Linking Spatial Planning and Land Use Management in the City of Cape Town: The Case of the Package of Plans

Spatial planning has been the subject of critique within the South African context, particularly the disconnect between the intentions of spatial plans and land use decision-making. The City of Cape Town uses a land use assessment mechanism called the Package of Plans, originally developed for the assessment of the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront development, which based on the hierarchical nature of the approach, can provide a link between strategic spatial planning and land use decision-making. Although the mechanism was developed for a specific purpose over 20 years ago, it has not been reviewed within the current spatial planning and land use legislative context. The paper reviews the Package of Plans within this current context and discusses the role it can play in linking spatial planning and land use management within the Cape Town context (and perhaps elsewhere). In so doing, it raises particular questions regarding the role of the mechanism within the City of Cape Town and ways its implementation could be improved.