From the editors

Abstract

Rapid urbanisation experienced across the world is exacerbating urban challenges. The complexity of cities as spatial entities facing multiple problems poses challenges for urban and regional planners worldwide. These problems have intensified in scale and occurrence over the past decades as urbanisation and its effects grow exponentially. Weak institutions and adaptation capabilities characterise the Global South, and the Global North is also grappling with multiple urban challenges including urban health issues, climate disasters, international migration, as well as civil unrest and wars. While cities are spatial entities, they constitute individuals and communities that come from different contexts. The aspirations of these individuals are constantly evolving, as they age or migrate into or from urban areas. The persistence of these urban challenges compromises urban liveability and often planning initiatives have been blamed for the occurrence and scale of various problems. For example, Peter Hall in his book Great planning disasters provides evidence of how some planning projects in America were unintentionally responsible for wrongful socio-economic development. Several similar cases have been reported in the African context, where urban planning has not been effective in addressing emerging challenges.