Full Text Available
Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.
The role of planning in new urban settlements: The case of Nyagatare in post-conflict Rwanda
The study of urban planning in post-conflict settlements is an area of research that has not yet been thoroughly explored. Yet planning occupies a unique position at the interface between communities, the state, and the physical environment, and is strategically located to deal with many common long...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics
2014
|
| Tags: |
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1867613156741742592 |
|---|---|
| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Gregory, Carmel |
| author2 | Watson, Vanessa |
| author_browse | Gregory, Carmel Watson, Vanessa |
| author_facet | Watson, Vanessa Gregory, Carmel |
| author_sort | Gregory, Carmel |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | The study of urban planning in post-conflict settlements is an area of research that has not yet been thoroughly explored. Yet planning occupies a unique position at the interface between communities, the state, and the physical environment, and is strategically located to deal with many common long-term impacts of conflict in societies. As such it deserves greater attention and consideration for the contribution it can make to reconstruction and peace-building. This study interrogates the notion of post-conflict urban planning within the case of Nyagatare, Rwanda, a town that has been almost entirely settled by returned refugees and post-conflict migrants since the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. The town has seen rapid population growth and this year was designated as one of six secondary cities selected for focused investment and further population growth: this post-conflict rise from village to secondary city in less than two decades is unprecedented in Rwanda. Field research was conducted and qualitative data collected through interviews in the field. Further information and analysis came from NGO and government reports, as well as drawing from work by previous researchers. The research found that there are still several lasting impacts from conflict, including disputes over land, weak civil society, weak local democratic process, lack of social cohesion and high rates of social distrust, and suspicious attitudes towards the state. Nyagatare is likely to be a hotspot for resettlement, voluntary or otherwise, of returning refugees who have lost their protected status under the recent invocation of the refugee Cessation Clause by the Government of Rwanda and the UNHCR. Post-conflict impacts are thus likely to be compounded with ongoing influxes of population, both through refugee resettlement and domestic migration. Yet current spatial planning fails to address these impacts of conflict as well as failing to appropriately anticipate the needs of future populations of the town. This study thus seeks to propose an alternative framework for planning that directly addresses the lasting impacts of conflict. Recommendations for planning include adapting co-production and strategic spatial planning to the local context, incorporating traditional mediation structures to allow for a safe venue for engaging communities. Focused strategic interventions, rather than a master plan, are recommended in order to allow for flexibility and uncertainty as the town grows and society stabilises. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/7529 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:31:38.662Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2014 |
| publishDateRange | 2014 |
| publishDateSort | 2014 |
| publisher | School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics |
| publisherStr | School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/7529 The role of planning in new urban settlements: The case of Nyagatare in post-conflict Rwanda Gregory, Carmel Watson, Vanessa The study of urban planning in post-conflict settlements is an area of research that has not yet been thoroughly explored. Yet planning occupies a unique position at the interface between communities, the state, and the physical environment, and is strategically located to deal with many common long-term impacts of conflict in societies. As such it deserves greater attention and consideration for the contribution it can make to reconstruction and peace-building. This study interrogates the notion of post-conflict urban planning within the case of Nyagatare, Rwanda, a town that has been almost entirely settled by returned refugees and post-conflict migrants since the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. The town has seen rapid population growth and this year was designated as one of six secondary cities selected for focused investment and further population growth: this post-conflict rise from village to secondary city in less than two decades is unprecedented in Rwanda. Field research was conducted and qualitative data collected through interviews in the field. Further information and analysis came from NGO and government reports, as well as drawing from work by previous researchers. The research found that there are still several lasting impacts from conflict, including disputes over land, weak civil society, weak local democratic process, lack of social cohesion and high rates of social distrust, and suspicious attitudes towards the state. Nyagatare is likely to be a hotspot for resettlement, voluntary or otherwise, of returning refugees who have lost their protected status under the recent invocation of the refugee Cessation Clause by the Government of Rwanda and the UNHCR. Post-conflict impacts are thus likely to be compounded with ongoing influxes of population, both through refugee resettlement and domestic migration. Yet current spatial planning fails to address these impacts of conflict as well as failing to appropriately anticipate the needs of future populations of the town. This study thus seeks to propose an alternative framework for planning that directly addresses the lasting impacts of conflict. Recommendations for planning include adapting co-production and strategic spatial planning to the local context, incorporating traditional mediation structures to allow for a safe venue for engaging communities. Focused strategic interventions, rather than a master plan, are recommended in order to allow for flexibility and uncertainty as the town grows and society stabilises. 2014-09-17T12:16:37Z 2014-09-17T12:16:37Z 2013 Master Thesis Masters MCRP http://hdl.handle.net/11427/7529 eng application/pdf School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | Gregory, Carmel The role of planning in new urban settlements: The case of Nyagatare in post-conflict Rwanda |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | The role of planning in new urban settlements: The case of Nyagatare in post-conflict Rwanda |
| title_full | The role of planning in new urban settlements: The case of Nyagatare in post-conflict Rwanda |
| title_fullStr | The role of planning in new urban settlements: The case of Nyagatare in post-conflict Rwanda |
| title_full_unstemmed | The role of planning in new urban settlements: The case of Nyagatare in post-conflict Rwanda |
| title_short | The role of planning in new urban settlements: The case of Nyagatare in post-conflict Rwanda |
| title_sort | role of planning in new urban settlements the case of nyagatare in post conflict rwanda |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/7529 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT gregorycarmel theroleofplanninginnewurbansettlementsthecaseofnyagatareinpostconflictrwanda AT gregorycarmel roleofplanninginnewurbansettlementsthecaseofnyagatareinpostconflictrwanda |