Reimaging socio-spatial planning: Towards a synthesis between sense of place and social sustainability approaches

Abstract

Socio-spatial planning forums are shedding light on how people embrace, contest or reject social changes. These understandings are now being used to explore sense of place and social sustainability approaches in spatial studies, and provide input into the formulation of socio-spatial planning interventions. Research evidence, however, suggests that the integration of elements from each approach into a unified working model can help overcome existing conceptual confusions and revitalise socio-spatial planning processes. Our research therefore seeks to identify these confusions, as well as the supplementary elements in each approach, resulting in the creation of a conceptual framework that reimages socio-spatial planning. We argue that there are elements conceptually linked in each approach that could be re-conceptualised into a more robust framework for socio-spatial planning. The article further proposes that the synthesis will not only negate the shortcomings inherent in each approach but will also provide a more responsive medium for the current dynamic societal context of socio-spatial planning. Our findings advance socio-spatial planning theory and contribute to a foundation for the future research aimed at improving the understanding of background theories.

Urban and Spatial Planning: Pragmatic Considerations for Plan Implementation Improvements (A Case Study of the City of Bor)

“…The participation in the planning process and implementation is recognized as depoliticization of decision-making, which is expected to contribute to the outcomes adjusted to the needs of citizens and public interest and it practically turns planning into a tool that belongs to citizens (Legacy et al, 2019;McClymont, 2019). The participation in planning and plan implementation is advocated as a precondition for reflection on cultural, social, and economic needs of citizens to shrink the gap between the planned measures and their effects at the moment they are implemented (Lau, 2015;Legacy et al, 2019) and increase the transparency of the process and citizens' awareness on what planning is (Erdiaw-Kwasie & Basson, 2017), thus securing the success of implementation. Therefore, participation should not be limited to decision-making only but also applied in plan implementation (Erdiaw-Kwasie & Basson, 2017;Mäntysalo et al, 2019), whereas the implementation of one's own decisions and actions guarantees a higher level of satisfaction.…”

“…The participation in planning and plan implementation is advocated as a precondition for reflection on cultural, social, and economic needs of citizens to shrink the gap between the planned measures and their effects at the moment they are implemented (Lau, 2015;Legacy et al, 2019) and increase the transparency of the process and citizens' awareness on what planning is (Erdiaw-Kwasie & Basson, 2017), thus securing the success of implementation. Therefore, participation should not be limited to decision-making only but also applied in plan implementation (Erdiaw-Kwasie & Basson, 2017;Mäntysalo et al, 2019), whereas the implementation of one's own decisions and actions guarantees a higher level of satisfaction. Both institutions and individuals are to be involved in the participatory process (Sartorio et al, 2018), which is also relevant for the establishment of new partnerships and thus new sources of the plan implementation financing (Mäntysalo et al, 2019).…”

The manifestation of street safety and security as spatial (in)justice in selected small rural towns of Vhembe District, South Africa

“…It thereby leads the drivers to intuitively reduce speed to enable sharing of the street with pedestrians. particular social, economic, political or environmental traits in geography (Erdiaw-Kwasie and Basson, 2018). Space plays a central role in producing and even distributing (in)justices, and space is often inconspicuous in academic debates on justice (Soja, 2009).…”

Measuring the Initial Social Sustainability Impacts of Estate Regeneration: A Case Study of Acton Gardens, London

“…This is particularly so, as "environmental sustainability" has become a "taken for granted" element in design and practice and no longer necessarily offers a competitive advantage for housebuilders, whereas social sustainability is seen by housebuilders as "unclaimed territory", offering a way of differentiation in a highly competitive market [2]. Secondly, some UK housebuilders (for example the Berkeley Group, Countryside, and Taylor Woodrow) have also attempted to highlight their credentials in "place-making", which links to recent urban "socio-spatial" planning discourse and the distinctiveness of places [10,11]. This is connected with a wider "sense of place" literature, and also the concept of "place-keeping", which highlights the idea of long-term stewardship of housing projects by housebuilders [1,11].…”

“…Secondly, some UK housebuilders (for example the Berkeley Group, Countryside, and Taylor Woodrow) have also attempted to highlight their credentials in "place-making", which links to recent urban "socio-spatial" planning discourse and the distinctiveness of places [10,11]. This is connected with a wider "sense of place" literature, and also the concept of "place-keeping", which highlights the idea of long-term stewardship of housing projects by housebuilders [1,11]. Finally, UK housebuilders are also being driven not only by the need to fulfil corporate responsibility requirements [12], but also the perceived "first mover advantage" in measuring and assessing social sustainability [3,13].…”