Investment by private land developer companies and postcolonial urban growth in Ruwa (Zimbabwe), 1986-2015
This article qualitatively analyses the role of private land developer companies’ investment in postcolonial Zimbabwe’s urban development, with special reference to Ruwa Town. This sprawling town is outstanding for involving private land developers in its growth and expansion. All postcolonial es...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | research article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
University of the Free State
2023
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://cris.library.msu.ac.zw//handle/11408/5559 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | This article qualitatively analyses the role of private land developer companies’
investment in postcolonial Zimbabwe’s urban development, with special reference to
Ruwa Town. This sprawling town is outstanding for involving private land developers
in its growth and expansion. All postcolonial established towns had emerged out of
Government’s direct investment through the Growth Point policy. By contrast, Ruwa
was peculiar, because it developed from a public-private partnership approach.
The article argues that, in the absence of State financial capacity in the postcolonial
era, developer companies played a crucial role in infrastructure development and
facilitation of public amenities. Although the companies were important in spearheading
the growth of the town, they sometimes failed to meet certain standards of quality in
urban infrastructure development required by town planning authorities. Despite this
shortcoming, the article finds that the companies were essentially the most appropriate
vehicles of urban development in times of economic crisis in the country. |
|---|