Online Reporter
Tafara Chibanda
Harare City Council has called for a fundamental rethink of urban development strategy, focusing not just on the construction of houses but on creating integrated, functional settlements that support sustainable living.
This came out during a keynote address by Addmore Nhekairo, Director of Housing and Community Services, at the Human Shelter Policy Formulation Workshop.
“The deliberations must also seriously interrogate the current housing delivery models and their glaring shortcomings,” said Nhekairo.
He also urged stakeholders to propose workable options to achieve the desired human settlements that meet world-class standards.
He said, housing policy must shift from a narrow focus on buildings to a holistic approach that includes essential services such as schools, clinics, and commercial centres.
“By housing, this is an all embracing term, we are not talking of houses, but we are talking of all that is required in a well balanced settlement,” he added.
The policy consultations aim to guide administrative decisions on land use across Harare, especially in light of growing concerns about the city’s ability to manage urban expansion sustainably.
“When it comes to human settlements planning, the consultation process seeks guidance on administration actions for all land planning in the best interest of producing functional settlements,” he said.
One of the central proposals on the table is the push for housing densification, a concept gaining traction amid rapid urbanisation and land scarcity.
He added;
“Densification is the route to go.
“We are talking of land that is becoming scarce and as long as we also don’t densify, it means demand from a household to ensure the maintenance of all the services will be higher.”
To achieve this, the city is considering several urban design interventions, including the subdivision of large residential plots, the development of cluster homes in low-density areas, and the construction of high-rise flats.
“For any housing estate, 40% of that estate must be for flats in a quest to densify and to ensure that there is still available land to go somewhere in housing our populace,” he noted.
Nhekairo also pointed out the need for sustainable funding mechanisms to support housing development.
He also cited the council estate account as a critical tool.
“All funds accrued from disposal of land must be deposited and its use must be to be ploughed back in development of further housing estates.”
Other funding sources include the General Development Fund, Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP), devolution funds, and partnerships with private sector players.
“We also want to ensure that we harness resources resident within our private sector companies so that we channel it towards housing,” he said.
He also reaffirmed the mandate of the Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe (IDBZ), saying its primary purpose is to finance housing development across the country.
