Planning and structural reform in municipal government

This article identifies a widespread problem namely, the need for structural reform in municipal government to accomodate the planning function. Administrative reforms have been marginal and have not taken into consideration the systematic properties in the municipal government machinery. Research on public administrative reforms is fragmentary and does not provide uniform and concise policy recommendations. The article presents a phasing strategy which makes it possible to study structural reforms in municipal government to better accomodate the planning function. It discusses structural reforms for each of the proposed four planning phases. The discussion is then extended to co-ordination of physical, economic and social dimensions of municipal planning.