TITLE:
Influence of Landholders’ Traits on Implementation of Neighborhood Layout Plans in Minor Towns: A Case of Mlowo Township, Songwe
AUTHORS:
Emmanuel Elifadhili Mchome, Uwezo Wilbard Nzoya
KEYWORDS:
Minor Towns, Landholders, Neighborhood Layout Plan and Tanzania
JOURNAL NAME:
Current Urban Studies,
Vol.11 No.4,
October
30,
2023
ABSTRACT: Landholders are the primary stakeholders in preparation and
implementation of the neighborhood layout plans. Different legal documents
recognize their stake in making sure the plans are prepared and implemented on
the ground. Thus, these plans are prepared in urban areas of which the legal
documents provide the planning approaches and space standards for guidance.
However, the same planning approaches and standards are used in both major and
minor towns while landholders between the two have different traits leading to
unrealistic planning process and poor implementations of the prepared plans in
the minor towns. Literature reveals that landholders in minor towns possess
unique traits or characteristics which differentiate them from those in major
urban centres. This paper therefore, reports on the influence of the traits of
landholders in minor towns on implementation of the prepared neighborhood
layout plans. This was done with the help of two specific objectives, first
identifying the nature of the landholders in minor towns and second, comparing
the response of the landholders to different plans’ implementation stages. The
assessment was conducted with the help of crosstabs whereby different selected
traits such as income, education, and awareness were cross-tabulated with
aspects of plan preparation and implementation process, including surveying of
plots, participation in plans preparation, services provision and title deeds
acquisition. The results reveal that there is a significant relation between
traits of land owners and developers and there is failure of implementation of
the prepared layout plans in minor towns. Then, thinking on reversing the
situation in these settlements should go simultaneously with strong strategies to transform the community
living in minor towns so that they are exposed to the planning and land
development process.