Infrastructure assessment as a mechanism to enhance spatial and strategic planning and decision making in determining development priorities within urban areas in developing countries

The inherited spatial, land use and transportation form in developing countries represent various challenges in addressing effectiveness and efficiency in attaining resilience and sustainability goals and objectives for urban development. Addressing development and growth in spatial systems within urban areas in developing countries are too often guided and determined by political preferences of decision makers. This practice is applied notwithstanding the existence of planning instruments in developing countries to guide decision making in a technical and accountable preferred practice. Priorities for development in such countries is thus determined subjectively notwithstanding the variety of needs to be addressed with restricted resources for development capital as well as allocation of funding for maintenance and operational practices related to infrastructure and transportation systems. Socio-economic realities complicate decision making further. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the use of modelling tools to guide strategic planning and decision making in determining development priorities in urban areas within developing countries. It will consider components such as spatial and land use planning and development realities; infrastructural input and needs; application of standards and a prioritisation approach towards optimal develop- ment and application of best practices.