Between normative product-oriented and alternative process-oriented urban planning praxis: how can these jointly impact on the rapid development of metropolitan Maputo, Mozambique?

This paper explores recent urban planning praxis in the metropolitan area of Maputo, capital of Mozambique – occurring in a context of high socio-spatial imbalance and rapid expansion. This involves different agents besides government institutions, at different stages. Based on relevant critical literature, the authors identify both a normative praxis, usually regulatory and product-oriented, and an alternative one, usually process-oriented, in urban development. In Maputo, the former is predominantly that which is regarded as ‘official’ and is linked to land titling, whereas the latter is closer to what actually happens ‘on the ground’ and often involves ‘unofficial’ land allocation. In reality both forms of praxis interact in complex ways. The paper draws on recent research and aims to better understand how these forms of urban planning praxis can both be developed to better address existing socio-spatial imbalances in a context of rapid urbanization – and hence has wider relevance for Sub-Saharan Africa.