Mark Vella

The research is a Doctoral study exploring the impact of the National Planning Framework (NPF) on achieving sustainable development, focusing on urban planning issues in Malta. The research seeks to unravel the uncertainties in Maltese urban planning regarding sustainable development paths to manage and identify future urban outcomes. The study aims to determine the scope of NPF, creating a benchmark from an international perspective to assess the outcomes of the NPF and address critical assumptions about urban issues and the roles and benefits of NPF. A Foucauldian approach is adopted that speaks out the roles of NPF derived from a thematic analysis of literature reviews about case studies worldwide and conceptualised into a framework showing the main issues of concern. The conceptual methodology consists of a theoretical framework derived from the literature review, the philosophical lenses of the research and theories of governmentality, and the critical analytical framework that describes how the findings are analysed. The study seeks to interpret the characteristics of NPFs, analyse case studies in Malta, and urban policy impacts to determine the relationship between the NPF and sustainability for the built and natural environment. 

Names of Supervisors: 

• Dr. Dumiso Moyo 
• Dr. Vincent Onyango