Revising Spatial Planning Legislation in Zambia: A Case Study

This case study of a donor-supported process to revise planning laws in Zambia evaluates the legislative status quo, marked by the colonial-era Town and Country Planning Act and the independence-era Housing (Statutory and Improvement Areas) Act. The former statute was seen to be outdated, inappropriate, and overly controlling while the later provided an exemption from the provisions of the former in specified areas set aside for low-income residential use. From the perspective of a consultant leading the law reform initiative, the wrong assumptions upon which the process was based are identified, and the unpredictable features of the law and policy making context in Zambia are examined. The concluding argument is that in Zambia a comprehensive, all-at-once approach to planning law reform may not be appropriate, with the alternative of a more drawn out process incrementally amending specified problematic provisions in the legislation over time suggested as a less risky and more effective approach.