The Efficiency of Urban Planning Regulations on Environmental Management in Bamenda, North West Cameroon

Abstract

In the past five decades or so, rapid rate of urbanisation and urban development and urban environmental planning and management has become a cardinal issue to urban dwellers, government institutions and professionals in the developed and developing countries. It is in furtherance to this that this paper examines the efficiency of urban planning regulations on environmental management in Bamenda. Field surveys, participant observations, questionnaire administration, interviews and on-the-spot appraisals constituted the main data sources. The findings have revealed that Bamenda is replete with an avalanche of robust urban planning regulations. Irrespective of these robust laws, it was pathetic to observe that the integration of environmental management into urban development planning was sub-optimal as over 63% of the respondents claimed ignorance on the existence of these legislations. In the context of such a seismic shift in awareness, most environmental benchmarks for sustainable urban planning have remained trapped in an environmental time-warp due to non-adherence to these regulations as a result of ignorance of their existence. This has brought about negative reverberations, ushering the urban environment of Bamenda into a frivolous path to profligacy. In order for sustainable urban planning and management to be deeply entrenched in Bamenda, this paper proffers for a synergy between government and non-government agencies responsible for urban development planning.

Kewwords: Urban Planning, Management environmental management, urban development