The Convolution of Urban Planning with Tradition in Lesotho, 1928–91

The failure to implement professional urban planning in Lesotho between 1928 and 1991, within the political economy framework of peripheral capitalism, is examined in this paper. During the period under review, legislation was the predominant planning instrument. Spatial urban planning appears to have been effective during the colonial period largely because of the existence of a clear colonial ideology, a small and economically empowered urban population to plan for, and relatively skilled workers. The urban landscape was thus highly simplified and therefore relatively easy to manage. During the period of political independence, however, urban planning was marked by contradictions within the value system of the elite and, consequently, by severely constrained efforts to enact and implement urban planning legislation, lack of a focused development ideology, a relatively large and mostly impoverished national urban population, and a lack of skilled workers.