Equity, Equality and Appropriate Distribution: Multiple Interpretations and Zimbabwean Usages

Planners often talk of equity; for example, many regional planners define the purpose of regional planning as being to establish spatial equity or, more crudely, to reduce inter-regional differentials.1 Yet many of us give little direct attention to the concept(s) of ‘equity’. This paper introduces some interpretations or types of equity, with illustrations largely from Zimbabwe. The aim is to be relevant and accessible to planners of all varieties, but a few remarks are especially oriented to regional planners.