Contemporary planning in diverse capital cities on four continents
A large, primarily historical literature exists on the subject of planning capital cities. Less attention is evident in relation to contemporary challenges and planning in these ‘cities of power’. Recent debates around conceptualising cities and urbanisation tend not to engage with the specificities of political capitals. The presentation examines recent developments and present approaches to planning for the future in capital cities on several continents. The selection of cities includes Delhi, Beijing, Paris, Pretoria and Brasília. The discussion aims to look at development processes in these capitals through the window of contemporary conceptual debates on cities/urbanisation. Amidst the growing complexity of capital cities and the expanding number and character of public and private actors in their development, these cases reveal a range of common attempts to envision and plan capital cities. The presentation identifies a number of different approaches to planning and development responding to contextual differences such as: the nature of power and politics; the relationship between capital city precincts and other parts of the metropolitan area; the growing scale and complexity of the cities; and the role of planning as state intervention.
Alan Mabin studied in South Africa and completed his doctorate in Canada. He has research experience in Brasil, France, Tanzania and South Africa. He was one of the founders of Planact, a community service NGO which had a significant impact both during the struggle against apartheid and in forming post-apartheid urban policy in South Africa. He has published widely and held visiting appointments and fellowships in several countries. He is now Emeritus Professor in the School of Architecture and Planning, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, where he served as head of the school 2005-2010.