Developing a system of Sustainability Indicators (SUI) for Community Participation in Physical Planning of the peri- urban area of Tlokweng, Botswana

Abstract

The latest review of Tlokweng Planning Area (TPA) development plan, which borders Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, has included a large participation of numerous stakeholders and sustainability indicators (SUI) platform, in order to transform physical planning into a proactive agent of positive social, economic and environmental change. This approach has helped planners to orient towards shaping the future with an emphasis on liveability, sustainability, resilience and switch from urban-rural fringe (URF) to rural-urban fringe (RUF) land use change. In order to apply that shift, the planning team has developed a system of SUIs based on opinions from different members of the social fabric living and working in 10 planning zones of TPA. The summary of this extensive field survey is translated into Indexes and Indicator maps and accompanied statistics showing the status of planning areas in five categories: natural environment (5), built environment (10), economic environment (2), social environment (5), and political environment (4). Outcomes of this approach clearly show how SUI can help land managers, planners and decision makers in short and mid-term monitoring, control and reviews of TPA development plan individual land use zones and sites.