In
centuries, minor towns have played a great intermediate role between rural
areas and urban areas in the world. Many worldwide literatures reveal that the
settlements contribute much in economic development of both urban and rural
areas. Land development in these settlements is guided by detailed layout plans
including neighborhood layout plans (NLPs) and Regularization Schemes. In
Tanzania, preparation of NLPs in these settlements is under Township Authorities and District Councils.
However, the current trend shows that, most of the prepared NLPs in
minor towns remain only on the office papers and contradict to what is
developed on the ground. The situation has been contributed by unique planning
challenges and approaches used in planning of these settlements. Therefore,
this paper examines the planning challenges associated with implementation of
the NLPs in minor towns. The study employed both primary and secondary data
collection methods. The primary data methods were interview and survey while
secondary data were obtained through published documents such as population and
housing census reports. Thereafter, the data were analyzed with the help of
Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Microsoft excel. It comes
out from the findings that most of the designated plots in minor towns are not
reaching up to the stage of being surveyed and issuing of title deeds as the
prepared NLPs focus only on one or few clients who are able to finance the
layout preparation process while the rest are partially involved in the
process. This creates unwillingness of the other large group of land owners and
developers in the project areas to support preparation and implementation of
the NLPs. In this case, it is important to improve inclusiveness of all stakeholders as well as
economic stabilization of the community in minor towns through investments
prioritization.
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