Project management as an anti-planning measure for the effective preparation and implementation of the urban development plans in the Global South

The preparation of urban development plans and their implementation for urban development in the Global South are often not treated as projects, despite the time, cost and other resource implications. Urban development plan preparation and implementation often overrun their schedule, and cost and at times become uncertain. So, an argument has emerged that plan preparation and implementation should be managed by the use of project management principles. Thus, the objective of the study was to explore the challenges in the preparation of urban plans and their implementation and how project management as an anti-planning measure can improve efficiency in these aspects. A Delphi research method involving surveys among urban planning and project management professionals and experts was used. Findings suggest that the preparation of plans and implementation suffer from several challenges under the conventional process. However, project management can become an anti-planning measure and enable the preparation of plans and implementation efficiently. As advocated by anti-planning, it can enable keeping a journal of the occurrences regularly which would allow diagnosis of the challenges and to take appropriate remedial interventions. Practically, it can enable controlling the schedule, cost, and resources and eliminate uncertainty in urban planning and implementation.