The Housing Markets in Zimbabwe

Abstract

The study explores housing markets in Zimbabwe. There is need for cheap housing in urban areas because of Sub-Saharan Africa's (SSA) increasing urban population. There is also need to create futures that are more inclusive cities in which everyone has a right to live in a nice place. Descriptive analysis, content analysis and case study method were the three methods used in this study. Results from this research argue that most of the urban poor are the most affected people in housing markets in Zimbabwe as evidenced by the sprouting of a huge number of informal housing in peri-urban areas of most cities in Zimbabwe. Although measures, including the introduction of the Ministry of Local Government and Housing, after independence, slum upgrading, decentralisation and various policies, the demand for housing has increased and the government has failed to reduce it due to different socio-economic factors that include rapid urbanisation, population growth and rural urban migration, to mention a few. Various key factors affect housing markets in Zimbabwe, and it might be challenging to renovate slums and poorly designed regions and create infrastructure at a rate quicker than the expansion of the urban population. There is need for a holistic approach by different stakeholders such as investors, housing and population gurus, and government and private sector organisations to bring new innovative and African context ideas to the housing crisis in Zimbabwe.