Planning for sustainability in Malawian cities: A conceptual analysis of the missing links

Planning for sustainability has become a major challenge for urban planners in cities of the developing world where those with low economic base are often unable to cope with the high rate of urbanization. The differences in poverty levels between rural and urban spaces has not only deepened socio-economic problems but also led to an increase in environmental degradation in the city’s peripheral and catchment areas. This paper argues that there is need to rethink the role of urban planning theory and practice if urban sustainability is to be practical in Malawian cities. It observes that activities and initiatives taken by the urban poor that lead to growth of informal settlement and the informal sector are not viewed positively by urban planners. Specifically, the paper examines issues as such as the symbiotic relationship between the rural and the urban, lack of proper plans for non motorized transport, availability of a closed loop model of solid waste management and a rekindled participatory planning regime through the formalization of town chiefs are very critical elements of the contemporary urban planning theory and practice if building sustainable cities is to move beyond a vague idealism in Malawi. It follows then that any ambitious attempt to plan for sustainability should recognize the role which the urban poor play in building cities of developing countries Malawi inclusive. The paper calls upon the urban planners to change their attitude towards the urban poor. In so doing, however, the author is not trying to romanticize the existence of informal settlements and informal sector but to highlight their inevitable existence to the urban landscape.