Spatial Planning Constraints in Historically Marginalised Areas: An Integrative Review

Abstract

Historically marginalized areas experienced systemic disadvantages over time due to various factors, for instance South Africa’s former homelands. Several studies related to ‘spatial planning constraints in historically marginalized areas.’ have been conducted worldwide. However, to date, no integrative review has been conducted to synthesize the evidence of spatial planning constraints that hinder proper planning in historically marginalized areas to achieve sustainable development. A systematic approach informed by the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses’’ (PRISMA) was adapted to select literature incorporating a comprehensive desktop review. The study unpacks spatial planning constraints that hamper the planning of historically marginalized areas by identifying the relevant empirical work and synthesizing their findings. Data was collected from different databases. English language articles published between 2010 and 2023 were included. After sequentially narrowing the search and removing duplicates, 58 relevant papers remained, out of which 37 fulfilled the stated criteria of constituting spatial planning constraints in historically marginalised areas. Thematic analysis of the findings revealed a range of political, economic, social; governance and public administration factors that constrain spatial planning of historically marginalised areas. These include poor policy implementation, inadequate infrastructure, resource mismanagement and inadequacy, land tenure complexities, informality, rapid urban growth, inadequate government investment, poor energy facilities, dynamic development, backward technologies; forced migration and locational factors. The study is relevant particularly to policy makers in devising sustainable strategies towards crafting of targeted spatial planning implementation frameworks for historically marginalised areas.