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Martin Kadzere Senior Property Reporter
LOCAL authorities should plan for the emergence of new economic activities to support rapid urbanisation and sustain the future and economic relevance of urbanised areas, renowned town planner and local governance expert Percy Toriro has said.
In an interview from Cape Town, South Africa Mr Toriro said economic activities such as mining, manufacturing, tourism and commercial formed the nucleus around which everything revolves. This gives cities sustainability.
“Planners should be constantly monitoring these dynamics and even plan for the emergence of new economic activities or support potential economic activities.
“For example, now that there are universities in Bindura and Chinhoyi, what are the planners doing to harness the potential that development brings?
“It is important that local authorities have strategic multi-disciplinary teams that ensure towns remain competitive and vibrant. If one undertakes an analysis, one can say Victoria Falls, Kariba, and Nyanga are tourism-based towns supported largely by the hotel industry. Bulawayo was an industrial city. Harare, the capital has a mixed economic base underpinned by manufacturing, education, and commerce,” said Mr Toriro.
Mr Toriro was recently in Rusape, about 179 kilometres from Harare, where he was analysing the rapid urbanisation of the town dominantly supported by agricultural activities.
He commented “Housing development is good, but without other economic activities what settlements are we creating? Maybe planners need exposure to local economic development”.
Urban areas or towns are defined in two ways: The first is by population where towns are areas with a large concentration of people in one area usually a minimum of 5 000.
Secondly, towns are defined in economic terms; areas where the population largely depends on other economic activities that are not agriculture such as industry, commerce and services. From these definition of towns, it is therefore expected that towns develop around distinct economic activities and exist to provide services.
Bindura, Hwange and Shabanie are among a few mining towns. Mr Toriro said people living in the city need have decent livelihoods, which in turn guarantee them meaningful incomes.
“The purchasing power gives areas vibrancy. Without economic activities towns die as happened to Mhangura and Kamativi
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