The city of Luanda had an uncontrolled growth of population and construction over time. The civil war that lasted for 27 years brought with it the need for security for the population, which further influenced the concentration of the population in Luanda. The influence of the planning and land management system on the organisation of the city of Luanda will be analysed, by means of a bibliographical review based fundamentally on documentary research and fieldwork, in order to understand the workings of the planning system and identify the factors that underpinned the evolution of Luanda's urban area.