Average Chigwenya
Financing Low-income Housing in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe: Implications for the Right to the City and Inclusivity Urban Development Issues, vol. 64, 39–48 DOI: 10.2478/udi-2019-0022
Keywords: low cost housing, housing finance, inclusivity, right to the city
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ABSTRACT
Accessing finances for housing has been a major problem for people on low-incomes and this has been weighing heavily on them as they try to access housing. Financial institutions in the city of Bulawayo are failing to come up with financial products that suit low-income clients. There are an estimated 110000 low-income residents among the estimated 250000 residents of Cowdray Park low-density residential area in Bulawayo. This has also affected their right to the city as they have been excluded from the housing delivery system. There are so many initiatives that have been available to those on a low-income but these initiatives have rarely benefited the urban poor of the city. This research has examined how the financial services that exist in the housing sector have been crafted to benefit the urban poor. The research employed a mixed methods approach to the inquiry, where a questionnaire was the main quantitative method used and in-depth interviews and observations were the qualitative methods that complemented it. The research found that there are various financial services that are available in Zimbabwe, but these financial facilities rarely help the urban poor. The majority of the poor have been managing without any financial support and this has been stalling their access to housing. Most housing products are fashioned along neo-liberal economic principles that have very little to offer the urban poor. This has therefore denied the urban poor in the city of Bulawayo their right to the city. Most cities in Zimbabwe are struggling to satisfy their housing demand as they have long housing waiting lists. Research therefore recommends the crafting of financial facilities that are best targeted on the urban poor, and are specially adapted to their financial conditions.
Accessing finances for housing has been a major problem for people on low-incomes and this has been weighing heavily on them as they try to access housing. Financial institutions in the city of Bulawayo are failing to come up with financial products that suit low-income clients. There are an estimated 110000 low-income residents among the estimated 250000 residents of Cowdray Park low-density residential area in Bulawayo. This has also affected their right to the city as they have been excluded from the housing delivery system. There are so many initiatives that have been available to those on a low-income but these initiatives have rarely benefited the urban poor of the city. This research has examined how the financial services that exist in the housing sector have been crafted to benefit the urban poor. The research employed a mixed methods approach to the inquiry, where a questionnaire was the main quantitative method used and in-depth interviews and observations were the qualitative methods that complemented it. The research found that there are various financial services that are available in Zimbabwe, but these financial facilities rarely help the urban poor. The majority of the poor have been managing without any financial support and this has been stalling their access to housing. Most housing products are fashioned along neo-liberal economic principles that have very little to offer the urban poor. This has therefore denied the urban poor in the city of Bulawayo their right to the city. Most cities in Zimbabwe are struggling to satisfy their housing demand as they have long housing waiting lists. Research therefore recommends the crafting of financial facilities that are best targeted on the urban poor, and are specially adapted to their financial conditions.
REFERENCES
Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (2015) Financing residential development in Australia, AHURI, Melbourne.
Beall, J. (2000) From the culture of poverty to inclusivity cities: Reframing urban policy and politics, Journal of International Development, 20,843–850.
Boer, R.W. & de Vries, J. (2009) The right to the city as a tool for urban social movements: The case of Barceloneta, a paper presented at the 4th International Conference of the International Forum on Urbanism: The new urbanism question urbanism beyond neo-liberalism in November 2009, Amsterdam.
Brown, A. (2001) Cities for urban poor in Zimbabwe: Urban space as a resource for sustainable development, Development Practice, 11(2–3), 319–331.
Cheng, J. & Dang, L. (2014) Financing affordable housing through compulsory savings: The two decades experience of the Housing Provident Fund in China, Housing studies, 29(7), 938–988.
Chigwenya, A. (2019) Low-income housing problems and low-income housing solutions: opportunities and challenges in Bulawayo, Journal of Housing and the Built Environment. DOI: http://org/10.1007/s10901-019-09676-w.
Chirisa, I. (2009) Prospects of the asset based community development approach in Epworth and Ruwa, Zimbabwe; A housing and environmental perspective, African Journal of History and Culture, 1(2), 28–35.
Chirisa, I. & Dumba, S. (2011) Spatial planning legislation and historical and contemporary challenges in Zimbabwe: A conjectural approach, Journal of African Studies and Development, 4(1), 1–13.
Devas, N. (2001) Does the city governance matter for the poor, International Planning Studies, 6(4), 393–408.
Fainstein, S.S. (2005) Planning theory and the city, Journal Planning Education and Research, 25, 121–130.
Fainstein, S.S. (2006) Planning and the just city, presentation made at the Conference on searching for the Just City in April 2006, Colombia.
Ferguson, B. (1999) Micro-Finance of housing; A key to housing the low/moderate income majority, Environment and Urbanisation, 11(3), 185–1999.
Gerometta, J., Haussermann, H. & Lango, G. (2005) Social innovation and civic society in urban governance: Strategies for an inclusive city, Urban Studies, 42(11), 2007–2021.
Gumbo, T. (2010) Eccentric housing finance sources by the urban poor in Zimbabwe, the case of Cowdray Park low income self-help housing
in Bulawayo, Economia, Seria Management, 13(1), 89–105.
Harvey, D. (2003) Debates and development. The right to the city, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 27(4), 9–44.
Harvey, D. (2008) The right to the city, New Left Review, 53, 23–40.
Harvey, D. (2012) Rebel cities, from the right to the city to urban revolution, Verso Books, London.
Huchzermeyer, M. (2011) Cities with slums: From informal settlement eradication to a right to the city in Africa, UCT Press, Cape Town.
Jerome, K. (2016) Seeing inclusion and the right to the city, [in:] M. Behren, K. Culdak, W. Bkow & C. Stunck, eds., Inclusive city, Wees Baden, Springer, Fachmedien.
Kamete, A.Y. (1999) Restrictive controls of urban high density housing in Zimbabwe, deregulations, challenges and implication for urban design, Housing Theory and Society, 16(3), 136–151.
Kamete, A.Y. (2001) The quest for affordable urban housing: A study of approaches and results in Harare Zimbabwe, Development Southern Africa, 18(1), 31–44.
Knight Frank (2018) Real estate markets in a continent of growth and opportunities, Africa Report, Knight Frank.
Available from: www.knightFrank.com/research [accessed: 17.01.2019].
Lefebvre, H. (1996) Writings on cities, Blackwell, Cambridge.
Lefebvre, H. (1968) Le Droit á la Ville (The right to the city), Antropos, Paris.
Mabogunge, A.L. (2003) Access to basic service in Africa local government: Understanding the challenges and starting action. In A paper presented at Africities Summit, Yaoundé Cameroon.
Marcuse, P. (2009) From critical urban theory to right to the city: Analysis of urban trends, Culture, Theory, Policy Action, City, 13(2–3), 175–197.
Mustafa, D. & Leitte, G. (2002) Right to the city: Homage or new societal ethics?, Capitalism, Nature and Socialism, 13(2), 58–74.
Ngwenya, N. (2017) An assessment of housing provisioning 3rd World cities: The case of Bulawayo, An Msc. Dissertation, Midland State University, Department of Local Governance, Gweru Zimbabwe.
Parnell, T. & Robinson, J. (2012) Retheorising cities from the global south; Looking beyond neo-liberalism, Urban Geography, 33(4), 593–613.
Pillay, A. & Naude, W.A. (2006) Financing low-income housing in South Africa, Borrower experience and expectation of banks, Habitat International, 30(4), 872–885.
Potts, D. (2008) The urban informal sector in Sub-Saharan Africa: From bad to good (and back again), Development Southern Africa, 25(2), 151–162.
Ramanathan, U. (2006) Illegality and the urban poor, Economic and Political Weekly, 141(29), 3193–3197.
Rolnik, R. (2013) Late neo-liberalism: The financialisation of homeowners and housing right, International Journal of Urban Regional Research, 37(3), 1058–1060.
Simone, A. (2005) Right to the city intervention, International Journal of Post-Colonial Studies, 7(3), 321–525.
Stein, A. & Castillo, L. (2005) Innovative financing for low-income housing improvements: The Lessons from programs in Central America, Environment and Urbanisation, 17(1), 47–66.
UN-Habitat (2005) Urban policies and the right to the city, UN, Nairobi, Kenya.
UN-Habitat (2010) Land in support of sustainable urbanisation: Proceedings of third African Ministerial conference on housing and urban development, Bamako, Mali.
Zimbabwe Homeless People Federation (2014) Harare Slum profiling
Report, Dialog on Shelter for the Homeless Trust, Harare.
Zimstat (2012) Population census 2012, Zimstat, Harare.
Zimstat (2015) Facts and Figures 2015, Zimstat, Harare.
Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (2015) Financing residential development in Australia, AHURI, Melbourne.
Beall, J. (2000) From the culture of poverty to inclusivity cities: Reframing urban policy and politics, Journal of International Development, 20,843–850.
Boer, R.W. & de Vries, J. (2009) The right to the city as a tool for urban social movements: The case of Barceloneta, a paper presented at the 4th International Conference of the International Forum on Urbanism: The new urbanism question urbanism beyond neo-liberalism in November 2009, Amsterdam.
Brown, A. (2001) Cities for urban poor in Zimbabwe: Urban space as a resource for sustainable development, Development Practice, 11(2–3), 319–331.
Cheng, J. & Dang, L. (2014) Financing affordable housing through compulsory savings: The two decades experience of the Housing Provident Fund in China, Housing studies, 29(7), 938–988.
Chigwenya, A. (2019) Low-income housing problems and low-income housing solutions: opportunities and challenges in Bulawayo, Journal of Housing and the Built Environment. DOI: http://org/10.1007/s10901-019-09676-w.
Chirisa, I. (2009) Prospects of the asset based community development approach in Epworth and Ruwa, Zimbabwe; A housing and environmental perspective, African Journal of History and Culture, 1(2), 28–35.
Chirisa, I. & Dumba, S. (2011) Spatial planning legislation and historical and contemporary challenges in Zimbabwe: A conjectural approach, Journal of African Studies and Development, 4(1), 1–13.
Devas, N. (2001) Does the city governance matter for the poor, International Planning Studies, 6(4), 393–408.
Fainstein, S.S. (2005) Planning theory and the city, Journal Planning Education and Research, 25, 121–130.
Fainstein, S.S. (2006) Planning and the just city, presentation made at the Conference on searching for the Just City in April 2006, Colombia.
Ferguson, B. (1999) Micro-Finance of housing; A key to housing the low/moderate income majority, Environment and Urbanisation, 11(3), 185–1999.
Gerometta, J., Haussermann, H. & Lango, G. (2005) Social innovation and civic society in urban governance: Strategies for an inclusive city, Urban Studies, 42(11), 2007–2021.
Gumbo, T. (2010) Eccentric housing finance sources by the urban poor in Zimbabwe, the case of Cowdray Park low income self-help housing
in Bulawayo, Economia, Seria Management, 13(1), 89–105.
Harvey, D. (2003) Debates and development. The right to the city, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 27(4), 9–44.
Harvey, D. (2008) The right to the city, New Left Review, 53, 23–40.
Harvey, D. (2012) Rebel cities, from the right to the city to urban revolution, Verso Books, London.
Huchzermeyer, M. (2011) Cities with slums: From informal settlement eradication to a right to the city in Africa, UCT Press, Cape Town.
Jerome, K. (2016) Seeing inclusion and the right to the city, [in:] M. Behren, K. Culdak, W. Bkow & C. Stunck, eds., Inclusive city, Wees Baden, Springer, Fachmedien.
Kamete, A.Y. (1999) Restrictive controls of urban high density housing in Zimbabwe, deregulations, challenges and implication for urban design, Housing Theory and Society, 16(3), 136–151.
Kamete, A.Y. (2001) The quest for affordable urban housing: A study of approaches and results in Harare Zimbabwe, Development Southern Africa, 18(1), 31–44.
Knight Frank (2018) Real estate markets in a continent of growth and opportunities, Africa Report, Knight Frank.
Available from: www.knightFrank.com/research [accessed: 17.01.2019].
Lefebvre, H. (1996) Writings on cities, Blackwell, Cambridge.
Lefebvre, H. (1968) Le Droit á la Ville (The right to the city), Antropos, Paris.
Mabogunge, A.L. (2003) Access to basic service in Africa local government: Understanding the challenges and starting action. In A paper presented at Africities Summit, Yaoundé Cameroon.
Marcuse, P. (2009) From critical urban theory to right to the city: Analysis of urban trends, Culture, Theory, Policy Action, City, 13(2–3), 175–197.
Mustafa, D. & Leitte, G. (2002) Right to the city: Homage or new societal ethics?, Capitalism, Nature and Socialism, 13(2), 58–74.
Ngwenya, N. (2017) An assessment of housing provisioning 3rd World cities: The case of Bulawayo, An Msc. Dissertation, Midland State University, Department of Local Governance, Gweru Zimbabwe.
Parnell, T. & Robinson, J. (2012) Retheorising cities from the global south; Looking beyond neo-liberalism, Urban Geography, 33(4), 593–613.
Pillay, A. & Naude, W.A. (2006) Financing low-income housing in South Africa, Borrower experience and expectation of banks, Habitat International, 30(4), 872–885.
Potts, D. (2008) The urban informal sector in Sub-Saharan Africa: From bad to good (and back again), Development Southern Africa, 25(2), 151–162.
Ramanathan, U. (2006) Illegality and the urban poor, Economic and Political Weekly, 141(29), 3193–3197.
Rolnik, R. (2013) Late neo-liberalism: The financialisation of homeowners and housing right, International Journal of Urban Regional Research, 37(3), 1058–1060.
Simone, A. (2005) Right to the city intervention, International Journal of Post-Colonial Studies, 7(3), 321–525.
Stein, A. & Castillo, L. (2005) Innovative financing for low-income housing improvements: The Lessons from programs in Central America, Environment and Urbanisation, 17(1), 47–66.
UN-Habitat (2005) Urban policies and the right to the city, UN, Nairobi, Kenya.
UN-Habitat (2010) Land in support of sustainable urbanisation: Proceedings of third African Ministerial conference on housing and urban development, Bamako, Mali.
Zimbabwe Homeless People Federation (2014) Harare Slum profiling
Report, Dialog on Shelter for the Homeless Trust, Harare.
Zimstat (2012) Population census 2012, Zimstat, Harare.
Zimstat (2015) Facts and Figures 2015, Zimstat, Harare.