optimal physical framework of the country pursuant to policy of the government.

The varying aspects of the Plan are based on different theories. It stands to reason that it would have been impractical to have included detailed discussions of each of the various relevant theories in the Plan. As a result, some of the critisisms directed towards the Plan are unfair because they are either based on misconception or on misinterpretation. The aim of this study is to try to refute the misconceptions of some of the critics and clarify certain possible ambiguities in the NPDP. In the first chapter a broad outline is given of the historical background of the political, economical and social development of the country since Whites first set foot on South African soil. Certain government bodies were initiated since World War II to cope with increasing planning problems on a national scale. This led to the establishment of the Department of Planning which was responsible for the drafting of the NPDP. Attention is also given to this aspect in chapter one. The following chapter deals with specific problems which the Plan had to solve in order to give effect to the optimal physical framework conforming to the government's policy. Chapter three deals firstly with the goals and objectives and secondly with the drafting of the Plan. Based on the planning problems which the government has identified in the past on the one hand and the goals and objectives it has in mind on the other, the theoretical basis of various aspects of the Plan is discussed in chapter four. The theories are subdivided in locational and growth theories.