Producing Post-Conflict Urban Dili (Timor-Leste): Temporal Misalignment of Planning, Legislation and Budgeting Systems

Abstract

Post-conflict cities are often understood as an outcome of fragmented governance, where coordination is limited, power is centralized and where spatial planning and urban development are often neglected and under-resourced across governance scales. This paper examines how temporal misalignment between framework systems contribute to uneven urban development of post-conflict cities. Focusing on Dili, Timor-Leste, this paper analyses how the different framework systems of planning, legislation and budgeting interact to shape the city. To this end, analysis of public documents relating to each of these systems is reviewed, such as government programs, existing studies, legislative documents and budgetary books and data. The key outcomes are mapped on a timeline to identify lags and gaps within and between these frameworks. Analysis shows that despite clear increase in intent to incorporate spatial planning into governance and decision-making processes, there is a gap between programming intent and legislative actions, and between legislative instruments and budget allocations. Consequently, institutional coordination is constrained, and sectoral interventions take place, leading to fragmented and uneven urban development. This paper contributes to discussions on post-conflict urbanism, arguing that uneven temporal consolidation of planning across interconnected planning, legal and budget framework systems shape urban development in transitioning post-conflict contexts.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Urban Science, 2026 · DOI ↗