LUBADDE RAHIM
PHYSICAL PLANNER
URBANISATION AND THE NEW CITIES(2019)
We shall debate about locusts and covid 19 later, there has been a burning issue in the parliament of Uganda amidst the global coronavirus tension. Parliamentarians need to understand the concept of urbanism in development.
#USA had #10_mega_cities with a population of more than one million as at 2018. You may ask why compare a developed country with a developing country but the idea behind formulation of cities, municipalities and town councils is far beyond the political motives of the people who are involved in approving these urban centers: Provided Start up funds, the workers of the new municipality should device means of accumulating their revenue in any manner.
Therefore, we should stop saying we don’t have money to establish town areas yet they come with better advantages.
There are five key points that City planning Uganda in its support for the new Urban areas, would wish to forward to its followers;
#Urbanization, Rural Urban Migration, Urban Sprawl; the more we have cities distributed around the country, the more we reduce the pressure in our capital (Kampala) – today Kampala accommodates a population of 1.8million people as residents but receives more than its night population on a daily basis for school, medical services, employment, shopping, leisure etc. In such a manner, we have also witnessed, graduates who deny going back to their home small towns to establish lives there, because Kampala is the only source of ‘gold’. Kampala boundary is no longer clear which is why leaders prefer calling it GKMA- because we have more people trying to find better lives in or on the outskirts of the capital. Many people would remain in their respective towns if made cities and municipalities, and the ever-longing challenges of Kampala like Congestion, poor housing, traffic, crime and delayed service delivery will be sorted in some way.
#Employment_opportunities; In any case if the decision in not politically influenced by the largest political party in the parliament, then many families’ lives will be improved. From a carpenter who sells desks to municipal schools, beds to town-council health center and office furniture to engineers, surveyor, staticians, secretaries and political careers. Having various local government is another way through which governments across the globe have given out employment opportunities to people and for this to be a success, nepotism and tribalism should not be a driver in any case. We shall have reduced the number of people roaming with academic documents on Luwumu street and Kampala road looking for jobs.
#Representation; in any manner people/citizens at the grassroot feel represented when given political representatives like councilors and Members of parliament. This is so controversial to the current politicians because they also feel that their areas of influence will be divided. But the good news from that is the populations still win with increased service delivery and national representation.
#Development_advantages, believe me all areas that delayed to acquire urban statuses like municipal councils and town councils are incurring a high cost in terms of rectifying their development to create orderly and convenient areas. It is only urban areas that enforce section 3 of the physical planning act. We need the more municipals and town to ensure that physical development plans are prepared, implemented and enforce to cause order, we may fail to cope with the challenges if we delay. We shall have established task forces to fight for our natural resources either.
Increased_Revenue_collection, there are no revenues collected from village settings, we need more shopping malls (not in Kampala), more factories, etc. as facilities that increase the country’s revenue and grow the economy.
#NB—Lets’ rethink on the manner through which we take our decisions, and also remind the National Physical Planning Board that the entire process of the establishment of new urban centers is its role and therefore it should work forth to support its claims rather than letting politicians to override them.
The writer is a physical planner
"Lubadde Rahim"
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