As part of Botswana’s 50^th Independence celebrations the PULA Institute of Town Planners (PITP) in collaboration with the Department of Town and Country Planning (Ministry of Land Management, Water and Sanitation Services) and the Department of Architecture and Planning (University of Botswana) organized a two (2) days Planning Botswana Conference (22^nd to 23^rd August 2016) to reflect on the country’s efforts towards the creation of sustainable human settlements.

An appraisal of settlements in Botswana reveals laudable progress in the area of spatial planning given that Botswana has not witnessed massive proliferation of informal settlements and slums. However, there is continued public debate on issues pertaining to housing provision and access to land. There is also criticism of urban planning from actors in the business community and informal sector, while planning intervention in ‘urban villages’ poses yet another contested area in Botswana’s evolving urban planning. These contests have resulted in persistent dissonance between planning objectives contained in development plans and what obtains on the ground.

Through paper presentations, panel discussions and case studies, it was hoped that the Planning Botswana Conference will come up with innovative ideas to guide the planning of human settlements.