COMMUNITY-BASED PLANNING (CBP): BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN LOCAL
AUTHORITIES AND RESIDENTS FOR IMPROVED SERVICE DELIVERY
Case Study By: Martha Munyoro
For the residents of Sakubva in Mutare, living with heaps of uncollected waste in illegal dumping
points had become the norm. The illegal dumping sites had become a health time bomb,
exposing the residents to outbreaks of diseases such as cholera and dysentery.
“We were faced with a serious health hazard and despite our calls to the Council for the
implementation of efficient waste management services, the situation was not improving”, said
Llyod Chikonzo, a resident in Sakubva.
Llyod Chikonzo’s dilemma is similar to many other residents throughout Zimbabwe who have
been sidelined in the local authorities’ planning processes for years, which has resulted in their
voices being excluded in service provision priorities. This, in combination with other factors, has
resulted in poor service delivery whose current symptoms include erratic water supplies, failing
waste management, poorly maintained roads, chronic sewerage blockages and unresolved
tenure issues. But with the coming of the People Up projects all these problems are now history.
In response to these challenges, Practical Action Southern Africa, has been implementing a four
year project called Promoting Examples of Participatory Local Empowerment in Urban Planning
(PEOPLE UP) Project. The project has been successful in integrating Community Based
Planning (CBP).
Funded by the European Union through the Non-State Actors Programme, the project tried to
improve the living conditions of poor and marginalised urban and peri-urban residents by
accessing and sustaining basic municipal and infrastructure services.
The project is promoting the practice of community participation in urban planning through CBP,
where in the past, poor communities have been side-lined in the planning processes, which has
resulted in their voice being excluded in service provision priorities. This, in combination with
other factors, has resulted in poor service delivery whose current symptoms include erratic
water supplies, failing waste management, poorly maintained roads, chronic sewerage
blockages and unresolved tenure issues.
Community Based Planning is a process which empowers communities including vulnerable
socio-economic groups and their leaders to demand and actively participate in development
interventions that are relevant to them.
In the urban planning context, CBP is a system that engages poor and vulnerable urban and
peri-urban communities to improve the quality of their plans and services and influence resource
allocation. This also increases the participation of poor urban residents in the governance of the
delivery of basic municipal and infrastructure services.
The desired outcome of this process is to influence resource allocation and ensure communities
have access to resource support and extension messages required for improved crop and
livestock production.
“It feels great to be consulted when there is development which needs to happen in your ward,
long back there were no consultations like this and we never saw progress”, narrated Mrs. Mary
Maphosa of ward 3 in Epworth.
“We had never been consulted
by council when it comes to
development
in
our
area.
Approaching the local board
was such a daunting task. The
coming
of
the
project
has
helped us a great deal. There is
now dialogue between us and
the local board”.
“As a result of the CBP process,
we have, as a community,
developed ward plans in our
Waste management group in Sakubva Mutare
various wards. These plans
have our priorities which we
then take to the local authority for consideration. As a result, one of the priorities of opening up
access roads was taken up by the local board and we now have roads that were opened up in
our ward”, said George Goremusandu a resident of ward 1 in Epworth.
According to Sam Chaikosa from the Civic Forum on Housing, all the ward plans developed by
the Epworth residents have been incorporated into the ELB’s five strategic plan for Epworth.
“This process has empowered the communities to be drivers of the development initiatives. It’s
a process which has brought dialogue between the local authority and the residents. The
priorities and the aspirations of the Epworth community are now encompassed in the local
board’s plans”, said Chaikosa.
In Mutare, the results have been similar. “It has taken a lot of effort to be where we are today.
The community-based planning process covered all socio-economic groups in Sakubva whose
views were considered in drawing a master plan for the participating wards”.
Whilst Local Authorities at large
in Zimbabwe still face challenges
in delivering services to citizens,
the People Up project has aptly
demonstrated how the transition
from top-down approaches to
more bottom-up approaches in
planning
for
service
delivery
through
Community
Based
Planning processes is equipping
communities with the skills to
understand and participate in the
Ward 3 brick molder’s club
municipal planning processes.
Overall, the project has successfully tested a framework of promoting partnerships between
local authorities, residents and private sector initiatives for the delivery of infrastructure services
in under - served low income urban and peri-urban settlements.
The successes that have been scored and most importantly the lessons that have been
generated are providing an opportunity for replication and scaling up, not only in other local
authorities in Zimbabwe, but in the Southern Africa region as a whole.
“This document has been produced with financial assistance of the European Union.The contents of this document are the sole
responsibility of Practical Action Southern Africa and can no under circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position ot the
European Union”.