By Correspondent
Harare has run out of land to expand and will have to explore growth through densification according to Mayor Jacob Mafume.
Speaking during a Cluster Housing Policy meeting this week Mafume said all nearby land was gone.
”The possibility of expanding Harare is no longer viable.
“All the land we could have bought for Harare has already been utilised by both informal and formal settlements.
”We are closed in and unfortunately, these settlements around Harare do not have clinics, schools, and shops, which are straining our facilities,” he said.
What Is Densification?
Urban densification generally involves the addition of new housing to a pre-existing neighborhood.
It also involves the building of apartments and housing units for a more efficient use of limited land.
This is contrary to the usual sprawl approach where urban areas expand outward in order to increase the number of homes and dwellings available.
However, there has been an increase in the creation of cluster houses in the capital lately.
Harare Acting Director of Urban Planning, Samuel Nyabezi revealed that currently there are over 150 applications.
”There are over 150 applications towards cluster development from the period of 2010 to 2023.
“We are hoping for a major increase of applications by year end,” Nyabezi said.
