"Many confuse feeling better with doing better"

We asked three city development experts the question, “Realistically, what steps can planners take to ensure an improved sense of community in a city?” – and we received three insightful answers

Chief Financial Officer for the Mandela Bay Development Agency in South Africa Ashwin Daya offered a comprehensive checklist:

1. Undertake broad public consultation with all community stakeholders - and ensure the process is seen and perceived to be fully inclusive

2. Reduce motorized transport and observe people-centred planning principles

3. Educate politicians around such principles so they can in turn advise and enthuse their constituencies

4. Include these principles in spatial development frameworks and legislation and ensure their compliance

5. Market the city as community-oriented one

6. Introduce people-oriented facilities like cycle paths and walkways

7. Ensure that the environment is safe and clean and take into account the continued sustainability of the environment

8. Foster the development and inclusion of stakeholder forums in relevant stages of city planning

9. Ensure convergence between the community and other key stakeholders such as business; ultimately there needs to be a balance between all these stakeholders to ensure that the city is well planned and functioning well

Mansoor Mohamed is the Executive Director of Economic, Social Development and Tourism in Cape Town. He offered another angle: “Planners must look at local events (marathons, local music festivals, community tourism) and major events (such as Grand Prix, World Cup, Olympics) as tools for social cohesion.

He added: “Another good tool for building a sense of community is formal public participation, such as consultative forums with civil society before embarking on projects.”
Executive Director, Regeneration, Planning and Property in the London Borough of Newham Clive Dutton distilled his answer into a fundamental guiding principle. He said: “An improved sense of community can be achieved by interacting with the community and responding to their needs, concerns, dreams and aspirations.  And most definitely, by not being paternalistic.”

Clive Dutton is Executive Director, Regeneration, Planning and Property in the Regeneration, Planning and Property Directorate in the London Borough of Newham
Monsoor Mohamed is Executive Director, Economic, Social Development and Tourism in Cape Town, South Africa

All spoke at the 4th Annual City Development Conference, Kuala Lumpur on 28 Feb-1 Mar 2010