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NAMES KAWEESI ENOCK

STUDENT NUMBER 208014380

REGISTRATION NUMBER 08/U/17844/PS

ACADEMIC YEAR 2008/2009

YEAR OF STUDY 3RD YEAR

COURSE NAME BACHELORS DEGREE IN URBAN

AND REGIONAL PLANNING

COURSE UNIT CONFLICT RESOLUTION IN

PHYSICAL PLANNING

COURSE CODE URP 3109

LECTURER¶S NAMES Dr. SHUAIB LWASA

QUESTION

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We live in urban areas in which conflict is part of our everyday life, further the current
tendencies towards more polarized urban areas announce that this process is on the rise. I
observe that current conflict among social, political, ethnic or religious groups as well among
regions and nations; even at the individual level we see a large number of disputes that end
up being resolved in court with social costs.

Heidelberg Institute for International

onflict esearch (HIIK 2005:2) defines conflict as the
clashing of interests (positional differences) on national values of some duration and
magnitude between at least two parties (organized groups, states, groups of states,
organizations) that are determined to pursue their interests and win their cases.

onflict is a natural disagreement resulting from individuals or groups that differ in attitudes,
beliefs, values or needs. It can also originate from past rivalries and personality difference.

onflicts are clashes of interest (differences of position) concerning national values (territory,
secession, decolonization, autonomy, system/ideology, national power, regional
predominance, international power, resources, other). These clashes are of certain duration
and scope, involving at least two parties (organized groups, states, groups of states,
organizations of states) determined to pursue their interests and win their cases
(encyclopedia).

onflict is actual or perceived opposition of needs, values and interests. A conflict can be
internal (within oneself) or external (between two or more individuals).

onflict theories are needs based , power based, human needs, right based, power based and
interest based in social science which emphasizes the social, political or material inequality of
the social group, which critique the broad socio-political system or which otherwise detract
from structural functionalism and ideological conservation. Therefore basing on several
conflicts of theories, I have read, will take my stand on human based theory.

Human based theory was formulated by John urton 1915 -. urton, synthesized the main
theoretical assumptions of conflict resolution which were known as µhuman needs theory¶.
The adopted needs included; ccc

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c the need for structure, predictability, stability and freedom from fear and
anxiety.
B  /L
cthe need to be accepted by others and to have strong personal ties.
c
cthe need to be recognized by one and others as strong.

c  
cthe need to reach one¶s potential in all areas of life.
  
cgoes beyond a psychological ³sense of self relation to the outside world.

c  
c the need for recognition of one¶s language, traditions, religion, cultural
values, ideas, and concepts.

c is the condition of having no physical, political, or civil restraints; having the
capacity to exercise choice in all aspects of one¶s life.
   c  
c need for the fair allocation of resources among all members of a
community.

  
 
cis the need to be able to actively partake in and influence civil society.

John urton called these ³ontological need´. He defines ontological needs as non ±
negotiable.
From the physical planning point of view the needs are several and planning should ideally
try to meet or create opportunities for such needs to be met.

Polarization describes increasing inequalities and asymmetries within the distribution over
time. Polarization is closely related to exclusion, segregation and isolation depending upon
the geography and the social structure (usterd - Ostendorf, 1998).
Therefore social polarization refers to growing social distance between groups, or when
social strata become regularized and pronounced due to convergence of multiple forms of
inequality such as disparities in education with wealth disparities (Andrew artin Fisher,
2008).
Social polarization is associated with segregation within a society that may emerge from
income inequality, real ± state fluctuations, economic displacements and among others, and
could result in such a differentiation that would consist of various social groups from high
income to low income.

The current social polarization is seen to manifest itself in different urban areas in East
Africa, portraying the low rate of development. In such a way social polarization acts as the
major cause of spatial segregation, where experiments have portrayed that physical proximity
may not guarantee socio ± economic integration. So the question is can physical planning
reverse social polarization.
Social polarization in urban areas is a form of conflict through basing on the human needs
based theory, through the following ways:

For instance in Kampala, close study of economics and social structure of metropolitan
Kampala unravels the bizarrely contradictory nature of the economic power. Kampala
experiences concentration of high developments while its neighbours show a low rate of
development. The drive engines of the metropolitan Kampala have historically been
employment magnets, education centres, and recreational centres.
The ISo
aP (2006) World congress on Social Polarization reported that extreme social
polarities in urban areas are responsible for increased urban poverty, uncontrolled informal
urban growth due to migration. These developments have attracted migrants from varying
background, leading to population increase in Kampala; low levels of education, adjacent
poverty only resulting into disintegration of social structures. Therefore the extreme social
polarities in urban areas have contributed to elevated levels of poverty and illiteracy.

Informal sector; urban areas have experience in the evolution of dichotonomous economies
that is to say informal sector and formal sector. The informal sector is formed by low income
groups¶ especially fresh migrants from the rural areas.
Informal sectors occupants are characterized by their lack of skills and low levels of
education, which out puts lower wages and standards of living, due to high cost of living
therefore contributing to profeliration of slums, for example Katanga, Kivulu, waise and
many others around Kampala. Therefore the informal sector does not guarantee the
fundamental needs as talked about by John urton (1915).

Slums; the development slums in urban areas portray how social polarization is at stake
(segregation) and definitely the lacking of human needs such as esteem, security, control,
justice to mention but a few.
Slums are always to be by- products of urbanization in urban areas for example Katanga,
Kisenyi in Wandegeya and Kampala respectively. asically slums also tend to hinder
physical planning objectives and developments, since it¶s always hard to evict them, therefore
creating a tension which results into a form of conflict.

Interest in land control; this always refers to land related conflicts and property conflicts.
Land related conflicts are always due to rights over land, speculating and overlapping
interests of developments on land. Still under land related conflicts, we also have land use
conflicts. For instance some land uses are harmful to the environment, for example
encroaching on environmentally sensitive areas, that is to say residential encroaching on
wetlands hence causing ecological conflict.
In issues still concerning land there also forced land evictions which mainly oppress the poor,
for example in Kayunga, akerere University against Katanga, Kiira Town
ouncil ±
Kamuli district , 30 families in Nyeri were forcefully evicted on land by self proclaimed
landlord and so many other cases of forceful evictions. This because the poor (dwellers) are
independent in their struggle for social position or recognition in the society. This results into
social exclusion, which is that they lack the security over the land, which majorly caused by
social polarization.
Therefore regarding to the human needs based theory some of the fundamental human needs
are violated such as security, justice, and control.

Segregation; this is a policy that prevents the minorities from locating in specific areas. For
example some politicians were trying their best to fail relocation of the ududa landslide
victims due to their selfish interests, hence conflicting with the human needs.

Integration; redevelopment efforts. Several redevelopments efforts are taken and some are
under way, as a solution to the deteriorating housing and in several cases there is absolute
absence of lower income groups. For example the housing project in Namuwongo ended up
sidelining the marginalized group, and benefitting the rich. This was caused by social
polarization as they were segregated.

In conclusion, clearly, the analysis of human needs theory has received less attention than it
deserves. Putting conflict at center stage can provide a new and fruitful way of modeling
social and economic relations and institutions.

c c
BBL c

Andrew artin Fischer, esolving the Theoretical Ambiguities of Social Exclusion with
reference to Polarization and conflict: Development Studies Institute, London School of
Economics and Political Science, Houghton street, London January 2008

andan
inar, Fusun
izmeci, Almula Koksal, Polarization in Istanbul: Gated
ommunities,
42nd ISo
aP
ongress 2006

John urton,
onflict esolution and Prevention; New York: St artin Press 1990

John Esteban, Gerald Schneider, Polarization and

onflict: Theoretical and Empirical Issues.

usterd, S., Ostendorf, W., (Ed.), 1998, Urban Segregation and the Welfare State (inequality
and exclusion in western cities), outledge

ameeta Garewal, AI
P, Social Polarization and ole of Planning-The Developed and
Developing
World, 42nd ISo
aP
ongress 2006