The evolution of Town Planning Ideas, Plans and their Implementation in Kampala City 1903-2004

Sammanfattning: Through a descriptive and exploratory approach, and by review and deduction of archival and documentary resources, supplemented by empirical evidence from case studies, this thesis traces, analyses and describes the historic trajectory of planning events in Kampala City, Uganda, since the inception of modern town planning in 1903, and runs through the various planning episodes of 1912, 1919, 1930, 1951, 1972 and 1994. The planning ideas at interplay in each planning period and their expression in planning schemes vis-à-vis spatial outcomes form the major focus. The study results show the existence of two distinct landscapes; Mengo for the Native Baganda peoples and Kampala for the Europeans, a dualism that existed for much of the period before 1968. Modern town planning was particularly applied to the colonial city while the native city grew with little attempts to planning. Four main ideas are identified as having informed planning and transformed Kampala – first, the utopian ideals of the century; secondly, “the mosquito theory” and the general health concern and fear of catching „native‟ diseases – malaria and plague; thirdly, racial segregation and fourth, an influx of migrant labour into Kampala City, and attempts to meet an expanding urban need in the immediate post war years and after independence in 1962 saw the transfer and/or the transposition of the modernist and in particular, of the new towns planning ideas – which were particularly expressed in the plans of 1963-1968 by the United Nations Planning Mission. The post-independence era also saw the various ideas articulated under traditional land use and zoning practices especially expressed in the 1972 and 1994 plans. While a great deal of planning work has been done in both the colonial and postcolonial eras, findings on ground show that almost all planning ideas expressed in the colonial planning schemes of Kampala City in 1912, 1919, 1930 and 1951 have had physical impact on the spatial structure of Kampala City compared to any period after independence. The postcolonial era experienced little application and implementation of the planning ideas and plans. This is attributed to several factors including: governance issues, lack of financial resources and manpower, the complicated land tenure systems emerging from 1900 Buganda agreement, lack of political commitment, and importation of foreign models without reorienting them to the local context, and so forth. The study concludes by highlighting some of the reflections and the implications for future planning, considerations which perhaps may be useful for the planners of tomorrow and may influence the development of planning policy and perhaps „new‟ planning approaches.