Photo/Horst Rutsch

Launched in 1992, the Sustainable Dar es Salaam Project was one of the first demonstration city projects of the Sustainable Cities Programme (SCP), developed by UNCHS (Habitat) and the United Nations Environment Programme. Key to the project was the application of the Environmental Planning and Management (EPM) process, aimed to guide municipalities in planning and managing urban development and growth, with emphasis on environmental sustainability and public and private partnerships. By 1994, the success of the broad participatory approach to urban management was evident, and soon other towns in the United Republic of Tanzania were interested in learning from the Dar es Salaam experience.

The Government of Tanzania played a key role in developing a national mechanism for replication of the EPM process. In 1997, it launched the National Programme for Sustainable Human Settlements Development, aimed at "creating sustainable development in urban centres, which will improve living conditions in informal settlements, alleviate poverty, stimulate economic growth and employment, and improve the urban environment". Since primary responsibility for sustainable development in the urban centres rested with the local authorities, a central focus of the government programme was to strengthen local government capacity to improve urban living conditions. Initially, due to limited resources, only the main cities, with high urbanization rates and accelerated environmental degradation resulting from this rapid growth, were selected for the national programme. Eventually, other urban centres, based on their importance as regional townships or on the urgency of developing their emerging urban areas, would also be included.

The Sustainable Cities Programme in Tanzania

Nine municipalities participated in the first phase of the EPM replication: Arusha, Dodoma, Iringa, Mbeya, Morogoro, Moshi, Mwanza, Tabora and Tanga (see map). By the end of 2000, all the municipalities had prepared environmental profiles, held city consultations and established working groups. Four cities—Iringa, Moshi, Mwanza and Tanga—have already begun implementing action plans.

In 1998, the Tanzanian Government decided to officially change the urban planning system from the conventional "master" planning approach to the EPM process. In future, all the urban centres in the country will be required to apply the new process in managing growth and development. While the Government manages the programme, the municipalities are responsible for selecting staff and creating budgets for implementing the EPM process in their districts, as well as enabling other stakeholders to participate in the process. A major sponsor of the SCP, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) helps mobilize international funding and technical expertise. UNCHS (Habitat) provides technical assistance to improve management capacity and set up an efficient monitoring system to measure progress.

Left: India Street in Dar es Salaam. The author would like to acknowledge the kind assistance he received while in Dar es Salaam from Messrs. Lawrence Limbe, Martin Kitilla, Samwel Lyimo and especially Mrs. Anna Mtani.

The Urban Authorities Support Unit (UASU), anchored in the Ministry of Regional Administration and Local Government, spearheads the replication of the EPM process in Tanzania, under the auspices of the SCP. Working closely with the Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Lands and Human Settlements Development, UASU offers direct technical support to municipalities in their efforts, guiding them in preparing environmental profiles, conducting municipal consultations and establishing working groups. UASU also helps fund simple but viable demonstration projects. Costs for implementing such projects are shared between UASU and the respective municipalities, which are required to contribute at least 10 per cent of the total cost. Revenues generated are reinvested in the EPM programme of the participating municipalities. UASU also assists in the preparation of Strategic Urban Development Plans (SUDPs) for the municipalities, including the Dar es Salaam City Commission. Besides the detailed technical document, comprising five volumes, a one-volume stakeholders' edition and a 15-page "Snapshot" of the document are also available for wider dissemination by the city authorities. Due to its success, the Sustainable Cities Programme in Tanzania faces a number of challenges, most notably:

Lack of funding. Due to inadequate revenues, the EPM programme is accorded low priority compared to other activities. Municipalities remain dependent on external support, which diminishes sustainability. UNDP financial assistance for the Urban Authorities Support Unit is scheduled to cease in June 2001. If the Government cannot allocate the substantial funding UASU needs, the Unit would have to be disbanded while its services are still badly needed by the municipalities involved in the EPM process.

Inadequate support. Stakeholder working groups are the engines of the entire EPM process. They critically analyze identified environmental issues and develop strategies to address these challenges. However, without adequate support, action plans cannot be developed, with the result that funding available for demonstration projects is not released. So a major challenge is finding ways to sustain working groups as the "think tanks" of the concerned urban areas. Local consultants, many of whom are stakeholders, need to be encouraged to participate on a voluntary basis in the working groups.

Increased demand. More and more urban centres want to participate in the EPM process. The increasing demand exceeds the capacity of the supporting authorities, and the urban areas cannot receive adequate technical assistance in preparing their urban development plans. This situation, according to Martin Kibilla, the National Environmental Planning and Management Expert of UASU, poses the greatest challenge for the programme. Limiting the process to larger municipalities only means neglecting many emerging and fast-growing urban centres in the country.

This haphazard development could lead to many more unplanned settlements, he warns. Even if the emphasis of the Programme is changed and small towns are given priority over the cities, the demand for EPM planning would certainly overwhelm the limited capacities of the Programme.

Reaching local communities. Experience has shown that local communities do not actively participate in implementing issues prioritized at municipal consultations, unless there are demonstration projects to be implemented in their areas. SCP is now attempting to "downstream" the EPM process to the ward level. In ward consultations, local communities would identify issues critical for their development. Eventually, ward development plans could be integrated into the strategic urban development planning framework for the municipalities. Such a pilot project is currently under way in Iringa.

Despite the challenges, the Programme has so far been a success. Most importantly, its innovative policy has persuaded the Tanzanian Government to gradually move from the "master" planning approach towards the EPM process. This is perhaps the greatest achievement for the Sustainable Cities Programme in Tanzania.